Of all the hitting positions, outfield is the toughest one for which to set tiers. Because your league drafts so many at the position, you need to account for upward of 60 players. If you keep your tiers too narrow, then a) they won’t do you any good and b) you’ll run out of clever names for each tier.
The good news is that as much as any year, outfield offers some pretty good depth in 2017, giving you a variety of options during your draft or auction. You can easily fill out the majority of your starting spots early. But as you’ll see, even the lower tiers offer plenty of guys who can be solid contributors and a bunch with major upside.
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The Unrivaled
I don’t think this tier needs any explanation, does it? They’re the top two picks in your draft, and they have no equal. To be clear, Trout is still the king, but if Betts repeats last year’s performance, he’ll be in the discussion for the number one pick in 2018.
The Elite
Bryant and Turner are eligible elsewhere (and have been discussed in the third base and second base tiers articles, respectively), but given the depth at those positions, you’re just as likely to play them at outfield. Bryant, Harper and Turner, all have top-five potential, and the fact that they are in the second tier at the position speaks to just how incredible Betts and Trout are.
Although Blackmon lacks the upside of the other three, he’s still elite. He traded some speed for some power last year, but either way, he’s a rare five-category producer.
Expect a .300 batting average, plenty of runs, and 45 to 60 combined home runs and steals. He may not finish as a top-five player, but he’s an early second-rounder, without a doubt.
The Almost Elite
- George Springer
- Nelson Cruz
- A.J. Pollock
- Ryan Braun
- Giancarlo Stanton
- Starling Marte
- J.D. Martinez
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Yoenis Cespedes
- Andrew McCutchen
- Ian Desmond
- Gregory Polanco
- Mark Trumbo
- Jose Bautista
I told you these tiers were super-sized. I’m only going to discuss the last three here because they’re arguably in the tier below. With Polanco, focus on his first half numbers (.287/.362/.500 with nine steals), where he looked like the budding superstar that he is.
He battled injuries all throughout the second half. He belongs in this tier.
Trumbo may not hit 47 home runs again, but in staying with the Orioles, he pretty much guaranteed himself 35-plus. Also, a lot of the gains Trumbo made were because of conscious changes in his approach. He’ll have another great year.
Bautista is the one who should raise your eyebrows. He’s the 27th outfielder in ECR, well below the guys in this tier. But I’m gobbling him up at his current ADP of 99.
Sure, he is coming off an injury-plagued season, but he hit 35 and 40 homers the two prior seasons and was on pace for 30 last season. Plus, he’s a prideful guy, and he’ll be motivated to do well in his one-year contract.
He’s the last guy for me in this tier, for sure. But I still think he’s got at least one excellent season left in him.
The Very Goods
- Christian Yelich
- Justin Upton
- Adam Jones
- Kyle Schwarber
- Jackie Bradley
- Matt Kemp
- Khris Davis
- Billy Hamilton
These guys aren’t going to win you your league, but they are the types of mid-round selections that give you the stability that you need. Certainly, they’re not all without question marks.
Is Christian Yelich’s power legitimate? Were Billy Hamilton’s gains in the second half last year real? How good is Jackie Bradley, really? But these guys are all safe enough that you can feel comfortable taking them as your second or third outfielder.
The Still Goods
- Lorenzo Cain
- Stephen Piscotty
- Miguel Sano
- Jose Ramirez
- Adam Eaton
- Dexter Fowler
- Hunter Pence
- Willson Contreras
- Kole Calhoun
- Odubel Herrera
- David Dahl
First of all, does anyone know how to get autocorrect to stop turning “Willson Contreras” into “Wilson Contreras”? It would help a lot. Thanks! Yes, I included him here even though you’ll play him at catcher just so I could use that joke. Sue me!
We’re still in the range where we’re drafting solid outfielders – guys who will either provide you with some steady but unspectacular production (Piscotty, Eaton) and guys who offer you the possibility of becoming a top-15 outfielder (Cain, Sano). You can feel fine to wait and populate your outfield with a few of these guys and still be just fine.
Note: David Dahl would have been in the tier above if not for the stress fracture in his rib. He should still be drafted as a solid outfielder, but monitor the injury and his progress over the next several weeks.
The Okays
- Joc Pederson
- Andrew Benintendi
- Jose Peraza
- Adam Duvall
- Yasmany Tomas
- Marcell Ozuna
- Ben Zobrist
- Byron Buxton
- Nomar Mazara
- Carlos Gomez
- Michael Brantley
- Jay Bruce
- Carlos Beltran
- Yasiel Puig
- Randal Grichuk
- Keon Broxton
- Ender Inciarte
- Curtis Granderson
- Jason Heyward
These guys are all…fine. You don’t draft any of these guys thinking “Boom, nailed it!” But they all make fine fourth or fifth outfielders. And yes, Heyward makes this tier. 27-year-olds who have one disastrous year are not suddenly undraftable. He’ll bounce back to respectability.
The Last Line of Defense
- Eric Thames
- Kevin Kiermaier
- Hunter Renfroe
- Melky Cabrera
- Jacoby Ellsbury
- Rajai Davis
- Matt Holliday
- Gerardo Parra
- Max Kepler
- Domingo Santana
- Corey Dickerson
- Shin-Soo Choo
- Jorge Soler
- Brett Gardner
- Michael Conforto
- David Peralta
- Hernan Perez
- Domingo Santana
- Josh Reddick
- Jarrod Dyson
- Tyler Naquin
We’re digging deep here, but this about as low as you’ll want to be going in the vast majority of leagues. There’s still plenty of useful stats even down this far.
Dyson and Davis should challenge the 40-steal plateau, Soler has breakout potential, Thames had massive stats in the KBO the last few years and Kiermaier showed a nice combination of power and speed last season.
That said, you don’t want to be relying too heavily on this group. But to the extent you need a bench piece or a fifth outfielder, they’re fine options.
More Tiers
First Base Rankings Tiers
Catcher Rankings Tiers
Second Base Rankings Tiers
Shortstop Rankings Tiers
Third Base Rankings Tiers
Outfield Rankings Tiers
Starting Pitcher Rankings Tiers
Relief Pitcher Rankings Tiers
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Dan Harris is a correspondent with FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.
