Fantasy Baseball 2010 Outfielder Rankings: Pre-Camp Version

As we continue with our rolling out of the early positional rankings, today's installment is the outfielders. The group as a whole is deep, but it's not near as top-heavy as it has been in previous years. I'd be perfectly content taking outfielders in rounds three and four after ignoring them in the first two rounds. There is star power in the outfield, it's just that there is more elsewhere.

The one place you can't go wrong? Taking Ryan Braun as the first outfielder. He hasn't even played three seasons in the bigs, but his 162-game average stat line is: .308 batting average, 40 home runs, 122 RBI, 114 runs and 19 stolen bases. Sure, that's a bit skewed due to his insane 113-game rookie year (where he hit 34 home runs in just 451 at-bats), but Braun is a legitimate superstar. And he's only 26. The sky is the limit for the Miami product.

Player	Team
1. Ryan Braun	Brewers
No question. Unanimous No. 1
2009: .320 AVG, 32 HR, 113 RBI, 113 R, 20 SB
2. Matt Kemp	Dodgers
Great power-speed combo, as a 30-30 season is definitely on the horizon. And he's only 25. Unanimous No. 2
2009: .297-26-101-97-34
3. Matt Holliday	Cardinals
Holliday went nuts once he was finally freed from the cavernous Oakland Coliseum (and the American League), hitting .353 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI in just 63 games for the Redbirds. Avg: 3.5; Best: 3; Worst: 4
2009: .313-24-109-94-14
4. Carl Crawford	Rays
The 60 steals were a career high. Oh, and if it seems like Crawford is old, it's because he was promoted at a very young age. He's only 28. Avg: 4.25; Best: 3; Worst: 5
2009: .305-15-68-96-60
5. Justin Upton	Diamondbacks
Last year was just a very small taste of what he's going to be. It's amazing to think he's only 22 years-old. Cooperstown can start preparing his bust and I'm dead serious. Avg: 4.75; Best: 3; Worst: 6
2009: .300-26-86-84-20
6. Jacoby Ellsbury	Red Sox
2009 saw steady improvement nearly across the board for the blossoming speedster. Avg: 5.75; Best: 5; Worst: 7
2009: .301-8-60-94-70
7. Grady Sizemore	Indians
Sizemore had a nightmarish 2009 in several ways. It's a new year, though. He should be healthy and is still only 27. Do not let him slip past the third round. Avg: 6.75; Best: 6; Worst: 7
2009: .248-18-64-73-13
8. Jayson Werth	Phillies
I'll gladly admit that I personally murdered Werth's rank average here, as the other three ranked him eighth overall and I had him 15th. My rationale is that I believe the home runs come tumbling back down to the 25 range. He hit way too many fly balls last season and that is likely to normalize. Avg: 9.75; Best: 8; Worst: 15
2009: .268-36-99-98-20
9. Jason Bay	Mets
Think Citi Field is going to kill his power? Think again. There were more home runs hit in Citi Field last season than in Fenway Park. In fact, Citi Field ranked 12th in the majors in HRs. Just because David Wright's power disappeared doesn't mean it's a ballpark trend. Avg: 10.25; Best: 9; Worst: 13
2009: .267-36-119-103-13
10. Ichiro Suzuki	Mariners
The 26 steals last season were a career low. Let's hope that's not a sign of things to come from the 36 year-old. Avg: 11.5; Best: 10; Worst: 14
2009: .352-11-46-88-26
11. Andre Ethier	Dodgers
The perfect example of how players can gain power when they gain more of a comfort level in the majors. Ethier only hit 27 home runs in his entire minor league career (1,228 at-bats), yet went for 31 in 596 at-bats last season. Avg: 12.5; Best: 11; Worst: 13
2009: .272-31-106-92-6
12. Curtis Granderson	Yankees
Here is another one where I strayed from the group. I had Grandy ranked eighth while the others weren't near as high. Here's my rationale: Granderson hit just .230 with 10 of his 30 home runs at home last season. Now his home is Yankee Stadium, which was the easiest place in the majors to hit home runs last season. He'll make a run at 40 while swiping 20 bases. Plus, his runs and RBI stand to increase in transitioning to that lineup -- I don't care where they bat him. Avg: 12.75; Best: 8; Worst: 19
2009: .249-30-71-91-20
13. Manny Ramirez	Dodgers
He's old, but he's also in another contract year. If there's one player in the league who plays just for the money, it's Manny. Avg: 13; Best: 9; Worst: 22
2009: .290-19-63-62-0
14. Adam Lind	Blue Jays
Bonafide 26-year-old slugger. If you are covered with steals elsewhere, Lind's a nice pure power hitter who is entering his prime. Tough to go wrong. Avg: 13.5; Best: 11; Worst: 17
2009: .305-35-114-93-1
15. Carlos Lee	Astros
Lee's 10.5 percent of home runs per fly ball was the lowest rate of his career (at least in the data available). He's either losing strength due to natural age deterioration (at 33) or he's going to see a nice uptick in bombs this year. Avg: 14.25; Best: 11; Worst: 18
2009: .300-26-102-65-5
16. Bobby Abreu	Angels
Gone are the days when he could get you 30 homers, but Abreu won't hurt you in any category. Avg: 16.75; Best: 15; Worst: 19
2009: .293-15-103-96-30
17. Shane Victorino	Phillies
Lost some ground in homers and steals last year, but Victorino is still relatively predictable. You can count on his numbers remaining in the same range they have for the past two seasons. Avg: 17.5; Best: 14; Worst: 21
2009: .292-10-62-102-25
18. B.J. Upton	Rays
Heading into 2008, the groundwork was laid for an ascent to superstardom for the elder Upton. Since then he seems to have regressed. There are myriad circumstances behind said regression, though, including some injury issues in his hand and wrist area (which harm power). Remember, this kid is still only 25 and has 30 home run, 50 stolen base potential. Avg: 18.25; Best: 11; Worst: 23
2009: .241-11-55-79-42
19. Adam Dunn	Nationals
Little disagreement as to his ranking for a good reason: Dunn is incredibly predictable. You are going to get around 40 home runs and 100 RBI. He's also not going to run and will harm your batting average (though the .267 mark last year was a nice bump). Avg: 19; Best: 18; Worst: 20
2009: .267-38-105-81-0
20. Shin-Soo Choo	Indians
Torii Hunter, at age 27 and without the wall-leaping defensive highlight reel. Avg: 19.75; Best: 16; Worst: 25
2009: .300-20-86-87-21
21. Nick Markakis	Orioles
Both power and speed are trending downward, making Markakis a bit overrated in some circles. Of course, he's only 26, so there's easily room for a spike. Avg: 20.5; Best: 17; Worst: 23
2009: .293-18-101-94-6
22. Nelson Cruz	Rangers
After seeing what Cruz was doing to minor league pitching, it was only a question of if he could translate it. He did, at least in terms of power. Maybe this time around he can play more than 128 games while also upping the average. Avg: 20.75; Best: 16; Worst: 26
2009: .260-33-76-75-20
23. Andrew McCutchen	Pirates
Does everything well, but there's reason to believe he'll have his dry spells as a 23 year-old. He's gold in keeper leagues, though. Avg: 21; Best: 16; Worst: 26
2009: .286-12-54-74-22
24. Josh Hamilton	Rangers
Hasn't been great since his barrage in the 2008 Home Run Derby and couldn't stay on the field last year. High upside, but a definite risk. Avg: 23.75; Best: 21; Worst: 26
2009: .268-10-54-43-8
25. Torii Hunter	Angels
This is actually great value. He's a cinch to be in the 20-20 range and would give more if he stayed healthy (he only played 119 games last year). Avg: 25; Best: 23; Worst: 27
2009: .299-22-90-74-18
26. Ben Zobrist	Rays
He's eligible almost anywhere, so please don't waste an OF spot on him. Use him at SS or 2B. Avg: 25.25; Best: 23; Worst: 30
2009: .297-27-91-91-17
27. Hunter Pence	Astros
You can count on him playing everyday, and you can count on him not hurting you in any category. Plus, there's room for upward trending. Avg: 26.75; Best: 25; Worst: 28
2009: .282-25-72-76-14
28. Carlos Quentin	White Sox
Lots of bad luck last season for Quentin. The 27-year-old slugger will look to get back to the form that made the Diamondbacks look foolish for trading him and keeping Eric Byrnes (actually, even with last season's numbers, they still look stupid). Avg: 26.75; Best: 22; Worst: 32
2009: .236-21-56-47-3
29. Nate McLouth	Braves
Will feel a bit more comfortable this year, knowing he's not going anywhere and feeling stabilized in the Braves' lineup. Still, we've likely already seen his upside. Avg: 30; Best: 27; Worst: 34
2009: .256-20-70-86-19
30. Raul Ibanez	Phillies
Expect a return to the 20-25 homer ballpark, but the rest of his numbers didn't end up looking too ridiculous due to injuries and a horrifying August. Avg: 30.25; Best: 29; Worst: 32
2009: .272-34-93-93-4
31. Alex Rios	White Sox
Expect a bounce-back after a nightmarish 2009. He'll grow to love hitting in that ballpark. Avg: 31.5; Best: 31; Worst: 33
2009: .247-17-71-63-24
32. Alfonso Soriano	Cubs
Last season was catastrophic for Soriano, but injuries were mostly to blame. You can't count on steals anymore, but he'll see his RBI total rise from his move down in the batting order. Avg: 31.5; Best: 28; Worst: 36
2009: .241-20-55-64-9
33. Adam Jones	Orioles
A DL-stint derailed his breakout season, but he's only 24. I like him for a full season this time around, and you can expect incremental improvement. Avg: 32.75; Best: 28; Worst: 36
2009: .277-19-70-83-10
34. Jay Bruce	Reds
Had horrible -- almost criminal -- luck with his hit rate last season. Thus, the average will naturally rise. He may be a year (or more) away, but there's enough potential here for 35-plus bombs that he's worth the pick. Avg: 33.25; Best: 29; Worst: 38
2009: .223-22-58-47-3
35. Michael Bourn	Astros
Like steals? Good, because Bourn murders your power categories. Avg: 34.25; Best: 33; Worst: 36
2009: .285-3-35-97-61
36. Michael Cuddyer	Twins
The increase in home runs was due to more of his fly balls leaving the yard. In fact, the increase was far too dramatic to expect it to continue. He'll drop to around 20 homers. Avg: 35.25; Best: 34; Worst: 37
2009: .276-32-94-93-6
37. Carlos Gonzalez	Rockies
It seems like half the guys on this list are power-speed combos who are under 28 years-old. Here's another with huge upside. Avg: 35.75; Best: 32; Worst: 38
2009: .284-13-29-53-16
38. Denard Span	Twins
Little statistical reason to expect much different than last season. Avg: 37; Best: 33; Worst: 40
2009: .311-8-68-97-23
39. Jason Kubel	Twins
Here's a great platoon guy. Kubel hit .323 with 26 bombs against righties and just .243 with two homers against lefties. Thus, he's a good own in daily leagues where you can watch pitching matchup. Owning him with someone like Brad Hawpe (who also kills right-handers) is a good plan, because the odds are pretty good at least one of them will be facing a righty on any given night. Avg: 39.5; Best: 37; Worst: 41
2009: .300-28-103-73-1
40. Carlos Beltran	Mets
Bad news on the late start, but he should definitely be snatched up for a bench spot. He's an elite talent when healthy. Avg: 40.25; Best: 38; Worst: 42
2009: .325-10-48-50-11

41. Brad Hawpe, Rockies
42. Corey Hart, Brewers
43. Johnny Damon, free agent
44. Nyjer Morgan, Nationals
45. Vernon Wells, Blue Jays
46. Julio Borbon, Rangers
47. Juan Pierre, White Sox
48. Garrett Jones, Pirates
49. Dexter Fowler, Rockies
50. Chris Coghlan, Marlins
51. Rajai Davis, A's
52. Nolan Reimold, Orioles
53. Nick Swisher, Yankees
54. Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals
55. Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners
56. J.D. Drew, Red Sox
57. Jermaine Dye, free agent
58. Delmon Young, Twins
59. Cody Ross, Marlins
60. Mike Cameron, Red Sox
61. Colby Rasmus, Cardinals
62. David DeJesus, Royals
63. Kyle Blanks, Padres
64. Travis Snider, Blue Jays
65. Cameron Maybin, Marlins
66. Marlon Byrd, Cubs
67. Chris Young, Diamondbacks
68. Mark DeRosa, Giants
69. Juan Rivera, Angels
70. Josh Willingham, Nationals
71. Matt Diaz, Braves
72. Brett Gardner, Yankees
73. Conor Jackson, Diamondbacks
74. Melky Cabrera, Braves
75. Lastings Milledge, Pirates
76. Jason Heyward, Braves
77. Carlos Gomez, Brewers
78. Coco Crisp, A's
79. Jeff Francoeur, Mets
80. Milton Bradley, Mariners
81. Ryan Raburn, Tigers
82. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
83. Scott Podsednik, Royals
84. Drew Stubbs, Reds
85. Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs
86. Seth Smith, Rockies
87. Luke Scott, Orioles
88. Scott Hairston, Padres
89. Jack Cust, A's
90. Ryan Sweeney, A's
91. Mark Teahen, White Sox
92. Nate Schierholtz, Giants
93. Jose Guillen, Royals
94. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
95. Michael Brantley, Indians
96. Aaron Rowand, Giants
97. Austin Jackson, Tigers
98. Xavier Nady, Cubs
99. Chris Dickerson, Reds
100. Randy Winn, Yankees