Player Rankings—Outfielders

1. Ryan Braun, OF, MIL—Ryan Braun has a great name for a power hitter and the stats to back it up. He is separating himself from the rest of the pack and is becoming a real force and a legitimate contributor in all five roto categories.

2. Matt Kemp, OF, LAD—Kemp is quickly becoming Braun-lite. He doesn’t have the same kind of power, but he’ll steal more bases.

3. Matt Holliday, OF, STL—Holliday seemed at home back in the National League after his trade out of the cavernous Oakland Coliseum. Paired with Albert Pujols, Holliday is part of the best one-two punch in baseball. Don’t look for him to continue the tear he was on to finish the 2009 season, but a .315/26/109/14 season is one most owners would jump at.

4. Carl Crawford, OF, TB—Crawford will probably be too expensive to stay in Tampa, so he is playing for a big free agent payday. He won’t hit many more than a dozen homers, but 50 stolen bases will help make up for it.

5. Adam Lind, OF, TOR—Lind has very quietly established himself as a fantasy monster. He doesn’t have any speed, but .308/33/115 will land you on a fantasy squad any day.

6. Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE—Sizemore is back from his elbow woes and should be back to full speed. He’ll hit number two in Cleveland’s lineup, so a few more ribbies and a few less steals are expected.

7. Nick Markakis, OF, BAL—The Baltimore offense is getting better, so Markakis will benefit from their support. He’ll put up .300/23/100 numbers, so he’s worth your pick.

8. Bobby Abreu, OF, LAA—He’s getting older, but he just keeps chugging along. He’s a complete player, so look for .294/17/102/26.

9. Jason Bay, OF, NYM—Bay has a new home in New York. If he can pull homers down the left field line, look for a lot of homers in 2010. If his long flies hang out to dry in the deep power alleys, it might be a long season. At least he gets to play half his games away from CitiField.

10. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, SEA—Even though Suzuki is on the wrong side of 35, he just keeps going and going. His days of 40+ steals are gone, but he’ll still swipe almost 30 bags and hit .337 with a lot of at-bats to help your team batting average.

11. Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM—Beltran will miss about two months of the season with a knee injury. But he’ll be back with a purpose and give you four good months when he’s healthy. If you can afford to give up two months, he’ll be worth the wait.

12. Shin-Soo Choo, OF, CLE—Choo finally got the opportunity to play full time in 2009 and rewarded his owners with a strong season. This season will be similar, so look for .287/22/100/17 and enjoy the ride.

13. Carlos Lee, OF, HOU—Lee is still a productive hitter and hitting in the friendly environment of Minute Maid Park will help his cause. He’s getting near 35, so this might be the last year to count on him remaining near the top of fantasy outfielders.

14. Manny Ramirez, OF, LAD—There’s no doubt that Manny is a great hitter when he wants to be. The only problem is that he often loses his focus and his way. He’s the kind of player that has too many question marks to go near unless he really slides in your draft.

15. Justin Upton, OF, ARZ—Upton is just 22 years old and his comparisons are those of Hall of Famers. He’s the kind of guy you build a franchise around in keeper leagues. As for a redraft league, he won’t do you wrong, so look for .281/29/99 this season.

16. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS—Ellsbury is being moved to left field because his defense isn’t quite good enough for Boston’s monstrous center field. But that shouldn’t matter to your fantasy squad. He’ll steal more than 50 bases and score almost 90 runs.

17. Andre Ethier, OF, LAD—Ethier is the forgotten man in the Dodgers outfield, so if he slides in your draft get yourself a bargain and enjoy the .287/25/112.

18. Nelson Cruz, OF, TEX—Cruz has come on as a late bloomer. He’s 29, so don’t look for 30+ homers for the next 10 years, but this season he’s good for it.

19. Hunter Pence, OF, HOU—The Astros have been waiting for Pence’s big coming out party for several years and have always been a little disappointed. Between injuries and inconsistencies, Pence just hasn’t shined like the Houston brass thought he would. Though .280/28/81/16 is nothing to sneeze at, he isn’t likely to take it to the next level.

20. Adam Dunn, 1B/OF, WAS—Dunn is the free swinger that crushes it or misses it. The big fella will come close to 40 bombs and drive in more than 110 again this season, but the strikeouts are always a concern. The dual position eligibility is nice.

The Next 20

21. Torii Hunter, OF, LAA
22. Jay Bruce, OF, CIN
23. Andrew McCutchen, OF, PIT
24. Nate McLouth, OF, ATL
25. Michael Bourn, OF, HOU
26. Adam Jones, OF, BAL
27. Raul Ibanez, OF, PHI
28. Shane Victorino, OF, PHI
29. Nyjer Morgan, OF, WAS
30. Denard Span, OF, MIN
31. B.J. Upton, OF, TB
32. Alexis Rios, OF, CWS
33. Delmon Young, OF, MIN
34. Corey Hart, OF, MIL
35. Curtis Granderson, OF, NYY
36. Julio Borbon, OF, TEX
37. Jayson Werth, OF, PHI
38. Magglio Ordonez, OF, DET
39. Travis Snider, OF, TOR
40. Garrett Jones, 1B/OF, PIT