Three outfielders are needed to complete a starting fantasy baseball team. That’s why this position requires plenty of luck and value when trying to field the best squad.
Players in the outfield can offer strengths in several categories. Obviously, toward the top of the list, like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, they can provide quality numbers in each category. As you venture down the list, though, it becomes scarce to find someone who can be an across-the-board contributor.
That’s why I search for players who are significantly better than their counterparts in a specific area. Fantasy baseball is all about winning categories. These outfielders can be found later in fantasy baseball drafts and offer tremendous value to potential owners based on their skills to contribute mightily in a targeted category.
Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati
Hamilton is rated 37th among outfielders, according to Fantasy Pros, a site featuring opinions from several fantasy baseball experts.
That value puts him in the ninth round, which would be a solid place to pick up the speedy youngster.
Hamilton played in only 114 games and still stole 57 bases last season, 14 more than any other outfielder. That alone should give him tremendous value. As long as he can avoid injury issues this season, he should be a dynamic option in the stolen bases category.
The biggest problems with Hamilton is his inability to really produce in any other category. Usually players who steal bases can score runs. However, Hamilton has logged 72 and 56 runs in the past two seasons, not a great number for a player that is pretty much always on second base. He also doesn’t get on base at all, with a career on-base percentage of .287.
Because of his inability to produce in those other categories, his value is lower than one would expect. But it’s not often you can find the best in a specific category, especially as far down as the ninth round. Hamilton would be a key contributor to your team with that kind of value.
Dexter Fowler, Chicago Cubs
There’s not a lot to hate about Fowler, especially in regards to his preseason ranking.
The Cubs centerfielder is ranked 45th among outfielders by Fantasy Pros and 143rd overall. While he’s not a top-tier option, he does pretty much everything on a decent level, especially scoring runs. He tallied 102 runs last season, the fourth-best mark among outfielders.
That was the most runs he’s scored in his career, but during a seven-year career, he has a 162-game average of 93 runs per season. He also contributes in on-base percentage, with a career mark of .363. Oh, he steals almost 20 bases a season and he recorded a career-high 17 home runs last year.
It’s not first-round capabilities, but his ability to contribute in multiple categories makes him especially desirable in the upcoming draft.
Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox
Cabrera wasn’t very good last season in his first stint on the South side. That won’t happen again this season.
He’s long been a favorite of mine for his ability to be a top-tier performer in the batting average category. Last year, though, he was extremely average, hitting .273. During three of the previous four seasons, Cabrera was north of .300 in batting average.
That’s what I expect this year with a year under his belt in Chicago. With a bit more comfort in his surroundings last year in the second half, Cabrera boosted his batting average by double-digits. That shouldn’t be ignored heading into this season.
And while he’s not going to contribute in the RBI or stolen bases category, he can be a solid producer in the runs category. He averages 80 in a 162-game schedule, so combined with his runs output, those should be enough to coax fantasy owners in drafting him in his predicted spot.
Fantasy Pros has him ranked 65th among outfielders, good enough for an overall mark of 213. He’s going to be better this season. You have my word.
