OF Ranking Outliers

Listed below are the positional rankings put together by Ryan Boyer, Nate Grimm, Nick Nelson, Matthew Pouliot, D.J. Short, Dave Shovein and Drew Silva. There are ultimately going to be some disagreements, presenting an opportunity for the writer to explain why they’re higher or lower on that player than the rest of the group.

Player	Boyer	Grimm	Nelson	Pouliot	Short	Shovein	Silva	Staff	Composite
Mike Trout	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Mookie Betts	2	2	3	2	2	2	2	2	2.14
Bryce Harper	4	3	2	3	3	3	4	3	3.14
Charlie Blackmon	3	8	9	8	4	6	6	4	6.29
Nelson Cruz	9	5	5	4	7	8	7	5	6.43
A.J. Pollock	8	7	4	6	8	7	5	6	6.43
Starling Marte	5	6	8	7	5	9	8	7	6.86
George Springer	7	4	15	5	6	12	3	8	7.43
Ian Desmond	10	11	7	10	12	5	10	9	9.29
Christian Yelich	12	9	12	9	9	11	9	10	10.14
Ryan Braun	6	14	16	15	10	4	14	11	11.26
Giancarlo Stanton	13	10	6	13	15	14	11	12	11.71
Yoenis Cespedes	11	13	10	12	11	19	13	13	12.71
Gregory Polanco	17	16	11	14	16	17	12	14	14.71
Andrew McCutchen	16	12	13	11	13	25	15	15	15
J.D. Martinez	14	15	20	17	17	10	18	16	15.86
Carlos Gonzalez	15	18	17	18	14	16	20	17	16.86
Justin Upton	24	17	14	16	18	15	17	18	17.29
Billy Hamilton	31	19	22	19	19	13	16	19	19.86
Odubel Herrera	19	22	26	21	20	22	19	20	21.29
Mark Trumbo	27	28	19	22	24	18	21	21	22.71
Kyle Schwarber	21	20	18	26	27	26	23	22	23
Adam Jones	30	21	23	20	21	30	24	23	24.14
David Dahl	18	27	28	28	22	23	25	24	24.43
Khris Davis	29	23	27	25	28	24	26	25	26
Matt Kemp	26	32	33	24	23	20	29	26	26.71
Jose Bautista	20	25	24	31	26	32	31	27	27
Adam Eaton	22	24	31	27	29	35	22	28	27.14
Lorenzo Cain	28	26	32	33	31	27	30	29	29.57
Keon Broxton	34	30	25	30	30	21	38	30	29.71
Yasmany Tomas	43	29	21	23	33	37	27	31	30.43
Stephen Piscotty	25	31	37	32	36	28	33	32	31.71
Byron Buxton	32	38	30	37	25	29	36	33	32.43
Andrew Benintendi	23	41	29	38	35	36	40	34	34.57
Joc Pederson	46	34	35	29	32	56	28	35	37.14
Kole Calhoun	57	35	36	34	34	41	32	36	38.43
Matt Holliday	44	36	40	36	39	44	34	37	39
Domingo Santana	54	40	38	35	40	39	37	38	40.43
Hunter Pence	33	43	44	42	49	33	41	39	40.71
Carlos Gomez	36	46	41	46	48	31	43	40	41.57
Yasiel Puig	60	33	34	39	38	49	39	41	41.71
Randal Grichuk	45	42	39	41	41	45	44	42	42.43
Adam Duvall	41	53	43	40	50	40	35	43	43.14
Jackie Bradley	38	50	45	50	37	34	51	44	43.57
Ender Inciarte	48	44	49	43	45	42	45	45	45.14
Nomar Mazara	42	47	48	47	46	43	47	46	45.71
Marcell Ozuna	58	45	46	45	42	50	42	47	46.86
Jorge Soler	NR	39	42	44	44	NR	46	48	48.14
Kevin Kiermaier	49	49	51	49	43	48	48	49	48.14
Max Kepler	47	NR	58	51	47	46	59	50	52.71
Rajai Davis	37	NR	NR	48	60	47	NR	51	53.57
Carlos Beltran	35	51	NR	NR	53	54	NR	52	53.71
Hunter Renfroe	NR	55	50	53	56	52	50	53	53.86
Michael Brantley	51	37	NR	NR	59	55	55	54	54.14
Jacoby Ellsbury	40	NR	NR	60	51	53	56	55	54.57
Dexter Fowler	56	48	57	NR	54	51	58	56	55
Curtis Granderson	53	NR	53	58	52	NR	52	57	55.71
Brett Gardner	39	59	NR	NR	57	NR	54	58	56
Jay Bruce	55	52	NR	55	55	57	60	59	56.43
Shin-Soo Choo	59	58	56	52	NR	NR	49	60	56.57

Outfielder Outliers

Dave Shovein had Ian Desmond 5. The composite ranking was 9.29.

After a miserable 2015 season, Desmond languished in free agency, eventually settling for a one-year pillow deal with the Rangers on the final day of February. He parlayed that into a five-year, $70 million contract with the Rockies by smashing the ball to the tune of .285/.335/.446 with 22 homers, 107 runs scored, 86 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He’ll now be playing half of his games at the friendliest hitter’s environment in the league and will have eligibility in the outfield and at first base. By any standard, he performed as a top-40 player in 2015, yet he is being drafted outside of the top-50 in early drafts this year. The only thing that should fall off from his outstanding 2016 campaign is the large total in runs scored, simply because he won’t be hitting atop the lineup in Colorado. What he loses in runs though, he’ll gain in RBI opportunities, hitting the middle of a vaunted offensive attack. New manager Bud Black loves to run and should have his club aggressive on the bases while the thin mountain air in Colorado should lead to a new career-high in long balls for Desmond. There are only a handful of outfielders I would rather own this season and at his current price the potential for profit is massive. – Dave Shovein (@DaveShovein)

Matthew Pouliot had Andrew McCutchen 11. The composite ranking was 15.

It’s odd, really odd, to be the high man on McCutchen after a half-dozen or so years of calling him overrated for fantasy purposes. However, I’m willing to chalk up his ugly 2016 to the wrist injury that seemingly limited him most of the way. He did bounce back pretty well in the end, hitting .289/.374/.495 with nine homers in his final 50 games. He probably won’t return to being a 20-steal guy and playing in a tough park for right-handed power cuts into his upside, but he’s averaged a .301-25-88 line the last five years and he’s not over the hill at age 30. Plus, a trade, should one materialize, would likely help his fantasy value. I think he’s a good bet to hit .290 with about 25 homers, making him a borderline top-10 outfielder. – Matthew Pouliot (@matthewpouliot)

Ryan Boyer had Billy Hamilton 31. The composite ranking was 19.86.

If Hamilton stays healthy throughout the 2017 campaign, I think it’s likely that he finishes as higher than the 31^st ranked outfielder. Player Rater systems generally reward speed guys pretty generously, and no one in the game is a bigger speed threat than Hamilton. However, the reason I’m lower on Hamilton than my colleagues is what a player of his skill set forces you to do with the rest of your draft once he’s on your roster. Hamilton has batted .246 while averaging four home runs, 31 RBI and 66 runs in his three full big league seasons. Oh, and he’s also had trouble staying healthy, having played fewer than 120 games each of the last two years. He’s the definition of a one-trick pony, and one you have to use a top-75 draft pick on to roster. If you do take the plunge on Hamilton, you’re going to have to then load up on power to make up for what he lacks, especially with the longball on the rise around baseball. That might mean you have to wait on starting pitchers longer than you should. Or your closers. It’s a domino effect that I don’t like. I will wait until late in my draft if I’m going to nab an all-speed guy, letting my peers jump on Hamilton early and then scramble to make up for it. – Ryan Boyer (@RyanPBoyer)

D.J. Short had Byron Buxton 25. The composite ranking was 32.43.

When I made my “Bold Predictions” for the Rotoworld Draft Guide, I said that Byron Buxton would emerge as a Top-25 outfielder this year, so I’m sticking with that here. We see players step up every year and it’s not crazy to think that Buxton could be that guy in 2017. I’ll admit that you have to take September numbers with a grain of salt, but it’s hard to ignore what he did down the stretch last year. After hitting just three homers over his previous 63 games in the majors, Buxton exploded with 17 extra-base hits (including nine homers) and 22 RBI over 29 games after returning as a September call-up. And that’s not even touching on his elite speed. His plate discipline remains a work in progress, so I understand there’s some batting average risk here, but I could see him reaching 20-plus homers and 30-plus steals if he’s finally able to stick in the Twins’ lineup for a full season. Heck, he might even get a chance at the top of the lineup, which would make him a major asset in runs scored. While it feels like we’ve been talking about him forever, Buxton just turned 23 years old in December. I think patience will pay off sooner rather than later. - D.J. Short (@djshort)

Nate Grimm had Michael Brantley 37. The composite ranking was 54.14

There are a few clichés that I live by -- when they fit the narrative I’m trying to write, of course -- in fantasy baseball. When trying to justify trading prospects or future draft picks in my dynasty league, I remind myself that “flags fly forever.” In the same way, when I want to talk myself into believing in a questionable player, I say, “fortune favors the bold.” Bold may be a nice word for ranking Brantley as my No. 37 outfielder, but we’re talking about a guy who, when healthy, is a terrific, five-category contributor. The health is obviously what’s pushing him down draft boards -- Brantley injured his right shoulder late in 2015, and played in just 11 games last year before requiring two separate surgeries on the shoulder. So there’s risk there, but who at No. 37 in the outfield rankings doesn’t represent some form of risk? By our composite ranks, we’re talking about guys like Byron Buxton, Andrew Benintendi, Joc Pederson, Matt Holliday. Those guys don’t have risk attached? So if we’re all taking risks -- some bigger than others, admittedly -- why not take the risk on a guy who hit .319/.382/.494 while averaging 18 homers, 19 steals, 90 RBI and 81 runs scored over his last two full, healthy seasons? Another cliché I subscribe to is “every player has his price.” I’m OK with the one I’m paying for Brantley in my ranks. – Nate Grimm (@Nate_Grimm)

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