Every year, fantasy baseball leagues are lost because of players that bust, get injured, or disappoint. Sometimes these issues are unavoidable, but sometimes there are red flags that we ignore. Here are five outfielders you should not draft. And check out all of the hitters to avoid in fantasy baseball drafts.
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Fantasy Baseball Outfielders to Avoid
Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF – CHC) (32.92)
Ok, so I had Crow-Armstrong in this article last year and I will admit when I am wrong. He hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases. That being said, he really struggled in the second half and it was because of the poor underlying skills I warned about. In the second half, he hit just .216/.262/.372 with six home runs and eight stolen bases. There are going to be extremely high highs, but extremely low lows and this early in the draft, you should look in a different direction.
Byron Buxton (OF – MIN) (85.27)
After years of waiting, Buxton truthers were finally rewarded with an amazing season where he hit .264/.327/.551 with 35 home runs and 24 stolen bases. The problem is Buxton’s health. 2025 was Buxton’s first season since 2017 where he registered 400 plate appearances or more and he has never had 550 or more plate appearances in a season. The chances that he will be able to pull off another season in which he is able to stay healthy enough to get to 500+ plate appearances seems very unlikely and at this high of a pick, it isn’t worth the gamble.
Kyle Stowers (OF – MIA) (137.23)
Stower is coming off of a fantastic rookie season, where he hit .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs and stole five bases. However, he was extremely lucky with a .356 BABIP and the underlying contact skills are scary. He had a 78% z-contact and a 16% swinging strike rate. The power is legit, but the average is going to regress and the Marlins won’t give him a lot of upside in runs or RBIs.
Chandler Simpson (OF – TB) (166.85)
Simpson has a ton of speed. He stole 44 bases in just 441 plate appearances for the Rays in 2025. However, he has literally no power and while the speed is valuable for fantasy, it isn’t as valuable in real life baseball. The Rays sent him down at one point last season and brought in multiple outfielders this offseason and while they will give Simpson a chance to succeed, he will have a short leash.
Jordan Beck (OF – COL) (233.12)
Beck is coming off of a season where he hit 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases. However, he hit only six home runs in the second half and the underlying contact skills are terrible. He will get helped by playing in Colorado, but he is so bad on the road that he is tough to roster.
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