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Welcome back, RotoBallers. I've already looked at the top 10 prospects for each MLB team, and now I'll be breaking down impact prospects by position. Today I'm bringing you my top 20 outfielders - dynasty prospect rankings for 2017 dynasty baseball leagues.
Going through the top 20 outfielders, it almost feels like I haven’t given enough quality outfielders justice. There are just so many high-quality outfielders out there and it feels like there are so many who could make a case to be on this list, but just did not quite make the cut.
This list features a mixture of high risk/high reward, low risk/medium reward and everything in between. Some guys will debut this season. Others will not debut until 2020. Some will hit homers. Others will steal bases. If you are looking for a specific type of outfield prospect, chances are you will find the right guy on this list as there really are all sorts of prospects on here.
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Top 20 Outfield Prospects for 2017 Dynasty Baseball Leagues
1. Andrew Benintendi (BOS, MLB)
Stats: 118 PA< .295/.359/.476, 2 HR, 1 SB, 8.5% BB rate, 21.2% K rate
ETA: Opening Day
Benintendi is a truly gifted prospect. He is one of the most disciplined prospects on this list and makes consistent, hard contact with one of the best power/speed combos in the game, giving him both a high floor and high ceiling. Batting in the middle of one of the most potent, young lineups in baseball, Benintendi should drive in a ton of runs and score a bunch and will likely be a top-25 outfielder very soon. He must be owned in all leagues, dynasty and redraft alike.
2. Austin Meadows (PIT, AAA)
Stats: 145 PA, .214/.297/.460, 6 HR, 8 SB, 10.3% BB rate, 23.4% K rate
ETA: Mid-2017/Late 2017
If you liked Benintendi, but couldn’t quite get your hands on him, meet his slightly more risky, slightly higher upside twin Austin Meadows. Meadows has the discipline and the power/speed combination of Benintendi, but he is a bit bigger which helps give him more raw power. The frequency of injuries makes him a bit riskier, but if he can stay healthy, Meadows will be a fantasy stud for years to come.
3. Lewis Brinson (MIL, AAA)
Stats: 93 PA, .382/.387/.618, 4 HR, 4 SB, 2.2% BB rate, 22.6% K rate
ETA: Late 2017/Early 2018
Brinson has always put up numbers that jump out on the page when you look at them. He has always put up eye-popping home run/stolen base totals and has continued to impress at the higher levels. His plate discipline needs work, but he has a chance to be a 30/30 outfielder and owners should be excited about the chance to see him in Milwaukee.
4. Clint Frazier (NYY, AAA)
Stats: 165 PA, .229/.285/.359, 3 HR, 0 SB, 6.7% BB rate, 27.9% K rate
ETA: Late 2017
Frazier may be one of the most exciting prospects in the minors, and he’s still only 22 years old. He has 30-homer thunder to go along with 20-stolen base speed. Frazier needs to improve his plate discipline if he hopes to maintain a high average, but his power/speed combination and proximity to the majors makes him one of the top dynasty prospects available.
5. Victor Robles (WAS, A+)
Stats: 198 PA, .262/.354/.387, 3 HR, 18 SB, 7.1% BB rate, 16.2% K rate
ETA: Mid-2018/Late 2018
For Robles, it is all about potential. He has not dominated the minors like the past four prospects, but scouts see in him a gifted skillset, one that could develop into a dynamic top-of-the-order presence. They see a speedy outfielder with 40-stolen base speed, a bat that could hit .300 any given season and some raw power that could lead to 10-15 home runs. His potential is sky-high and owners should not be scared off by the slightly distant ETA.
6. Eloy Jimenez (CHC, A+)
Stats: 464 PA, .329/.369/.532, 14 HR, 8 SB, 5.4% BB rate, 20.3% K rate
ETA: Mid-2018/Late 2018
For owners who liked Robles, but wish he had power instead of speed, Jimenez is your guy. Scouts see Jimenez as a future middle-of-the-order slugger with the chance to bat over .300 and mash 30+ homers thanks to a ton of raw power. Like Robles, he will have to wait a little bit to debut due to his inexperience at the higher levels. Nonetheless, the idea of seeing him bat behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo has to be mouthwatering for dynasty owners.
7. Manny Margot (SD, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 566 PA, .304/.351/.426, 6 HR, 30 SB, 6.4% BB rate, 11.3% K rate
ETA: Opening Day
A speedy center fielder, Margot is almost the pure definition of a future leadoff hitter. He makes good contact, he takes his walks, he does not strike out and he steals a ton of bases. He’s got an enticing fantasy profile and owners should look forward to reaping the Margot reward as early as Opening Day of this season.
8. Bradley Zimmer (CLE, AAA)
Stats: 150 PA, .242/.349/.305, 1 HR, 5 SB, 14.0% BB rate, 37.3% K rate
ETA: Mid-2017
There is still a lot we don’t know about Zimmer’s future. He changed his swing up in the middle of last season in the hopes of making more consistent contact, but kept struggling in the minors after the change. He appears much better now in Spring Training and was knocking the cover off the ball in the AFL, so let’s see if he does any better at Triple-A to open up 2017. He already possesses one of the best power/speed combinations in the minors, so batting average at this point would just be an added bonus for fantasy owners.
9. Tyler O’Neill (SEA, AA)
Stats: 575 PA, .293/.374/.508, 24 HR, 12 SB, 10.8% BB rate, 26.1% K rate
ETA: Late 2017
O’Neill has a chance to be the Mariners’ first home-grown success story since Kyle Seager. He has game-changing power and has started to show more discipline and consistent contact lately. If he can keep the average up and keep hitting 25+ home runs like scouts believe he is capable of, he could be an exciting investment for fantasy owners.
10. Raimel Tapia (COL, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 110 PA, .346/.355/.490, 0 HR, 6 SB, 1.8% BB rate, 10.9% K rate
ETA: Late 2017
If you all haven’t noticed by now, I like to give players a bit of a bump when Coors Field is their home. And the bump is typically well deserved as it turns speed-first centerfielders like Tapia into potential 15/20 threats at the big-league level. Tapia should hit for a high average and steal 20+ bags, but his hard contact combined with Coors Field’s tendency to allow the ball to travel could make him a potential 15-20 home run center fielder.
11. Hunter Renfroe (SD, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 563 PA, .306/.336/.557, 30 HR, 5 SB, 3.9% BB rate, 20.4% K rate
ETA: Opening Day
Power, power and more power is the name of the game for Renfroe. He is one of the best pure sluggers in the minors and should hit 30 home runs on a year-to-year basis despite calling Petco Park home. Batting average may be a bit of an issue for him and he may not be the most consistent player out there, but a .260 average with 30 homers should be enough to warrant ownership on most dynasty rosters.
12. Aaron Judge (NYY, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 410 PA, .270/.366/.489, 19 HR, 5 SB, 11.5% BB rate, 23.9% K rate
ETA: Opening Day
Much like Renfroe, Judge is all about the long ball. He will hit a ton of them in New York, but may struggle to do anything else. Scouts still believe he will be able to cut down on the swings-and-misses enough to at least bat .250, but dynasty owners should just be happy that he has the chance to be an annual 30-homer threat.
13. Kyle Tucker (HOU, A+)
Stats: (from A) 428 PA, .276/.348/.402, 6 HR, 31 SB, 9.3% BB rate, 17.5% K rate
ETA: Late 2018
Tucker is an exciting prospect, one who could potentially be a well-rounded outfielder in all facets of the game. But he still needs to translate his raw tools into game production. His plate discipline allows him to maintain a high ceiling as a guy who should make it to the majors and post a high batting average. However, while the low-risk is nice, it is his chance to be a 25/25 threat that makes him worth owning in dynasty leagues.
14. Jesse Winker (CIN, AAA)
Stats: 448 PA, .303/.397/.384, 3 HR, 0 SB, 13.2% BB rate, 13.2% K rate
ETA: Mid-2017
A couple years ago, Winker was an exciting prospect himself. He had flashed 20-homer potential outside of Cincinnati with one of the most disciplined approaches many had seen, but injuries have seemed to sap his power over the past couple seasons. Still, he is about as much a lock as anyone on this list to at least hit .300 with an OBP around .400, and Great American Ballpark could still turn him into that 20-home run player many expected him to be.
15. Kyle Lewis (SEA, A-)
Stats: 135 PA, .299/.385/.530, 3 HR, 3 SB, 11.9% BB rate, 16.3% K rate
ETA: Late 2018/Early 2019
Lewis would probably be higher up on this list had he not suffered a torn ACL last July. Prior to the injury, scouts saw a player who could be a real middle-of-the-order run producer. Now, we will have to wait and see how he plays post-surgery. Most players recover just fine and if Lewis does, expect to see his fantasy stock soar as he starts to tear up the minors. This could be a great time to buy low.
16. Corey Ray (MIL, A)
Stats: 254 PA, .247/.307/.385, 5 HR, 9 SB, 7.9% BB rate, 21.3% K rate
ETA: Late 2018/Early 2019
Another great buy-low opportunity comes in the form of the fifth overall pick in last season’s draft, Corey Ray. He is coming off a season where he struggled to get things going in his pro debut, but scouts still see a budding 20/20 threat with the eye and bat to post a solid batting average year in and year out. Before Ray really starts to tear up the minors, owners should try and get him as cheap as possible.
17. Derek Fisher (HOU, AAA)
Stats: 118 PA, .290/.347/.505, 5 HR, 5 SB, 7.6% BB rate, 22.0% K rate
ETA: Late 2017/Early 2018
Fisher has spent the better part of the past two seasons terrorizing minor-league pitchers from all aspects of the game. He has been a 20-homer threat at the dish and a 20-stolen base threat on the basepaths. Strikeouts remain an issue for him, but with his power/speed combination, he should still prove valuable to dynasty owners looking for a potentially explosive outfielder.
18. Alex Verdugo (LAD, AA)
Stats: 529 PA, .273/.336/.407, 13 HR, 2 SB, 8.3% BB rate, 12.7% K rate
ETA: Early 2018
Verdugo has shown in the past to be a 20/20 threat, but he has started to slow down a bit at the plate and now looks more like a 15/15 player. On the bright side, he still appears on track to bat around .290-.300. Owners should view Verdugo as a low-risk, medium-reward prospect who could build up a ton more value if he can start stealing bases again.
19. Mickey Moniak (PHI, ROK)
Stats: 194 PA, .284/.340/.409, 1 HR, 10 SB, 5.7% BB rate, 18.0% K rate
ETA: Mid-2019
The first overall pick in last season’s draft, Moniak checks in at No. 19 because a) he is the youngest player on this list and b) still not much pop to speak of. Owners will have to wait a little while before he reaches the majors, but he comes with as little risk as you can get out of an 18-year-old outfielder as scouts see great hand-eye coordination and enough speed to steal 25+ bags in the majors. He strikes many as a future leadoff hitter and will likely be the first high schooler from that draft to reach the majors.
20. Blake Rutherford (NYY, ROK)
Stats: 130 PA, .351/.415/.570, 3 HR, 0 SB, 10.0% BB rate, 23.1% K rate
ETA: 2020
Rutherford is easily the more explosive of the two 2016 high school outfielders on this list, but he is also the riskier. He still has some swing-and-miss issues that he will need to iron out and all of his tools are still raw. Still, scouts see a potentially dynamic outfielder who could not only be a 30/30 threat down the line, but a future top prospect in baseball if all works out the way it’s supposed to for Rutherford.
