We’ve made it through the infield and now head to the outfield. Instead of ranking 20 players Lucas and Bubba will rank 40 outfielders. Per usual, they will also give their strategies, targets, busts, sleepers and much more to get your ready for your Fantasy Baseball drafts.

Previous Primers- C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B

Overall Updated Rankings

Lucas (@BieryPlox33) Bubba (@bdentrek) 1- Mike Trout 1- Ronald Acuna 2- Ronald Acuna 2- Mike Trout 3- Christian Yelich 3- Christian Yelich 4- Mookie Betts 4- Mookie Betts 5- Cody Bellinger 5- Cody Bellinger 6- Juan Soto 6- Juan Soto 7- J.D. Martinez 7- J.D. Martinez 8- Bryce Harper 8- Bryce Harper 9- Aaron Judge 9- Starling Marte 10- Charlie Blackmon 10- Austin Meadows 11-George Springer 11- George Springer 12- Starling Marte 12- Aaron Judge 13- Giancarlo Stanton 13- Charlie Blackmon 14- Kris Bryant 14- Giancarlo Stanton 15- Whit Merrifield 15- Ketel Marte 16- Austin Meadows 16- Eloy Jimenez 17- Tommy Pham 17- Tommy Pham 18- Luis Robert 18- Ramon Laureano 19- Victor Robles 19- Whit Merrifield 20- Eddie Rosario 20- Victor Robles 21- Ketel Marte 21- Jorge Soler 22- Joey Gallo 22- Kris Bryant 23- Eloy Jimenez 23- Joey Gallo 24- Jorge Soler 24- Luis Robert 25- Ramon Laureano 25- Jeff McNeil 26- Tommy Edman 26- Marcell Ozuna 27- Michael Conforto 27- Eddie Rosario 28- Jeff McNeil 28- Trey Mancini 29- Michael Brantley 29- Oscar Mercado 30- Yasiel Puig 30- Nicholas Castellanos 31- Marcell Ozuna 31- Kyle Schwarber 32- Trey Mancini 32- Michael Brantley 33- Nicholas Castellanos 33- Yasiel Puig 34- Bryan Reynolds 34- Michael Conforto 35- Kyle Schwarber 35- Max Kepler 36- Oscar Mercado 36- Mitch Haniger 37- Andrew Benintendi 37- Andrew Benintendi 38- Hunter Dozier 38- Danny Santana 39- Byron Buxton 39- Lorenzo Cain 40- Kyle Tucker 40- Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Overall Thoughts on the Position-



Lucas- OF is a position that is top heavy but also deep with a variety of different types of profiles, with supreme power bats, some young speed demons and everything in between. Knowing the position in and out will help you see know what is valuable at the draft table, and more importantly what fits your team build. This is a great position to build your foundation for your roster, as you can stack up 2-3 excellent options and still have 2 OF spots left to wait on the inevitable values like Kole Calhoun or even Kevin Kiermaier (for the speed boost.)



Bubba- The outfield position has a lot of really good, top-end talent. But after a few rounds you will see a massive drop off. If you are playing in deep leagues or leagues that require 5 outfielders, I wouldn’t wait too long drafting the position. There are some nice values later on in the drafts, but they are good for your 3rd, 4th or 5th outfielder. The beauty of the position is the ability to grab needed stats. This is where the position can show depth. There may not be a ton of 5 category studs outside of the top picks, there are a lot of stat specific picks. You can find some nice power options, some rabbit types and even some average helpers later on at the position. But in the end, the moral of the story is to draft outfield aggressively or you may not like your overall team at the position.



Potential 2020 Busts-



Lucas- Austin Meadows has become quite a popular name this winter and for good reason, he is a 25 year old power-speed threat hitting at the top of a really solid lineup. However, there are some small warning signs, Meadows was highly inefficient on the basepaths, going just 12-19 (63% success rate). The bags could dry up quickly given Tampa’s analytical prowess. Meadows is a fantastic hitter, I could see another 30 homer year, but I just like the options after him a bit more. I cannot justify paying up for the shiny new toy at pick 36, when guys such as more proven hitters like Springer or Blackmon could out produce him.



Bubba- My 2020 bust will be one of the players I was extremely high on entering 2019. Andrew Benintendi was a massive disappointment in 2019 and I am not liking him for 2020. We saw a player, with the bouncy ball, only hit 13 home runs. A player who saw his barrel rate, launch angle and hard hit rates all hit career highs and he still couldn’t hit more than 13 home runs. He also had a career low .266 average even though he had a really solid .333 BABIP. His K rate rose to 22.8% from 16% in 2019. He also saw his chase rate zone contact drop 5%, his chase rate increase 5.5% and his whiff % rise 6%. Benintendi was lost at the plate and I am not believing in a 2020 come back.



Top Outfield Targets for 2020-



Lucas- If I can somehow land JD Martinez in round 2, I’m all over that, still not sure why he is slipping in 2020 drafts. His 36 HR, .304 BA 2019 season is quite the year for a down year. I’m also still extremely into Charlie Blackmon given his consistency and Coors Field. Pick 45 for Blackmon is thievery given his skills, track record and home venue.



Bubba- I obviously want some Ronald Acuna if I have a top pick, but being realistically I am trying to leave the early rounds with either Starling Marte or Austin Meadows due to their 5 category upside. I believe J.D. Martinez and Giancarlo Stanton are nice values and will return to their power hitting glory days in 2020. In the middle of the draft I am looking to grab some Tommy Pham or my sleeper for 2020.



Top Outfield Sleeper Targets for 2020-



Lucas- Eddie Rosario may be boring to some, but I really like the consistent stats he provides, given his low K, high contact approach. Perched near the very top of the Twins lineup, Rosario should provide value at ADP 92. Michael Brantley is another guy I am all over, as he should hit .300 again and provides some thump in a star laden Houston Astros lineup. Brantley is a consistent vet who has no perceived upside, but he could crack triple digit runs or RBI if things break his way. A steal at pick 127.



Bubba- My outfield sleeper for 2020 is none other than the hefty masher himself, Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber exploded in 2019, playing 155 games and hitting 38 bombs while hitting .250. He also played good defense and wasn’t a defensive liability for the Cubs. We saw him mash RHP per usual in 2019 but also showcased some nice improvements vs LHP. Looking at his statcast page it’s blood red in all the right places. Schwarber was 97th in exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard hit rate. He had a 14.5% barrel rate to go with that 52.1% hard hit rate. Lastly, all of his xStats pointed to being a bit unlucky and his xWOBAcon of .471 was outstanding. Schwarber should continue to thrive and be an absolute masher for the Cubs and a steal in drafts.



Deeper Outfield Sleepers-



Lucas- In terms of even deeper targets, I have two names that are power-speed threats that have some playing time questions. Mike Tauchman (128 wRC+ in 2019) is currently penciled into the Yankees lineup, per roster resource, and is a steal at ADP 391. Jake Fraley is a bit of a forgotten man in Seattle, after he struggled in his first taste at the big leagues. He could be a threat to do 20-20, if he gets regular playing time in Seattle.



Bubba- Two players going after pick 200 are strong outfield targets for myself. Andrew McCutchen and Justin Upton are insane values right now. Cutch is coming off of an injury riddled season in Philadelphia. He’ll be back atop a very potent lineup this season and his average, power and even some speed from the top of the order will be great. Upton let so many down last season, but to be fair he was injured all season. Now, Upton is back and we have to think the man that consistently hit for a high average, 30 bombs and drove in 100 runs will be back. There are some nice sneaky values later in the draft, but it’s still quite a mine field as well, so enjoy some Cutch and Upton.



Dynasty Outfield Targets-



Lucas- Outfield prospects are a great position to invest in for dynasty formats and there are few better investments than Dylan Carlson at ADP 328. He should be up in STL come mid-summer and provides some serious power potential and some speed. Alek Thomas is a slightly deeper name that has an all-around game that could resemble a more toolsy Adam Eaton if he can continue his development, buy him up now before his price rises.



Bubba- There are so many great outfield targets for dynasty leagues. Obviously, we will see Luis Robert to start the season and that’s quite a blast. Jo Adell is one of my favorites and there’s a great chance we will see him sooner than later in the 2020 season with the Halos. If I had to go for ones that are possibly available in your leagues then I would go with Hunter Bishop of the Giants. The 2019 draft pick thrived in his first season of Rookie Ball and Low A. He will likely start with San Jose in High A this season and I wouldn’t be shocked if he finished the season in AA. If all continues to go well, then Bishop should be with the Giants in late 2021 or 2022 for sure and provides a nice set of average, power and some speed.