Dynasty Dugout: Mid-Season Keeper/Dynasty Rankings: Outfield

We’ve covered all the infield positions so far with my midseason dynasty rankings. Now we head to the outfield. Whatever you desire can be found at this position. Want a masher like Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge? The outfield position has it. Maybe you have a thing for players with speed like Billy Hamilton or Starling Marte. Yep, the outfield has that too.

This is also the position where the two top dogs in fantasy baseball roam on defense. From young emerging stars to aging veterans that still have something left in the tank, you can get all your little heart desires here.

If you missed any of the infield rankings, they can be found below.

1^st Base Dynasty Rankings

2^nd Base Dynasty Rankings

3^rd Base Dynasty Rankings

Shortstop Dynasty Rankings

Prospect Rankings

Reminder: The below rankings are a blend of recent performance, current performance, and future potential.

#1 Mike Trout – Picking between Trout and Harper is like deciding whether you want cake or ice cream for dessert. Both are great and there’s no wrong answer. Though I think Harper has just as high of a statistical ceiling, Trout keeps the top spot due to his year to year consistency. Outside of his 123 at-bat debut in 2011, when have you ever seen him struggle for a prolonged period of time? The lowest OPS he’s ever had in his six full seasons was a .939 mark in 2014. Trout is the trophy fish at this position.

#2 Bryce Harper – Can we all agree that Harper was playing through some sort of shoulder/arm injury for the last few months of the 2016 season? Regardless of what he and the Nationals say, he wasn’t the same after another blistering April start. This season, Harper has been reminding everyone why he is in the conversation for the best player in the game.

The extended cut: @Bharper3407 hits a moonshot. https://t.co/YjM8aQC6Mm pic.twitter.com/hQvHZoA1AM

— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2017

The pace Harper is on this season is even better than his phenomenal 2015 MVP season.  Through 338 at-bats, Harper is on pace for a .337 average, 42 HR, 125 RBI, and 137 runs scored. His ceiling is massive, but there’s always risk associated with him. As long as he can stay on the field, Harper can be the #1 overall player in any given year. Don’t forget either, he’s still only 24.

#3 Mookie Betts – I debated using this space to yell at John Farrell for batting his best hitter and run producer leadoff all season instead of third, but that’s a discussion for another time. The batting average has dropped some from last season, but the rest of his counting stats are right on point.

Through 401 at-bats, Betts is on pace for a 28/28 season with 102 RBI and 117 runs scored. Outside of Trout, Mookie is the best five-category fantasy player in the game. Those numbers might only be his floor for this season. Betts has been a career .320 second half hitter compared to .283 in the first half. Fasten your seatbelts.

#4 Aaron Judge – What is there to say about Judge that hasn’t already been said? To put it simply, he’s big, strong, hits mammoth home runs, and should be highly coveted in dynasty leagues as an elite option. Combining his 47.4% hard contact rate and the launching pad that is Yankee Stadium almost isn’t fair. There’s a good chance he ends this season with a higher season ranking than the three men above him, but Judge will need more than one great season to break into the top trio. He’s not too far behind though.

Aaron Judge may have just hit the farthest ball in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/QPQqWPVDvi

— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) July 22, 2017

#5 Giancarlo Stanton – Alright, when is he going to get injured? In a year when it seems like everyone is getting injured, the disabled list king has magically been able to stay healthy. His numbers this year have been exactly what we’ve been waiting for. Stanton is currently on pace for 50 home runs, 108 RBI, and 110 runs scored to go along with a .271 average. Just grab your lucky rabbit’s foot, cross your fingers and toes, and hope he stays healthy.

#6 George Springer – For the last few seasons, Springer had been toying us with his potential. He would always seem to get injured or come up empty is a category that he was expected to produce in. His days as a big base stealing threat appear done, but Springer is turning into a slugging catalyst atop the Houston lineup. He’s currently on pace for a 45/15 season and could lead the league in runs scored. If this is the type of player he’s becoming, that’s fine by me.

#7 Charlie Blackmon – “Just wait until he gets shipped out of Coors, then look at his stats.” That’s been the narrative on Blackmon for a few years now. Well, he’s still with Colorado and with the Rockies contending, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Worry about him leaving Coors when it happens. Until then, Blackmon is a fantasy beast and is turning into a 35-plus home run slugger.

#8 Andrew Benintendi – If you’re looking for a guy that will knock your socks off, then move on. Benintendi is never going to dominate any one category, but he will be above average across the board. These types of guys are highly valuable and often overlooked. Expect plenty of seasons in the vicinity of .300-20-100-100-20 for the Red Sox left fielder.

#9 Marcell Ozuna – He’ll never be a threat to steal bases, but Ozuna is turning into a rock solid four category fantasy asset. He’s currently a top-20 hitter this season due to his current .313-23-71-54-0 line. The average might sink back down into the high 200’s but expect plenty of 30/100 seasons from Ozuna.

#10 Michael Conforto – Read everything I just said an inch above with Ozuna and apply it here to Conforto. His pace this season is actually better than Ozuna’s outside of batting average. Don’t count on any speed from him, but you’ll be happy with everything else Conforto brings to your fantasy squad.

#12 Christian Yelich – There aren’t many better pure hitters than Yelich. However, his fantasy contributions always leave more to be desired. It looked like some power was peeking out last season with his 21 home runs, but he’s back down to a pace of 15 this year. He’s a strong fantasy outfielder, but more of a number two outfielder than your lead guy.

#14 David Dahl – The rib injury Dahl suffered in Spring Training has been a monumental pain in the butt. Well, pain in the ribs for him. This was supposed to be his breakout season. Instead, it’s late-July and Dahl has yet to make his season debut. The five category fantasy potential here is huge. This might be your last chance to buy low before his value skyrockets.

#17 Andrew McCutchen – Maybe we all wrote off “Cutch” a little too soon. His MVP days might be in the rear view, but he’s proving he can still be highly valuable in fantasy.

#20 Bradley Zimmer – Meet Grady Sizemore 2.0. It’s eerie how similar Zimmer’s skill set is to the former Cleveland star. His average will never be high due to a high strikeout rate, but the rest of his counting stats should be solid. Zimmer has the potential to be a 20/30 guy annually.

#27 Gregory Polanco – Before the season, Polanco would have been pushing the top-10. Now, that’s a distant memory. The power and speed potential is still there but he’s going to have to start showing some hope.

#28 Austin Meadows – Sometimes players just have bad seasons. Meadows has been struggling this year and is currently injured, but don’t question the talent or potential here. It’s still immense. Think of Christian Yelich with more power and speed potential. The outfield dynasty top-10 could include Meadows within the next few years.

#29 Ronald Acuna – This is another guy that could skyrocket further up this list in the next year or two. There’s massive upside here with the potential to become a .300-25-40 player in his prime.

#32 Derek Fisher – Even though he’s cracked some top-100 industry lists, Fisher has never been considered an elite prospect. However, there’s a lot to like about his fantasy profile, especially his power and speed. Currently stuck in Triple-A, a trade out of Houston would be huge to his value.

#36 Nelson Cruz – Age is only a number. It’s also the only thing holding Cruz back from being a top-20 option. Year after year, he’s one of the best power threats in the game, but Father Time is telling Cruz it’s time to get ready for bed. Enjoy the numbers while they’re there, but this ride is coming to an end in the next couple years.

#38 Michael Brantley – If we could guarantee 150-plus games out of him, he’d be 20 or so sports higher on this list. Unfortunately, he’s about as durable as an elderly man lately.

#41 Kyle Schwarber – I know a lot of you are tempted to give up on Schwarber, and rightfully so. However, he has plus raw power and is in a dangerous lineup. I’m still betting on him turning into a .250 hitter with 35-plus home runs annually. I will say though, he’s continuously making it tougher to believe in him long-term.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUCrXguFp0Q

#43 Byron Buxton – If you’re a Buxton owner in dynasty or keeper formats, I’m sure you’re wondering, “What the heck do I do with this guy?” That’s a reasonable question and one that’s not that easy to figure out. At this point, it’s probably safe to say that expecting him to be a fantasy stud is out of the question. Don’t give up on him quite yet, but expectations should be tempered even if he starts figuring it out.

#44 Carlos Gonzalez – Does anyone have connections in the Rockies organization? If you do, please have somebody ask Carlos Gonzalez if he forgot how to hit all of a sudden. Think of Gonzalez’s season as Wile E. Coyote after Roadrunner tricks him into falling off a cliff. Straight down with some explosion theatrics at the bottom. His low .265 BABIP might have something to do with it, but he’s also only making hard contact 28.6% of the time, which is his lowest rate since his rookie season in 2008. Something isn’t right here.

#49 Billy Hamilton – I refuse to rank a player high when he’s a dumpster fire in three categories. That’s putting it nicely too. Yes, Hamilton can keep you competitive in stolen bases each week by himself, but is it really worth it when he hurts you in three categories? I say no.

#51 Yasiel Puig – I’m sure a lot of us have gotten fooled by Puig at one point or another, but that stops now. He has the ability to be serviceable but it appears he will never be able to put it all together.

#53 Keon Broxton – If only his average could stay respectable. There’s 30/30 potential here, but the average is a killer right now. The demotion to the minors doesn’t help either.

#56 Manuel Margot – I’ve been comparing Margot’s skill set to Pollock’s. Good batting average and speed potential with some pop thrown in. He’s had his struggles so far in the majors, but keep an eye on Margot if he starts heating up.

#62 Tommy Pham – Over the last month, Pham has been a top-10 hitter.  Will it continue? Probably not, but he’s proving he can be a starting outfield option for your dynasty team. Wham bam, thank-you Pham.

#67 Cameron Maybin – Before his injury, Maybin was leading the American League in stolen bases. When he’s on the field, he’s usually pretty useful. That’s becoming a rare occasion though.

#75 Joc Pederson – He’s going to be stuck down here until he can figure out how to hit lefties.

#79 Raimel Tapia – Tapia has one of the best hit tools in the minors but is buried on the depth chart. A trade out of Colorado would actually help him since he’s not a big power threat.

#84 Tyler O’Neill – The trade from Seattle to St. Louis hurts O’Neill’s value. He no longer has the option to DH, and there’s a bigger fight for playing time in the Cardinals outfield.

#90 Jacoby Ellsbury – If you need a warm body for your outfield you could do worse than Ellsbury, but not by much.

#97 Dylan Cozens – Big power, but is prone to strikeouts.

Thank you for reading another edition of Dynasty Dugout on Fantrax. I hope you can use this article to your advantage and get a leg up on your fellow league members. Check back tomorrow for catcher rankings and next week for pitcher rankings, both starters and relievers. Got a question about a player not covered here? Ask in the comments below or follow me on Twitter @EricCross04 and ask there.