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Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects Watch – Outfielders

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Leody Taveras

In this dynasty prospects watch Rick reviews the outfield position. Texas Rangers prospect Leody Taveras will be a five category contributor and his anticipated big league arrival is 2020.

Outfielders are tough to gauge. Many players who can’t make it at an infield position are often cast to the outfield because the defensive responsibilities are easier. This makes it easier to find players who might end up in the outfield, but harder to target someone who will end up there. In our latest fantasy baseball dynasty prospects watch the following guys are already labeled as outfielders and are almost certain to remain there.

Hopefully, you were able to lock on to Ronald Acuna. I’ve heard him compared as the next Mike Trout, but I see him more as the next Andruw Jones, which is still pretty good company. The main difference will be batting averages closer to .270 than .300 and half the stolen bases in his prime years.

So who is available in your league? The names you should know are Eloy Jimenez (White Sox), Victor Robles (Nationals) and Alex Verdugo (Dodgers). These guys are going to be studs. Others you should look for are Lewis Brinson (Marlins), Kyle Tucker (Astros), Austin Meadows (Pirates) and Luis Robert (White Sox). If any of these players are on your waiver wire, you should move quickly because they are going to be stars.

Best Bets

CF Leody Taveras, TEX

Leody Taveras is a guy who can help your team in all five fantasy categories. He has a great approach at the plate and is an impact player and the steals will carry him as a fantasy factor until his power develops. He is still young and a little patience will be required, but the patient fantasy player will be rewarded with a future fantasy force. ETA: 2020

RF Juan Soto, WSH

Juan Soto is off to a hot start in 2018. He’s a guy who will provide huge power but also may have trouble staying healthy. Soto looks like a younger version of Eloy Jiminez with his superior contact and power skills and should develop into a star. ETA: 2020

CF Corey Ray, MIL

Corey Ray was much ballyhooed when he was drafted in 2016. Ray struggled mightily in his first two professional seasons and many were declaring him a bust before he turned 23 years old. He has found new life this season and is currently tearing up double-A. He has power and speed but the batting average will keep him from becoming elite. ETA: 2020

CF Blake Rutherford, CWS

Blake Rutherford is a favorite of mine. I fell in love during his junior year of high school when I read reports comparing him to Grady Sizemore in his prime. Who wouldn’t want a guy who posts .285/25HR/80RBI/120R/30SB?

Of course, projecting a 17 year old for future MLB greatness is tough. Rutherford probably won’t put up pre-injury ravaged Grady numbers, but maybe Grady-lite? He’ll fill up the stats boxes and definitely be an above-average player at a minimum. ETA: 2020

Roll the Dice

CF Kyle Lewis, SEA

Kyle Lewis is trying to get back on track after the knee injury that ended his 2016 season and plagued his 2017 as the injury kept recurring. He has good contact and great power skills. The talent is there but the ability to stay healthy is the factor that will determine if he is a star or a bust. ETA: 2020

CF Anthony Alford, TOR

Anthony Alford is another power-speed guy who will struggle to hit for average, but the concern with Alford is his inability to stay healthy. He struggled in his cup of coffee in Toronto last season, but will get his second chance this summer. If he can stay off the DL, he is likely to be an above average fantasy contributor. ETA: 2018

Stay Away

CF Mickey Moniak, PHI

Mickey MoniakMickey Moniak was the first pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. But he was flawed from the start as a skinny kid who wasn’t likely to develop power. At best, he is going to be a high average, base stealing, slick-fielding centerfielder, not the kind of player you usually associate with the number one overall pick. His strikeout rate is alarmingly high and suggests his bat will not develop. Unless he figures out how to steal first base, he’s little more than pinch runner and a late inning defensive replacement.

Tip of the Week

If you need an outfielder right now, you might be able to get Steven Souza away from his fantasy owner. Souza has been dealing with a pectoral injury suffered in spring training and has yet to take the field in 2018. Minor setbacks keep moving his Arizona Diamondbacks debut back and making his owners weary of waiting.

You can still get 20 homers and 10 steals with a .250 average from Souza this season. He’s probably a week or two away from playing, so make an offer of a lesser OF and see if his owner is interested in getting value now rather than waiting for a Souza return.

H.S.L. – Braves, Young

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Outside the world of the Atlanta Braves, things have been a little quiet. The Braves signed two starting pitchers in an attempt to re-build a rotation that hasn’t been the same since the glory days. With Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami in tow, the Braves hope to regain some of the past glory, but how will these additions help your fantasy squad?

New Braves Ace, Derek Lowe

New Braves Ace, Derek Lowe

Lowe is a sinker baller and relies heavily on his infield defense to make outs for him. The Braves infield isn’t the best in baseball, but it is a serious upgrade over the one that backed up Lowe in 2008. Look for improved ratios and a similar win total.

Kawakami comes over from Japan and will be a solid mid-rotation type of guy. He’ll probably throw a lot of off-speed junk (similar to most Japanese pitchers that come to MLB) and should see mixed results. A big park will help to hold some of his fly balls. Look for 10-12 wins with an ERA near 3.70 and a WHIP around 1.20.

Andruw Jones cut a deal with the Dodgers that allowed him to become a free agent immediately. His stock is so low that no MLB team is expected to offer him a major league contract. Instead, he’s likely to receive a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. The Braves are his likely destination as his family still lives in the Atlanta area. He’ll have to earn his way onto a major league team, which will give you a good idea of if he’s worth having on your squad. He’s a great late round flyer, but don’t spend too much to get him until you see he’s regained his swing.

Michael Young will man thrid base for Texas in 2009

Michael Young will man third base for Texas in 2009

Michael Young has agreed to move to third base for the Texas Rangers. This shouldn’t affect his batting stats much, but will give him some nice position flexibility. Bump up his draft day value by a couple of bucks with this knowledge in mind.

Felix Pie was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Garrett Olson. Pie was a highly regarded prospect, that has never seemed to live up to his billing. The Orioles will likely plug Pie into left field and see what he can do. Don’t expect big numbers going up against AL East pitching. Olson will go into the Cubs‘ swingman role and hope to get some starts. If this is his future with the Cubs, he will be wasted. There is a lot of speculation that this is the beginning of the next round of Cubs-Padres talks regarding Jake Peavy.