Outfield Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

It's not quite draft season for fantasy baseball but that matters little in dynasty. Cut/hold decisions are being made in the following weeks leading up to the annual redraft or auction so it's important to assess the relative value of each player on your roster. As it turns out, I've recently updated my dynasty fantasy baseball rankings with a top 360 overall list and will be evaluating an even deeper list of players at each individual position with analysis. We'll start with the deepest offensive position - outfielders.

All of the players listed have outfield eligibility, although several will be used at shallower positions in fantasy leagues. Deciding whether to value a young, unproven prospect above a Major League veteran is a debate as old as baseball itself. One thing is for certain, there is no shortage of talent here.

Let's dive into the OF dynasty fantasy baseball rankings as we make a collective New Year's wish for a swift end to the lockout and a Major League season that begins on time.

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Dynasty Outfielder Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Preseason Thoughts

Who's #1? Our Dave Emerick already answered that question for redraft but in dynasty it's Juan Soto. As a player who isn't dependent on speed for his fantasy value, he holds the highest floor due to his elite hit tool. He lowered his swinging strike rate to 6.1% last year and improved his BB/K to 1.56 with a league-leading 222% BB%. Age isn't an issue, as there's a two-month difference between Soto and Tatis, while Ronald Acuna is a full year older than Soto.

Julio Rodriguez has yet to crack the majors but he is a breakout player waiting to happen. He is projected to have 70-grade raw power and has exhibited excellent plate discipline through the lower minors. He found the Double-A level a breeze, slashing .362/.461/.546 with seven HR and 16 SB in 176 at-bats. At age 20, he's at least a year away from making any sort of fantasy impact but he's a player worth holding on to tightly regardless of the state of your roster.

It's hard to imagine Cody Bellinger having a worse time than he did in 2021. He ranked in the first percentile in wOBA and third percentile in xBA. Injuries certainly played a part in his struggles but he was able to take 315 at-bats and had long stretches of futility. Selling low would be a bad idea for a former MVP in his age-26 season but at the same time buying seems too risky because this makes back-to-back disappointing seasons for Bellinger. If his health holds up, we could see a return to the days of 40-homer power along with double-digit steals.

It's hard to say we've seen enough of Eloy Jimenez to know that he can be a staple in dynasty lineups but the early results are encouraging. He lit up the Statcast graphs in 2020, posting a 16.5% Barrel rate, 55.7% Hard Hit rate, and .544 xSLG. An unfortunate fielding incident just before Opening Day led him to miss the first half of 2021 but he was terrific in his first month back, hitting .287 with seven HR and 27 RBI in August. He slumped a bit to end the season but that's no cause for concern. Locked into a formidable lineup and entering his age-25 season, Jimenez could easily jump into the top-10 this season. He remains behind teammate Luis Robert because of the speed discrepancy. Jimenez hasn't stolen a base since 2017 at Double-A Birmingham.

Let's hope Byron Buxton can put together a full season's worth of plate appearances. Whether he's on your roster or not, as a baseball fan you've got to pull for him just to see what he's capable of. He appeared to be on his way to an MVP-caliber season before his body betrayed him again with a hip injury. Just as he returned, he fractured his hand on a HBP. He has the ability to be the top outfielder in the game but his lengthy injury history have to keep him below several others.

Tyler O'Neill has long been an all-or-nothing hitter with too many holes in his swing to retain consistent playing time in St. Louis. There was a lot of "all" in 2021, as O'Neill walloped 34 homers and increased his xBA by 85 points over the course of a year, up to .279.

His strikeout rate remained high and actually increased to 31.3%. His expected stats all indicate that he wasn't fortunate with his outcomes but took a massive leap forward in quality of contact, if not plate discipline. He'd be a great dynasty asset even without the 15 steals but the speed, buoyed by a sprint speed in the 98th percentile, makes him a near-elite dynasty outfielder.

Riley Greene could be one of the fastest risers in 2022 if he wins a roster spot this spring. The fifth overall pick in 2019, Greene is a five-tool player who is above-average in all facets, although he may not excel in any one at the pro level. Detroit has already added Javier Baez in free agency and will bring up elite prospect Spencer Torkelson soon, making this a potentially dangerous lineup.

The Royals suddenly have a very interesting young outfield. Young players like Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares will try to stave off prospect Seuly Matias, who has massive power but still has to work on contacting the ball more often. The acquisition of Andrew Benintendi gave him a chance for a fresh start after falling out of favor in Boston. We saw a final hitting line closer to 2017-2018 levels, although it arrived much like the end of a roller coaster ride.

He was given the green light to run but it didn't turn out too well. Benintendi stole nine bases and was caught eight times. His sprint speed has dropped off over the last couple of years to the point that he ranked 236th in MLB last year. Simply put, what we have seen from him thus far is the best we can hope for.

Deeper Options to Watch

Heliot Ramos moved up to the Triple-A level in the Giants' organization and fared well, batting .272 and driving in 30 runs in 54 games at his latest stop. As a former first-round pick and the No. 2 prospect in the farm system, Ramos is rightfully expected to debut in 2022 at some point. There's still too much swing-and-miss in his game, evidenced by a strikeout rate that has remained above 25% at every minor league level, but he should develop more discipline as he matures. He could eventually displace Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield.

Yusniel Diaz has the chance to be another solid young offensive player for Baltimore alongside Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays. It helps playing half a season in the band box referred to as Camden Yards. Diaz hasn't progressed as quickly as the organization would like, hitting .157 with just four homers in 191 at-bats at the Triple-A level last season. This isn't quite a make-or-break season for him but it's pretty close.

Both Drew Waters and Christian Pache struggled in some respects last year. Waters posted solid counting stats at Triple-A Gwinnett but hit .240 and struck out 30.6% of the time. Pache had a miserable time after getting called up in 2021, slashing .111/.152/.206 with a 36.8% strikeout rate. This may have been a blessing in disguise because it led the Braves to add outfielders Eddie Rosario and Joc Pederson before the postseason. In dynasty, I have  Waters higher than Pache because of his skillset. Waters is the better power hitter and while he doesn't have as much pure top-end speed as Pache, he has been more aggressive on the basepaths. I have conerns that Pache might end up as a glove-first player who might be another Manuel Margot.

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