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2008 Final Outfielder Rankings Player AB AVG R HR RBI SB Score Manny Ramírez 552 .332 102 37 121 3 1319.71 Carlos Beltrán 606 .284 116 27 112 25 1282.02 Josh Hamilton 624 .304 98 32 130 9 1279.04 Matt Holliday 539 .321 107 25 88 28 1269.97 Grady Sizemore 634 .268 101 33 90 38 1241.13 Ryan Ludwick 538 .299 104 37 113 4 1200.68 Ryan Braun 611 .285 92 37 106 14 1178.05 Nate McLouth 597 .276 113 26 94 23 1154.37 Bobby Abreu 609 .296 100 20 100 22 1147.88 Jason Bay 577 .286 111 31 101 10 1144.92 Carlos Quentin 480 .288 96 36 100 7 1098.59 Matt Kemp 606 .290 93 18 76 35 1096.06 Jermaine Dye 590 .292 96 34 96 3 1068.11 Álex Ríos 635 .291 91 15 79 32 1063.32 Johnny Damon 555 .303 95 17 71 29 1062.54 Ichiro Suzuki 686 .311 103 6 42 43 1061.92 Nick Markakis 595 .306 106 20 87 10 1059.08 Shane Victorino 570 .293 102 14 58 36 1038.72 Jacoby Ellsbury 554 .280 98 9 47 50 1008.12 Raúl Ibañez 635 .293 85 23 110 2 1003.16 Vladimir Guerrero 541 .303 85 27 91 5 997.90 B.J. Upton 531 .273 85 9 67 44 971.82 Magglio Ordóñez 561 .317 72 21 103 1 971.30 Xavier Nady 555 .305 76 25 97 2 961.92 Carlos Lee 436 .314 61 28 100 4 953.41 Alfonso Soriano 453 .280 76 29 75 19 950.19 Corey Hart 612 .268 76 20 91 23 947.99 Mark DeRosa 505 .285 103 21 87 6 945.69 Curtis Granderson 553 .280 112 22 66 12 941.03 Randy Winn 598 .306 84 10 64 25 935.77 Torii Hunter 551 .278 85 21 78 19 934.55 Andre Ethier 525 .305 90 20 77 6 917.66 Milton Bradley 414 .321 78 22 77 5 894.52 Adam Dunn 517 .236 79 40 100 2 893.06 Hunter Pence 595 .269 78 25 83 11 875.68 Jayson Werth 418 .273 73 24 67 20 859.25 Conor Jackson 540 .300 87 12 75 10 857.42 Alexei Ramirez 480 .290 65 21 77 13 843.80 Chris Young 625 .248 85 22 85 14 835.21 Brad Hawpe 488 .283 69 25 85 2 817.96 David DeJesús 518 .307 70 12 73 11 815.86 Willy Taveras 479 .251 64 1 26 68 804.80 Garret Anderson 557 .293 66 15 84 7 804.07 Delmon Young 575 .290 80 10 69 14 802.27 Pat Burrell 536 .250 74 33 86 0 793.76 Vernon Wells 427 .300 63 20 78 4 780.42 Carlos Gómez 577 .258 79 7 59 33 779.61 Mike Cameron 444 .243 69 25 70 17 770.96 José Guillén 598 .264 66 20 97 2 765.88 Lastings Milledge 523 .268 65 14 61 24 756.21 Brian Giles 559 .306 81 12 63 2 755.05 Carl Crawford 443 .273 69 8 57 25 724.50 Jason Kubel 463 .272 74 20 78 0 723.70 Jack Cust 481 .231 77 33 77 0 722.77 J.D. Drew 368 .280 79 19 64 4 720.09 Skip Schumaker 540 .302 87 8 46 8 708.81 Fred Lewis 468 .282 81 9 40 21 703.40 Rick Ankiel 413 .264 65 25 71 2 699.48 Shin-Soo Choo 317 .309 68 14 66 4 697.38 David Murphy 415 .275 64 15 74 7 693.05 Cody Ross 461 .260 59 22 73 6 684.80 Denard Span 347 .294 70 6 47 18 655.65 Luke Scott 475 .257 67 23 65 2 651.32 Marlon Byrd 403 .298 70 10 53 7 645.79 Ty Wigginton 386 .285 50 23 58 4 644.33 Nick Swisher 497 .219 86 24 69 3 640.61 Kosuke Fukudome 501 .257 79 10 58 12 639.54 Carlos Guillén 420 .286 68 10 54 9 633.70 Eric Hinske 381 .247 59 20 60 10 623.41 Jeremy Hermida 502 .249 74 17 61 6 620.92 Juan Pierre 375 .283 44 1 28 40 606.79 Aaron Rowand 549 .271 57 13 70 2 600.80 Ken Griffey Jr. 490 .249 67 18 71 0 598.52 Adam Jones 477 .270 61 9 57 10 587.60 Coco Crisp 361 .283 55 7 41 20 586.63 Jay Bruce 413 .254 63 21 52 4 583.05 Ben Francisco 447 .266 65 15 54 4 579.40 Mark Teahen 572 .255 66 15 59 4 571.00 Michael Bourn 467 .229 57 5 29 41 565.11 Felipe Lopez 481 .283 64 6 46 8 552.86 Jerry Hairston Jr. 261 .326 47 6 36 15 545.09 Marcus Thames 316 .241 50 25 56 0 536.13 Willie Harris 367 .251 58 13 43 13 534.00 Jody Gerut 328 .296 46 14 43 6 532.31 Elijah Dukes 276 .264 48 13 44 13 528.66 Reed Johnson 333 .303 52 6 50 5 523.27 Jeff Francoeur 599 .239 70 11 71 0 515.08 Ryan Sweeney 384 .286 53 5 45 9 506.31 Jim Edmonds 340 .235 53 20 55 2 505.15 Ryan Church 319 .276 54 12 49 2 499.20 Josh Willingham 351 .254 54 15 51 3 497.65 Emil Brown 402 .244 48 13 59 4 475.96 Fernando Tatís 273 .297 33 11 47 3 448.99 Hideki Matsui 337 .294 43 9 45 0 444.39 Franklin Gutiérrez 399 .248 54 8 41 9 436.50 Justin Upton 356 .250 52 15 42 1 434.24 Adam Lind 326 .282 48 9 40 2 433.73 Mark Kotsay 402 .276 45 6 49 2 430.31 Matt Stairs 337 .252 46 13 49 1 429.84 Gary Matthews Jr. 426 .242 53 8 46 8 428.58 Ryan Spilborghs 233 .313 38 6 36 7 428.27 Gregor Blanco 430 .251 52 1 38 13 399.73 Gabe Kapler 229 .301 36 8 38 3 398.23 Rajai Davis 214 .243 30 3 19 29 391.83 Gabe Gross 345 .238 46 13 40 4 391.67 Scott Hairston 326 .248 42 17 31 3 388.12 Melky Cabrera 414 .249 42 8 37 9 382.79 Omar Infante 317 .293 45 3 40 0 380.62 David Dellucci 336 .238 41 11 47 3 379.45 Jay Payton 338 .243 41 7 41 8 372.70 Chase Headley 331 .269 34 9 38 4 371.51 Joey Gathright 279 .254 41 0 22 21 367.45 Cliff Floyd 246 .268 32 11 39 1 355.93 Darin Erstad 322 .276 49 4 31 2 353.70 Juan Rivera 256 .246 31 12 45 1 352.26 Corey Patterson 366 .205 46 10 34 14 352.10 Luis González 341 .261 30 8 47 1 347.22 Alfredo Amezaga 311 .264 41 3 32 8 346.60 Matt Joyce 242 .252 40 12 33 0 338.82 Jason Michaels 286 .224 28 8 53 2 312.05 Brandon Boggs 283 .226 30 8 41 3 284.92 Greg Norton 187 .262 29 7 35 0 283.86 Nelson Cruz 115 .330 19 7 26 3 281.50 Michael Cuddyer 249 .249 30 3 36 5 280.53 Willie Bloomquist 165 .279 32 0 9 14 262.65 Jeremy Reed 286 .269 30 2 31 2 260.80 Geoff Jenkins 293 .246 27 9 29 1 252.98 Brian Anderson 181 .232 24 8 26 5 248.72 Austin Kearns 313 .217 40 7 32 2 248.20 Brandon Moss 236 .246 19 8 34 1 241.76 DeWayne Wise 129 .248 20 6 18 9 239.35 Josh Anderson 136 .294 21 3 12 10 238.53 Chris Duncan 222 .248 26 6 27 2 234.46 Carlos González 302 .242 31 4 26 4 231.73 Chris Dickerson 102 .304 20 6 15 5 231.29 Scott Podsednik 162 .253 22 1 15 12 221.04 Esteban Germán 216 .245 30 0 22 7 217.17 Frank Catalanotto 248 .274 28 2 21 1 214.07 Jonny Gomes 154 .182 23 8 21 8 210.94 Nyjer Morgan 160 .294 26 0 7 9 210.33 Endy Chávez 270 .267 30 1 12 6 208.09 Eric Byrnes 206 .209 28 6 23 4 197.99 Brett Gardner 127 .228 18 0 16 13 195.14 Craig Monroe 163 .202 22 8 29 0 191.68 Ryan Raburn 182 .236 26 4 20 3 190.93 Joe Mather 133 .241 20 8 18 1 189.36 Emilio Bonifacio 169 .243 29 0 14 7 185.86 Travis Buck 155 .226 16 7 25 1 179.49 Brad Wilkerson 264 .220 21 4 28 3 170.21 Brian Barton 153 .268 23 2 13 3 170.04 Ryan Freel 131 .298 17 0 10 6 166.54 Lou Montanez 112 .295 18 3 14 0 157.15 Fernando Pérez 60 .250 18 3 8 5 147.29 Eric Patterson 130 .192 16 1 15 10 143.66 Wladimir Balentien 243 .202 23 7 24 0 143.04 Seth Smith 108 .259 13 4 15 1 137.29 Brandon Jones 116 .267 16 1 17 1 136.74 Micah Hoffpauir 73 .342 14 2 8 1 132.49 Ángel Pagán 91 .275 12 0 13 4 126.25 Ryan Langerhans 111 .234 17 3 12 2 123.89 Rocco Baldelli 80 .263 12 4 13 0 120.87 Reggie Abercrombie 55 .309 10 2 5 5 119.80 Will Venable 110 .264 16 2 10 1 116.15 Matt Diaz 135 .244 9 2 14 4 116.02 Steve Pearce 109 .248 6 4 15 2 114.85 Travis Snider 73 .301 9 2 13 0 110.61 Shannon Stewart 175 .240 14 1 14 3 110.11 Dave Roberts 107 .224 18 0 9 5 110.06 Cameron Maybin 32 .500 9 0 2 4 109.74 Nick Evans 109 .257 18 2 9 0 107.35 Chris Burke 165 .194 20 2 12 5 104.67 Alex Romero 135 .230 13 1 12 4 103.75 Kevin Mench 115 .243 18 0 10 2 101.74 Chris Denorfia 62 .290 10 1 9 2 100.01 Daryle Ward 102 .216 8 4 17 0 96.53 So Taguchi 91 .220 18 0 9 3 96.22 Clete Thomas 116 .284 7 1 9 2 95.09 Aaron Cunningham 80 .250 7 1 14 2 94.13 Justin Christian 40 .250 6 0 6 7 92.80 Nate Schierholtz 75 .320 12 1 5 0 91.20 Félix Pié 83 .241 9 1 10 3 89.02 Jeff Salazar 128 .211 17 2 12 0 82.57 Moisés Alou 49 .347 4 0 9 1 78.03 Mitch Maier 91 .286 9 0 9 0 76.76 Jeff Bailey 50 .280 10 2 6 0 76.73 Marlon Anderson 138 .210 16 1 10 2 75.58 Reggie Willits 108 .194 21 0 7 2 72.04 Paul McAnulty 135 .207 9 3 13 0 62.49 Kendry Morales 61 .213 7 3 8 0 60.66 Justin Ruggiano 76 .197 9 2 7 2 60.31 Delwyn Young 126 .246 10 1 7 0 57.58 Justin Huber 61 .246 5 2 8 0 57.37 Roger Bernadina 76 .211 10 0 2 4 50.35 Nathan Haynes 44 .227 3 0 3 4 43.26 Brian Horwitz 36 .222 5 2 4 0 39.54 Chris Carter 18 .333 5 0 3 0 35.14 Drew Macias 20 .200 2 2 5 0 34.22 Ben Broussard 82 .159 8 3 8 0 34.21
Three Year Average Player Three Year Average Score Matt Holliday 1376.56 Carlos Beltrán 1264.13 Grady Sizemore 1217.38 Bobby Abreu 1160.79 Ichiro Suzuki 1151.98 Magglio Ordóñez 1146.41 Manny Ramírez 1138.14 Vladimir Guerrero 1099.90 Carlos Lee 1087.15 Álex Ríos 1069.30 Nick Markakis 1064.05 Alfonso Soriano 1060.64 Ryan Braun 1054.51 Torii Hunter 1019.28 Jason Bay 1009.79 Johnny Damon 1006.79 Curtis Granderson 1006.58 Raúl Ibañez 994.29 Jermaine Dye 987.46 Adam Dunn 975.99 Carl Crawford 963.22 Shane Victorino 922.49 Corey Hart 915.76 B.J. Upton 909.41 Josh Hamilton 900.85 Brad Hawpe 884.93 Nate McLouth 879.91 Randy Winn 871.29 Matt Kemp 839.23 Mark DeRosa 830.64 Xavier Nady 828.69 Ryan Ludwick 828.53 Carlos Guillén 824.01 Pat Burrell 814.77 Vernon Wells 813.47 Mike Cameron 813.16 Juan Pierre 808.88 Chris Young 779.60 José Guillén 775.80 Garret Anderson 773.76 Andre Ethier 765.02 Aaron Rowand 761.49 Hunter Pence 759.03 Conor Jackson 758.87 David DeJesús 757.35 Willy Taveras 754.18 Delmon Young 744.36 Nick Swisher 720.24 J.D. Drew 718.64 Ken Griffey Jr. 717.84 Milton Bradley 712.84 Jeff Francoeur 710.13 Carlos Quentin 709.49 Brian Giles 703.71 Ty Wigginton 683.83 Jacoby Ellsbury 654.77 Coco Crisp 651.12 Eric Byrnes 645.68 Jayson Werth 642.18 Mark Teahen 639.89 Jack Cust 636.15 Josh Willingham 632.64 Felipe Lopez 623.25 Hideki Matsui 622.00 Jason Kubel 618.88 Gary Matthews Jr. 614.86 Marlon Byrd 606.96 Jeremy Hermida 597.01 Luke Scott 593.66 Cody Ross 565.95 Corey Patterson 550.29 Michael Cuddyer 540.26 Lastings Milledge 532.56 Emil Brown 522.99 Ryan Church 522.71 Marcus Thames 518.60 Melky Cabrera 513.48 Rick Ankiel 510.41 Matt Stairs 506.28 Luis González 506.11 Carlos Gómez 492.39 Fred Lewis 484.27 Jim Edmonds 483.04 Austin Kearns 473.26 Skip Schumaker 471.96 Alexei Ramirez 468.78 Willie Harris 461.67 Eric Hinske 448.91 David Murphy 445.25 Jay Payton 441.11 Ryan Spilborghs 431.95 Reed Johnson 431.50 Shin-Soo Choo 426.63 Michael Bourn 405.86 Franklin Gutiérrez 402.36 Geoff Jenkins 398.85 Andruw Jones 397.32 Chris Duncan 397.23 Cliff Floyd 380.10 Jason Michaels 368.99 Adam Lind 367.20 Adam Jones 364.61 Denard Span 364.25 Alfredo Amezaga 363.70 Jerry Hairston Jr. 358.76 Ben Francisco 357.29 Elijah Dukes 357.00 Kosuke Fukudome 355.30 Joey Gathright 354.11 Jonny Gomes 347.00 Dave Roberts 340.87 Gabe Gross 337.48 Craig Monroe 335.72 Mark Kotsay 335.26 Moisés Alou 330.06 Scott Hairston 329.62 Rajai Davis 328.87 Frank Catalanotto 326.51 Brad Wilkerson 324.25 Jay Bruce 323.92 Shannon Stewart 323.17 David Dellucci 317.61 Esteban Germán 311.77 Matt Diaz 310.93 Omar Infante 309.48 Juan Rivera 308.52 Darin Erstad 297.73 Jody Gerut 295.73 Jacque Jones 294.98 Ryan Sweeney 292.50 Scott Podsednik 285.16 Greg Norton 278.70 Ryan Freel 275.78 Justin Upton 274.00 Nelson Cruz 269.55 Reggie Willits 267.05 Fernando Tatís 256.74 Willie Bloomquist 253.08 Endy Chávez 240.19 Kevin Mench 237.24 Gabe Kapler 236.08 Travis Buck 230.37 So Taguchi 228.36 Gregor Blanco 222.07 Chris Burke 214.84 Chase Headley 206.25 Ryan Raburn 199.83 Wily Mo Peña 192.36 Ben Broussard 190.95 Matt Joyce 188.23 Rocco Baldelli 185.66 Matt Murton 182.19 Josh Anderson 171.91 Jerry Owens 171.76 Brian Anderson 170.24 Marlon Anderson 170.09 Nyjer Morgan 169.98 Ángel Pagán 165.20 Jeremy Reed 162.80 Norris Hopper 159.82 Brandon Boggs 158.29 Rob Mackowiak 157.98 Ryan Langerhans 146.54 Daryle Ward 143.30 Brandon Moss 143.14 Jason Tyner 138.13 DeWayne Wise 134.54 Trot Nixon 131.65 Reggie Abercrombie 130.68 Carlos González 128.74 Chris Dickerson 128.50 Félix Pié 113.87 Cory Sullivan 112.05 Brett Gardner 108.41 Emilio Bonifacio 106.16 Joe Mather 105.20 José Cruz 102.53 Kendry Morales 102.39 Steve Pearce 94.99 Jeff Salazar 94.72 Brian Barton 94.47 Wladimir Balentien 90.38 Nate Schierholtz 89.70 Dan Ortmeier 89.29 Lou Montanez 87.31 Seth Smith 86.07 Fernando Pérez 81.83 Eric Patterson 79.66 Brandon Jones 77.42 Cameron Maybin 76.91 Brady Clark 74.74 Micah Hoffpauir 73.60 Tony Gwynn 67.82 Will Venable 64.53 Travis Snider 61.45 Nick Evans 59.64 Alex Romero 57.64 Jason Botts 56.05 Chris Denorfia 55.56
With the pitchers and the outfielders, we'll do things a little differently. We'll still be grouping the players that you should be after in tiers, but there are simply too many players to do individual write-ups. Instead, we'll highlight a couple of the movers and shakers in each tier.
Tier I: Matt Holliday, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Beltran, Manny Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez, Ryan Braun, Josh Hamilton
Holliday's move to Oakland figures to hinder his offensive production a bit, but don't be fooled into thinking that he won't still produce. The fact of the matter, though, is that Holliday hit 77 points higher and slugged 190 points higher at Coors Field than he did on the road. Now in a pitcher's park, Holliday figures to see his status as a top five outfielder fit more in the top thirty range. Someone will jump based on previous success. Don't be that guy.
The obvious names to target here are Sizemore, Braun, and Hamilton. All three are (at least relatively) young and still within their first five seasons of MLB service time. Sizemore's power/speed combo (33 HR, 38 SB) was probably at its peak last season. While his average-hitting wasn't, he still reached base via the walk extremely often. In OBP leagues, Sizemore should almost certainly be the top outfield option. In leagues that value average instead, he's a borderline top overall outfield pick.
Braun isn't as sexy a pick now that he's limited to the outfield, but he's still a complete stud. Bank on him bringing the batting average up a bit from .285, and expect that ton of homers that he's hit in each of the past two seasons. He runs a little, but figures to max out at 15-20 steals. Hamilton went in the tank quite a bit after the break last season, but that was almost to be expected as he wasn't used to the workload. Expecting him to double up his first half from 2008 would be foolish, but he figures to be a monster capable of a .300/35/140 season with 100 runs and a little speed sprinkled in.
Manny is a little older, and doesn't bring the speed. However, his ability to hit for huge power to go with a dominant average (particularly in "clutch" situations), makes him a top pick.
Tier II: Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp, Curtis Granderson, B.J. Upton, Jason Bay, Carlos Quentin, Alfonso Soriano, Carl Crawford
Markakis, Kemp, and Upton are all nearing their primes and figure to crank it up a notch in 2009. Of the three, Markakis brings the best power (and batting average), Upton brings the best speed, and Kemp brings the best power/speed combination.
Granderson doesn't look like he'll ever develop into the 30/30 man that many thought he could be, but he does hit for terrific power with 20 steal speed. He also generally hits for a solid average and has scored an average of 117 runs the past two years. Quentin brings big power and the ability to hit for average, but his running game is a bit weak for this group.
One guy whose running game isn't weak among this group is former 40/40 man Alfonso Soriano. Soriano certainly isn't coming off of his best season, and he's not a kid anymore at 32. He's still a safe bet to have a shot at the 30/30 club if he can stay a little healthier than he was last season. While the fact that the Cubs like to bat him leadoff hurts his RBI production, Soriano remains a stud. Bay's solid across the board, as he hits well for average, should hit about 30 homers, and should score and drive in 100 in a loaded Red Sox lineup. While he runs, he doesn't do so enough to get too excited.
Forget about all the time that Crawford missed last season. He's a dominant average hitter who is capable of carrying your team in stolen bases. While his power production has regressed in recent years, he's still young enough to have the potential to turn into that 20/50 guy we thought we saw when he first came up. It feels like Crawford's been around a long time, but he's still just 27.
Tier III: Alex Rios, Ichiro Suzuki, Ryan Ludwick, Nate McLouth, Raul Ibanez, Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Jermaine Dye
Rios seems a little schizophrenic in the power vs. speed categories. He's a sure 15/15 guy who has had a tendency to have a big power season one year and more of a speed season the next. He hits for average as well, and if he could just take that stolen base production from last season and tack it onto his 2007 homer production, we'd be talking about a kid with a shot at 30/30.
There's no doubt that Ichiro is a tremendous player, but the fact that he's extremely limited in the Home Run and RBI categories really drops him below the elite.
Ludwick and McLouth were two of the breakout players of 2008, though there's definitely some question as to whether they can repeat that level of success. If they can, they're likely Tier II outfielders. There's a possibility that this tier is too high for them, though, as well.
Raul Ibanez, Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez and Vladimir Guerrero are a few guys who have been outstanding players throughout their careers, but are starting to head towards their twilight years. There's no doubt that any of them could hit the 30 homer mark once or twice more before they hang up their spikes, and all three are outstanding average hitters.
Carlos Lee brings huge power and great average-hitting ability. While he doesn't run as much as he did when he was younger, we'll forgive him for it. He hit 28 homers and managed 100 RBI last season despite playing in just 115 games. Looking healthy entering the 2009 season, Lee will be ready to rake. Dye hits for big power, though his batting average tends to vary a lot from year to year. He's a borderline number one outfielder.
Tier IV: Shane Victorino, Jacoby Ellsbury, Xavier Nady, Corey Hart, Randy Winn, Torii Hunter, Hunter Pence, Andre Ethier, Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, Chris Young
If you're looking for speed and runs, Victorino and Ellsbury are your guys. If you're looking for a power/speed type, Hart, Bradley, and Young should be your targets. Hunter Pence, Randy Winn, and Andre Ethier are your well-rounded strong average-hitting options. Adam Dunn and (to a much lesser extent) Torii Hunter are probably the key guys you're looking at if you're looking for power.
Ellsbury, Pence, and Young are all younger players who could take a big step forward. The only player who is an age concern is Randy Winn.
Tier V: Conor Jackson, Brad Hawpe, David DeJesus, Willy Taveras, Delmon Young, Pat Burrell, Vernon Wells, Carlos Gomez, Jayson Werth The only real power hitter of the bunch is Burrell, who may struggle with a bit of an adjustment period in Tampa Bay. Hawpe can bring the power as well, but he's more of an average-hitter who just sees plenty go over the fence because of his home park. Conor Jackson, David DeJesus, and (surprisingly) Delmon Young have become average-hitting dynamos who contribute a little with their home run power and speed, but not enough to be placed higher in the rankings. Gomez and Taveras are flat burners, though neither really does enough in any other area to warrant attention higher up.
Wells was once considered a 30/30 prospect, but he's never run enough to live up to the hype. Coming off a down 2007 and an injury-laden 2008, Wells is a re-hype option who will slip. Werth was once a solid catching prospect who bounced around all over the place before finally emerging as a winner in what was supposed to be a platoon situation with Geoff Jenkins in Philly last season. He has 25-30 homer pop and doesn't kill you in the batting average department. Still, there's a possibility that he regresses after his breakout 2008.
Sleepers
Elijah Dukes looks well on his way to locking up a full-time gig in Washington this season, and he certainly showed what he could do last season as he battled platoon (and injury) issues. Dukes hit .264/.386/.478 in just 81 games, bashing 13 homers for the Nats. Draft him thinking of his 30/30 upside, and don't be surprised if he ends up going 25/25 as soon as 2009.
Skip Schumaker doesn't produce enough to be a starting outfielder in mixed leagues, but it's looking like he'll open the season as the Cardinals second baseman. Think .300/10/50/ with 15-20 steals and 100 runs scored, and he'll definitely be worth a shot as a starter at second.
Adam Jones, Lastings Milledge, and Jay Bruce all figure to show steady improvement in their second full seasons. Jones and Milledge project as possible 30/30 guys down the line, while Bruce projects as a monster power hitter with the potential to steal a dozen bases.
Shin-Soo Choo was tremendous as he emerged out of a platoon situation in Cleveland last season. After batting .309 with 14 homers and 66 RBI in just over 300 at bats last season, Choo's status as a third outfielder heading into the 2009 season is strong. He's a great bet to bat .290 with 20-25 homers.
Justin Upton didn't look nearly as strong after the season's first month as he did during it. However, the former top overall pick has huge power, and it's time for him to show that he can make the same adjustments the league made to him. 35 homer power is in his future, and while he doesn't run as well as his brother B.J., his future as a fantasy stud is just as bright.
Busts: Nate McLouth, Xavier Nady, Jayson Werth
Outfielder Rankings
Preseason 2009 Outfielder Rankings
by James Meyerriecks - Mon Mar 16
