Top 75 Outfielders for 2020 Fantasy Baseball: Week 3 Update

Welcome once again sports fans to another episode of Top 75 Outfielders for 2020 Fantasy Baseball, a continuation of last-last’s Week 1. Now that we got a couple more weeks in under our belt, the silt is starting to settle towards the riverbed and the cream is rising toward the top accompanied by some rare nuggets to boot. Did I just merge metaphors? Shhhhhh, maybe no one will notice. Either way, with guys like Juan Soto and Yordan Alvarez returning to the field and the possibility of bird watching some Cardinals this weekend, optimism springs eternal (ignoring the news about the Reds)! Once again, my rankings are for looking forward not just where things currently are. If you want to see just the current state, take a peek at our Player Rater tool.

Here’s what I’ve been seeing around the league:

The Ins

Juan Soto – Sexy Dr. Pepper is bringing sexy back. In his first 9 games joining the season: he’s slashing .462/.517/1.115 with 5 HRs, 11 RBIs, and 1 SB. And one of those home runs, looked like he hit it clear to the moon. Looks like he’s playing with a massive chip on his shoulder and he holds the entire league responsible for COVID keeping him away. Now he’s Keanu Reeves about to rain vengeance upon the mob because a punk kid killed his dog.

Mookie Betts – Mookie Best has made his first appearance this week. I had him at the tail end of the top 10 prior to yesterday, then he goes and has 3 HR night, along with Cody Bellinger having a 2 HR night. And after I had blurbs already written out; the nerve! The fact remains, Mookie also has 5 HRs in the last 8 games (including the 3-spot) and raising his average to .300+. He was a little slow out of the gate (week 1) but he’s always been good in “April.” So this first month is proving to be no exception.

Mike Yastrzemski – The grandchild just continues to rake hitting .303 with 4 HRs, 1 SB, 19 runs, and 13 RBIs. Rather than rehash how good he’s doing and the reality of his quick start, I’ll just direct you to Son’s article here.

The Outs

Victor Robles – He is absolutely atrocious right now hitting under .200 and zero steals. The reason you drafted him is to benefit from a glut of steals, where did they go? The book on this season could be, “The Robles Less Traveled.”

Mallex Smith – Speaking of steals. Where are they? Many of the pure steals guys are struggling at the dish right now. So the main reason you bought in on them on draft day is being choked out at the plate. One reason not to go all-in on steals, is it being a secondary stat. You can’t earn a steal at the dish. You have to “win” a base first, then double down and steal a bag. You have to roll the dice twice to get something out it. Just a thought.

Andrew Benintendi – “0-4 with BB, 1 run, and the golden sombrero as he continues to bat leadoff hitting .061/.279. I’ve noticed he’s walking a lot yet his contact is atrocious. His eyes are fine, but his swing is way off. I have no idea why Roenicke is keeping him at leadoff. Could be to ensure he has more ABs to help him out of his funk and/or further evidence the Sawx are mailing in this entire season. Just one big extended Spring Training.” And that’s me quoting me. Benintendi is broke and now he’s going on the IL.

Oscar Mercado – So I’ve had a few people ask me about him in the comments on other posts a few times. And now that I’ve processed him a bit more, it’s time to move on in redraft leagues (for now). His K-rate is north of 30%, nearly double what it was last year. His BABIP is also awful at .179 which might mean there’s hope ahead but now he’s not getting starts in the field and coming in off the bench as a defensive replacement. There’s probably something better out there in the meantime while he finds himself.

The What-have-yous

Ketel Marte – So Marte is hitting well so far, but he only has one home run. His hot hitting validates some of his breakout from last year, but we are still waiting for the power like an electrician on a stalled job site. His barrel% is down a bit so far but his xSLG suggests he’s being cheated a bit on power so far, so, better times ahead.

Jeff McNeill – Speaking of no power, Jeff has yet to record a home run or a steal. And the counting stats are lagging behind too. Yet the Mets are 12th in runs scored, he needs to do more than just get a handful of hits at inopportune times. Maybe it’s just around the corner.

Jesse Winker – He just can’t stop hitting right now; 5 HRs in the last 5 games, hitting .647/.714/1.647 over the last week. That is absolutely insane. And his next 4 games are vs PIT and KC, get this man in your lineup post-haste. **UPDATE: CIN games for the weekend are cancelled due to a player testing positive, assuming he/team survives the weekend will be watching him next week. What’s going on in the NL Central???**

Dylan Carlson – called up today and will see regular time in the outfield. Get him if he’s out there, he could hit a stride and be a strong contributor for the rest of the way across all 5 categories. Jo Adell has come out of the gate slowly, which he’ll be fine eventually, but Carlson has a better hit tool and might start off a bit quicker like Robert.

The Board

The Bubble: Jesse Winker, Kevin Pillar, Austin Hays, Mark Canha, Avisail Garcia, Adam Eaton