Nick Mariano's 2023 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings

Opening Day is starting to appear on the horizon as the draft season hits its apex. We're cranking out content to help you crush it, and with that in mind, my fantasy baseball rankings series now heads to the outfield. And in case you missed any earlier pieces, you can see the rest of the positional rankings articles here:

• Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball Saves+Holds Relief Pitcher Rankings

As you know, the outfield is a lot deeper than any infield position. I'm going to list my top 150 to try to help those in AL and NL-only leagues as well. There are myriad builds possible with the number of outfielders available in the draft room so be sure you monitor your overall construction.

That's enough of my jibber-jabber. Let's jump into the tiered table and analysis below.

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• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
• Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards

 

Outfield Fantasy Baseball Rankings - Roto Leagues

Rank	Tier	Name	Team	RB Pos
1	1	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF
2	1	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF
3	1	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF
4	1	Kyle Tucker	HOU	OF
5	2	Juan Soto	SD	OF
6	2	Mookie Betts	LAD	OF
7	2	Mike Trout	LAA	OF
8	2	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF
9	3	Randy Arozarena	TB	OF
10	3	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF
11	3	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	OF
12	3	Cedric Mullins	BAL	OF
13	3	Luis Robert Jr.	CWS	OF
14	3	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF
15	4	Adolis Garcia	TEX	OF
16	4	George Springer	TOR	OF
17	4	Daulton Varsho	TOR	C/OF
18	4	Teoscar Hernandez	SEA	OF
19	4	Starling Marte	NYM	OF
20	5	Eloy Jimenez	CWS	OF
21	5	Tyler O'Neill	STL	OF
22	5	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF
23	5	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF
24	5	Taylor Ward	LAA	OF
25	5	Steven Kwan	CLE	OF
26	5	Kris Bryant	COL	OF
27	5	Amed Rosario	CLE	SS/OF
28	5	Jake McCarthy	ARI	OF
29	5	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF
30	5	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF
31	5	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF
32	5	Anthony Santander	BAL	OF
33	5	MJ Melendez	KC	C/OF
34	5	Andrew Vaughn	CWS	1B/OF
35	6	Nick Castellanos	PHI	OF
36	6	Hunter Renfroe	LAA	OF
37	6	Masataka Yoshida	BOS	OF
38	6	Ian Happ	CHC	OF
39	6	Brandon Nimmo	NYM	OF
40	6	Thairo Estrada	SF	2B/SS/OF
41	6	Alex Verdugo	BOS	OF
42	6	Lars Nootbaar	STL	OF
43	6	Mitch Haniger	SF	OF
44	6	Cody Bellinger	CHC	OF
45	6	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B/OF
46	6	Whit Merrifield	TOR	2B/OF
47	6	Seth Brown	OAK	1B/OF
48	6	Riley Greene	DET	OF
49	6	Joey Meneses	WSH	1B/OF
50	7	Oscar Gonzalez	CLE	OF
51	7	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF
52	7	Harrison Bader	NYY	OF
53	7	Josh Naylor	CLE	OF
54	7	Ramon Laureano	OAK	OF
55	7	Andrew Benintendi	CWS	OF
56	7	Michael Conforto	SF	OF
57	7	Wil Myers	CIN	1B/OF
58	8	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	ARI	OF
59	8	Joc Pederson	SF	OF
60	8	Jorge Soler	MIA	OF
61	8	Austin Hays	BAL	OF
62	8	Jon Berti	MIA	2B/3B/SS/OF
63	8	Manuel Margot	TB	OF
64	8	Jake Fraley	CIN	OF
65	8	Brendan Donovan	STL	1B/2B/3B/SS/OF
66	8	Esteury Ruiz	OAK	OF
67	8	Oscar Colas	CWS	OF
68	8	Adam Duvall	BOS	OF
69	8	Juan Yepez	STL	OF
70	8	Brandon Marsh	PHI	OF
71	8	Trent Grisham	SD	OF
72	8	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF
73	8	Jarred Kelenic	SEA	OF
74	8	Trey Mancini	CHC	1B/OF
75	8	Oswaldo Cabrera	NYY	OF
76	9	Garrett Mitchell	MIL	OF
77	9	Lane Thomas	WSH	OF
78	9	Chris Taylor	LAD	2B/OF
79	9	Randal Grichuk	COL	OF
80	9	Austin Meadows	DET	OF
81	9	Christopher Morel	CHC	2B/3B/SS/OF
82	9	Bryan De La Cruz	MIA	OF
83	9	Edward Olivares	KC	OF
84	10	Eric Haase	DET	C/OF
85	10	Marcell Ozuna	ATL	OF
86	10	Kyle Isbel	KC	OF
87	10	Bubba Thompson	TEX	OF
88	10	Nick Gordon	MIN	2B/OF
89	10	Michael Brantley	HOU	OF
90	10	Kike Hernandez	BOS	2B/SS/OF
91	10	Jesse Winker	MIL	OF
92	10	Avisail Garcia	MIA	OF
93	10	Mike Yastrzemski	SF	OF
94	10	Matt Carpenter	SD	OF
95	10	Jose Siri	TB	OF
96	10	Dylan Carlson	STL	OF
97	10	Mark Canha	NYM	OF
98	10	TJ Friedl	CIN	OF
99	10	Tony Kemp	OAK	2B/OF
100	10	AJ Pollock	SEA	OF
101	10	Trayce Thompson	LAD	OF
102	10	Max Kepler	MIN	OF
103	10	Andrew McCutchen	PIT	OF
104	10	Leody Taveras	TEX	OF
105	10	Eddie Rosario	ATL	OF
106	11	LaMonte Wade Jr.	SF	1B/OF
107	11	Alek Thomas	ARI	OF
108	11	Tommy Pham	NYM	OF
109	11	Alex Kirilloff	MIN	1B/OF
110	11	Harold Ramirez	TB	1B/OF
111	11	Nolan Jones	COL	OF
112	11	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF
113	11	Chas McCormick	HOU	OF
114	11	Robbie Grossman	TEX	OF
115	11	Kerry Carpenter	DET	OF
116	11	Myles Straw	CLE	OF
117	11	Jesus Sanchez	MIA	OF
118	12	David Peralta	LAD	OF
119	12	Joey Gallo	MIN	OF
120	12	Josh Lowe	TB	OF
121	12	Kyle Stowers	BAL	OF
122	12	Gavin Sheets	CWS	1B/OF
123	12	Jack Suwinski	PIT	OF
124	12	James Outman	LAD	OF
125	12	Jo Adell	LAA	OF
126	12	Drew Waters	KC	OF
127	12	Patrick Wisdom	CHC	1B/3B/OF
128	13	Hunter Dozier	KC	1B/3B/OF
129	13	Will Brennan	CLE	OF
130	13	Akil Baddoo	DET	OF
131	13	Tyrone Taylor	MIL	OF
132	13	Jace Peterson	OAK	3B/OF
133	13	Aaron Hicks	NYY	OF
134	13	Christian Arroyo	BOS	1B/2B/3B/SS/OF
135	13	Victor Robles	WSH	OF
136	13	Ji Hwan Bae	PIT	OF
137	13	Nick Pratto	KC	1B/OF
138	13	Yonathan Daza	COL	OF
139	13	Nate Eaton	KC	3B/OF
140	13	Dylan Moore	SEA	2B/SS/OF
141	13	Will Benson	CIN	OF
142	13	Matt Vierling	DET	3B/OF
143	13	Conner Capel	OAK	OF
144	13	Adam Frazier	BAL	2B/OF
145	13	Jose Azocar	SD	OF
146	13	Michael Toglia	COL	1B/OF
147	13	Alex Call	WSH	OF
148	13	Kevin Kiermaier	TOR	OF
149	13	Kyle Lewis	ARI	OF
150	13	Sal Frelick	MIL	OF

Tier One - Outfield Rankings

The top-four outfielders typically all go within the first six picks of a standard 5x5 draft. These studs offer overwhelming power and speed, with none of them being a batting average liability either. This is a deep position so we don’t need to nitpick the top tier.

Last year, we saw 26 outfielders within the top 90 in Yahoo’s 5x5 scoring (also, Bryce Harper was 91st). This may leave you confident in waiting, and that’s okay, but I assure you the player pool dries up quickly. That 26-figure sounds like a lot, but it only takes 12 teams taking two apiece to run through most of it. You’ll want anchors if you play in a five-outfield format.

 

Tier Two - Outfield Rankings

Juan Soto had an uncharacteristically poor .242 batting average in 2022, yet still posted a .401 OBP and cracked 27 home runs in 153 games. He’d never had a BABIP lower than .312 across four seasons and then a .249 mark reared its head in ‘22. Most seem to be forgiving him for that given the lofty ADP, which is appropriate.

Mookie Betts may grab 2B eligibility and enjoy some additional RBI opportunities if moved down from the leadoff position. Wherever he goes, he’ll make you happy. His 35 home runs weren’t that surprising, as the 15.6% HR/FB rate is on par with his last five seasons but he had a career-high 47.7% fly ball rate. 30 homers and 15 steals with 200 R+RBI are in the pipeline.

Yordan Alvarez and Mike Trout boast immense power but the medicals will make you sweaty. If Alvarez already has hand inflammation/soreness before the long season begins, then will it really hold up over 162 games? Will Houston manage his workload? Does Trout’s back put him in a similar spot? Alvarez hasn’t had as many years of injury risk as Trout, but his being an active problem puts them on a similar level. I’m not targeting Alvarez as a result, but have snagged Trout between Rounds 2-3 when going pitcher first.

 

Tier Three - Outfield Rankings

Randy Arozarena casually had a top-25 season as one of just two players to put up a 20/30 campaign in ‘22. If you need to follow up a power-heavy or pitcher start, then Arozarena is a favorite. More daring drafters can go for Michael Harris II and see whether he holds the second spot in Atlanta’s order.

Need power? Snag Kyle Schwarber. Still light on speed? Then head to Camden and tag in Cedric Mullins II. If you feel secure through 3-4 rounds and want to incorporate risk, then Luis Robert has first-round upside if he can stay healthy. A big if, to be sure.

And surging prospect Corbin Carroll only stole two bases in 32 MLB games last year, but was 31-of-36 in 91 minor-league games prior to the promotion. He also socked 23 home runs while hitting over .300 down there. He has a sharp eye and 80-grade speed worth sniping from others’ queues.

 

Tier Four - Outfield Rankings

I’m not sure folks will ever fully trust players who pop in their age-28 season but Adolis Garcia has been an excellent fantasy weapon across two full seasons now. Power. Speed. An ISO north of .200 against both left- and right-handed pitching in 2022. If you believe, then he’s an excellent value. If you don’t, then you’ll let someone else burn a high pick on him.

Teoscar Hernandez had great numbers when healthy but an oblique injury weighed down his seasonal stats. He’s fallen down some draft boards as a result, and many lucky managers have gotten a nice margin on his 30-homer bat.

 

Tier Five - Outfield Rankings

Taylor Ward is likely my heaviest target of the bunch. You never know when another believer is in your draft room but I’ve regularly seen Ward linger past the 100th pick. He showed league-winning potential in that six-week early stretch of ‘22 before neck/shoulder issues arose following a wall collision.

Even if you don’t buy that as close to his true talent level, you can’t deny the value provided by hitting leadoff on the Angels. His Statcast metrics panel is covered in red and my rosters are covered in Ward. But people struggle to buy into those 28-year-old breakouts!

 

Tier Six and Below - Outfield Rankings

The players start to fit more of a one-trick-pony mold the further down you go. The trick tends to be hitting home runs, for your information. That’s a neat trick, but we still want some speed and average with our power plants.

As such, I am aggressively drafting Boston’s Masataka Yoshida. Some fear the unknown but Fenway Park is relentlessly hitter-friendly (though less so for left-handed swings) and Yoshida’s bat-on-ball talent is MLB-ready. The 29-year-old has quick hands and hit .326 over his seven years in Japan’s NPB.

How exactly he contributes for us will depend on where Boston hits him. More runs and overall volume at leadoff. More RBI down near the heart. But an average over .280, acknowledging room for way higher, with healthy pop will be taken by me earlier than pick 200.

 

Tier Seven and Below - Outfield Rankings

Michael Conforto returns to action after a torn left shoulder sunk his prospects of playing in ‘22. It’s hard for me to picture him making it through a full season without some shoulder soreness cropping up, but his early Spring form is promising. The 30-year-old has thwacked four home runs in 35 at-bats and I wanted to see if his swing looked altered in any demonstrable way compared to pre-injury Conforto. San Fran isn’t welcoming for home runs, but he’s a fine flier as an OF5. (This is why I don’t wait on OF early!)

If you want to tap into some Great American Ball Park mojo, then Jake Fraley (aka Rake from State Farm) is a buzzy play. He hit 12 home runs with four steals in just 68 games last year, working mostly against right-handed pitching. We’ll see if the Reds give him a chance against southpaws in ‘23 but those in daily-move formats who can juggle the platooning should enjoy another OPS above .800 this season.

Despite success this Spring, Oscar Colas hasn’t surged up boards as quickly as I’d imagined. The outfielder has a .289/.304/.511 slash line with three home runs over 45 ABs in which he’s only struck out five times. He’s putting his foot down on the job in right field and could pop 20-plus homers from within a powerful White Sox lineup if the collective health holds.

Garrett Mitchell kicked off his Spring with three home runs in only 18 ABs but a hamstring injury has thrown his Opening Day status into jeopardy. Even if it’s delayed, Mitchell’s 2023 season could be a big one. Being cautious with his hamstring is imperative if we want the Mitchell who went a perfect 8-of-8 on steal attempts in his first 28 MLB games. The 24-year-old also put on muscle this offseason in hopes of tapping into his 55-grade raw power. He’ll strike out a bunch but his power-speed play skews toward fantasy intrigue.

Edward Olivares (and to a lesser extent, Kyle Isbel) should get a chance to prove himself in a full-time gig at long last. He’s never received more than 200 PAs over his three years in the bigs but showed promising pop in the minors. His 2019 at Double-A produced 18 home runs, 35 steals, and a .801 OPS in 127 contests.

We’ve yet to see him steadily play or hit that level in the majors, and coaches must have their reasons, but his range of outcomes includes a .260 hitter with 15 home runs and 6-10 steals. Follow the PT! Isbel is more toolsy for fantasy and has 15-20 steals in his wheelhouse, but might struggle to hit above .230. The opportunity is there for either man with Drew Waters’ oblique injury.

Remember Eddie Rosario? While it’s doubtful he wrests everyday play from Atlanta’s depth chart, the 31-year-old may enjoy a mini-renaissance due to improved vision. ATL skipper Brian Snitker has praised Rosario’s Spring and says he looks better in the box. Rosario popped 32 homers in 2019 and another 13 taters in 57 games through the shortened 2020 season. His performance has fallen since then but now he’s had time for his eyes to adjust. Don’t be shocked at a rebound.

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