X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

AL Outfielders Ready to Break Out in 2021

Kipp Heisterman identifies AL outfielders who could break out in 2021 for fantasy baseball. These OF could be undervalued sleepers in upcoming drafts.

In previous seasons, outfielder has been one of the deepest positions to find top-end talent as well as deeper talent. In 2021, this does not appear to be the case as there are so many question marks and risks in the current top 50 based on ADP and throughout the entirety of drafts. It becomes even more uncertain when you break it down into AL vs. NL outfielders.

This article will take a deeper look into AL outfielders who provide higher upside than their current ADP might suggest. These are not guys who you will find at the top of drafts but are not necessarily guys you will find at the end of drafts. They are outfielders that should outperform their ADP by several spots and are in a prime position to break out in 2021.

The outfielders we will look into today include Franmil Reyes, Nick Solak, Randy Arozarena, and Josh Naylor. A strong glance into their historical data and advanced metrics should show exactly why they fit the category of breakout candidates.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Franmil Reyes, Cleveland Indians

Franmil Reyes AKA Franimal is being considered as a breakout candidate for the second season in a row. While he did not technically break out in the shortened 2020 season, he did find some success as he slashed .275/.344/.450 with nine HR, 35 RBI, and 27 R across 211 AB. The power with Franmil is very real as he smacked 37 HR in 2019 and has very strong power metrics, which is precisely why he should be highly considered heading into 2021.

The power metrics tell us that Franmil is an absolute beast. In 2020, he posted a solid exit velocity of 92.4 mph, which ranked him in the top nine percent of the league. He also posted a hard-hit rate of 44.9%, which placed him in the 79th percentile of the league. One other power metric where Reyes performed well was with his barrel rate (12.9%), where he ranked in the top 16% of the league.

Another area of Reyes' game to look forward to in 2021 is his ability to hit the ball to all fields. While a majority of his bombs have actually been hit to the opposite field, he has shown a consistent ability to go to left field when necessary as noted by his spray chart.

While Reyes does have some flaws in his game, including a career strikeout rate of 28.4%, he will provide fantasy players with a plethora of power without sacrificing too much in the way of average as he is also a career .263 hitter. With a full season ahead of him in 2021, 40 bombs are definitely within range. He currently has an ADP sitting around 140, which means he is going around the middle of the 11th round. While it is more than fair to draft him here, snagging him near the end of the 10th round or even slightly sooner should return plenty of value as well.

 

Nick Solak, Texas Rangers

I wrote quite a bit about Nick Solak in early pre-season articles in 2020 and think he would have had a solid campaign had he been given a full 162-game season. That being said, I think he has a solid opportunity to break out in 2021, given that he still slashed .268/.326/.344 with two HR, 23 RBI, and seven SB. While there is still much to be desired when it comes to Solak's power, his ability to put the ball in play combined with his speed is why he has serious potential heading into 2021.

Solak stole seven bases in 2020 across 233 PA. He ranked 29th in the league in terms of stolen bases. He provides so much value here based on his sprint speed of 28.6 ft/sec, which ranked him in the 91st percentile of the league.

Solak has also shown great plate discipline for such a young player. In 2020, he posted a whiff rate of just 19.1%, which ranked him in the top 16% of the league. This directly translated to him posting a strikeout rate of just 18%, which placed him in the top quarter of the league. It should also be noted that he only posted a 7.7% walk rate in 2020, but this is fresh off an 11.1% rate in 2019, so it could be an outlier as he also posted an 11.4% rate throughout his minor league career.

Solak currently has an ADP of 185, which means he is currently being drafted in round 15 of 12-team leagues. He should provide much more value than a 15th round pick as he is also eligible at second base and third base in many leagues. Look to take him at least one round early in drafts and feel confident being able to shift him around your lineup.

 

Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays

Randy Arozarena is going to be a very popular target heading into 2021 as he is being touted as a strong break-out candidate. Most of the hype stems from his 2020 postseason performance, where he crushed 10 HR in 20 games. He also had a relatively solid regular season as he slashed .281/.382/.641 with seven HR, 11 RBI, 15 R, and four SB in just 64 AB. He provides a unique combination of power and speed, which is why his potential is so great heading into 2021.

Statcast tells us that Arozarena has a sprint speed of 28.8 ft/sec, which ranked him in the 93rd percentile and 32nd overall in the league in 2020. He managed to steal the aforementioned seven bases and was also a threat in the minors as noted by his 61 stolen bases through three minor league seasons.

He also provides plenty in the way of power metrics. In 2020, he posted a 14% barrel rate, 90.3 mph exit velocity, and 44.2% hard-hit rate. He had most of his success against the fastball, however, as he hit all seven bombs off fastballs and also posted a .684 xSLG against them. He struggled against breaking balls though, as he posted just a .185 xSLG with zero extra-base hits against them. He will certainly need to improve upon these numbers in 2021, and if he does, he could be an absolute menace.

Arozarena currently has an ADP of 71, making him a late fifth-round and even early sixth-round pick in most 12-team leagues. If he can adjust to breaking balls, he could provide value at a much higher level in 2021 and should be looked at as an early fifth-round candidate.

 

Josh Naylor, Cleveland Indians

The Indians were pretty high on Josh Naylor in 2020 as he was a key piece in the Mike Clevinger deal. Naylor will likely rotate between the outfield and first base, which means he will provide added flexibility on fantasy rosters. In 2020, he slashed .247/.291/.330 with just one HR, six RBI, and 13 R across 98 AB. While these stats certainly do not jump off the page, there is hope he could turn it up in 2021 with regular playing time.

Naylor was once a top 100 prospect, so the ability is certainly there for him. However, he has only seen 350 AB over his first two big-league seasons and only saw 97 AB in the shortened 2020 season. Looking at his 2019 power metrics, we see that he posted an exit velocity of 89.6 mph and a hard-hit rate over 36%. These numbers do not jump off the page, but they are certainly respectable for a first-year player. In 2020, he cut down on his strikeouts as he went from a strikeout rate of 22.9% to a rate of 11.5%. This is definitely something you want to see from a player in their progression.

The bottom line with Naylor is that he has the potential to break out in 2021 and is basically being given away in drafts with a current ADP of 380. This means he is being drafted in the middle of the 31st round (or not at all) in 12-team leagues. He is worth a flier as your final pick in drafts. Place him on your bench for a few weeks to start the season, and if he does not perform, it did not really cost much to try him out.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gunnar Henderson18 mins ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer30 mins ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams40 mins ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge45 mins ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews50 mins ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones54 mins ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin1 hour ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice1 hour ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep1 hour ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson1 hour ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell1 hour ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao2 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry2 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey2 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt2 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz2 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman3 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford3 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi3 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen3 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick3 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners4 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay4 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López4 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland4 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia4 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti4 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL4 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette4 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus5 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants5 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears5 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale5 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida5 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger5 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks5 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele5 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford5 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns5 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals5 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito5 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter5 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry5 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello5 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz6 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith6 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball6 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter6 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton6 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale6 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant6 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II6 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young6 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser6 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud6 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart7 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba7 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga7 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry7 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown7 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault7 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere7 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn7 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro7 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions9 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans10 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders10 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear10 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins10 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL10 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä10 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway10 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys11 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal11 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy11 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith11 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Josh Norris11 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk11 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth13 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp13 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim13 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood13 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau13 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole14 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith17 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment17 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka17 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov18 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov18 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes18 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]