The options in the outfield are seemingly plentiful, but with at least seven outfielders going off the board in the first round, followed by six more in the second round, the position thins rather quickly. Try to secure at least one and preferably two of the Top-40 options, and then pick and choose as the draft moves into the middle rounds. Just don’t leave the outfield too late as there are more questions than answers as you get deeper into the position, and you do need a minimum of 75 outfielders rostered in a 15-team format.
1. Aaron Judge, NYY – Let’s take a quick spy at Aaron Judge’s 2024 season. He hit 58 homers, drove in 144 runs, and scored 122 runs all while posting a .458 OBP and .701 SLG. Aaron Judge is a monster and one of the best power bats in the game.
2. Juan Soto, NYM – 2024 marked the fifth consecutive year that Juan Soto has walked more than striking out. He might not post the gaudy power numbers that Aaron Judge posts, but he is as consistent as consistent gets.
3. Kyle Tucker, CHC – Kyle Tucker was on his way to a huge season when it was interrupted by a deep bone bruise that cost him three months playing time. He’s looking at a one and done season in Chicago and it’s hard to bet against it being a very good one.
4. Corbin Carroll, ARZ – A monster second half after a slow start saw Carroll post a 22 HR, 35 stolen base season. 17 of those homers came in July and August. 13 of the thefts in September. A little more consistency will be cause to elevate his game another notch.
5. Mookie Betts, LAD – A hit-by-pitch cost Mookie a pinch shy of two months’ worth of playing time. but other than that he was having another outstanding season. Expect more of the same outstanding production in 2025. SS-65
6. Yordan Alvarez, HOU – Alvarez has now produced 30+ homers in four consecutive years. He’s everything you could want in a power bat. One day he will hit 40+ home runs.
7. Jackson Chourio, MIL – On May 31 Chourio was sitting with a .581 OPS. At the end of the year, a .791 OPS and a 20-20 season as a 20-year-old. That’s not a bad debut, eh?
8. Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY – Chisholm finally stayed healthy and the reward was 24 home runs and 40 thefts. Combined with the third base/outfield eligibility at the table, he is also looking at gaining second base eligibility early into the 2025 season. There’s a lot to like in Jazz Chisholm heading into 2025. 3B-45
9. Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP – In 2021 Fernando Tatis Jr. had a monster season slugging 42 homers and stealing 25 bases. Last year in only 398 at-bats he hit 21 homers and stole 11 bases. He is a very good player, but Is it time to be considering that 2021 season an outlier?
10. Julio Rodriguez, SEA – Rodriguez didn’t really get it going until September last year and the overall numbers reflected it. A bounce back season should be in order.
11. Jackson Merrill, SDP – In any other year, Jackson Merrill would have owned the NL ROY, but not when your principal competition was Paul Skenes. The 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases could very easily turn into a 30-20 2025 season for the youngster.
12. Jarren Duran, BOS – The door opened in 2023 and Duran continued to build on that opportunity last year producing a 21 home run, 34 stolen base, and 111 runs scored season. A 20-40 season can’t be ruled out.
13. Wyatt Langford, TEX – 2025 will be the last time you draft Wyatt Langford after the Second Round.
14. Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL – Acuna is going to miss the first month of the 2025 season and he plans on taking it easy on the basepaths, which makes total sense. A new bar is going to be set this year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a very good one.
15. Michael Harris II, ATL – Michael Harris has come close, but we’re still waiting on that first 20-20 season. 2025 will be the year!
16. Oneil Cruz, PIT – He hits the ball hard but also strikes out a ton. There’s likely another 20-20 season coming his way but with a high risk of supporting it with a low BA. Know your parameters! SS-112
17. Mike Trout, LAA – Trout got out of the gate strong in 2024, smacking 10 homers in his first 109 at-bats and then it was gone. There are still 30+ homers in the bat, if he can find his way into 400 healthy at-bats.
18. Brenton Doyle, COL – Doyle walked a bit more, cut down on the strikeouts, and now has a 23 homer 30 stolen base season in the books while looking at calling the leadoff slot home for 2025. Have we seen the best of Brenton Doyle? I don’t think that will prove to be the case.
19. James Wood, WAS – The dynamic duo of James Wood and Dylan Crews has arrived and with it a new beginning and much better days ahead for the Washington faithful. A 20-20 season could be in the cards in Woods first full season.
20. Teoscar Hernandez, LAD – Teo has hit 32, 25, 26, and 33 home runs over the past four seasons and parlayed those strong numbers into a 3-year $66 million deal right where he wanted to be, in LA.
21. Bryan Reynolds, PIT – Reynolds has hit 24 homers in 3-of-the-past-4 seasons. He consistently drives in 80-to-90 runs. He might not be the sexiest pick on the board, but that consistently safe floor should have our attention.
22. Anthony Santander, TOR – Santander parlayed a career best 44 home run season into a 5-year $92.5 million deal in Toronto. I’m not betting on a 40+ home run total in his new home, but 30+ should be a safe bet.
23. Lawrence Butler, OAK – The 24-year-old exploded in the second half, coming up two thefts short of a 20-20 season. I like the odds that he’ll get that 20-20 season this year.
24. Riley Greene, DET – A slow and steady growth curve has Greene looking at a 30-homer season in the not to distant future.
25. Ian Happ, CHC – There’s something to be said for a safe 20 homer, 80 RBI/RS, and ten stolen bases to go along with a .340 OBP.
26. Luis Robert Jr., CWS – In five seasons on the South Side, Robert has broken the 400 at-bat mark a total of once. The bat speed is still great and the stolen base potential is very good, but at some point-in-time it won’t matter if he continues chasing everything in sight on his march to a 200+ strikeout season.
27. Seiya Suzuki, CHC – 2024 was virtually a mirror image of the solid 2023 season with the bonus of an uptick in the stolen bases. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he holds onto his outfield eligibility.
28. Adolis Garcia, TEX – Garcia struggled through 2024 with a left patella tendon injury and still managed to hit 25 homers and steal 11 bases. The Rangers and Garcia are betting that the eight weeks of rehab at the conclusion of the ’24 season will be the answer and a return to form will be in order in 2025.
29. Spencer Steer, CIN – The .260 BABIP, down from .318 in 2023 helps explain the drop in BA. Other than the dip in BA, the past two seasons have been remarkedly consistent. 1B-63
30. Cody Bellinger, NYY – Two years of Cody Bellinger could prove to be a huge bargain or curse. After his second-year decline in Chicago, I’ll go with the latter and proceed with caution. 1B-22
31. Tyler ONeill, BAL – Tyler O’Neill hits the ball hard, very hard. Tyler O’Neill loves the left field corner. The Orioles are moving the fences in. It seems like the potential for a very good season is right around the corner.
32. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC – The profile screams leadoff bat, but not until he finds his way to first via the walk with a bit more frequency. Until then be content with 10-to-15 homers and 30 stolen bases.
33. Dylan Crews, WAS – Although he didn’t set the world on fire in his debut, he showed enough to not only get our attention but also provide a glimpse at what should be a very bright future. A future that could get off the ground running in ’25, to the tune of 30+ stolen bases.
34. Christian Yelich, MIL – The skills are there for Yelich to produce solid numbers. Will the chronic back challenges allow that to occur?
35. Randy Arozarena, SEA – 2024 was a down year, but Arozarena still found a way to go 20-20 for the fourth consecutive year. Odds are good that next year at this time, we’ll be talking about five consecutive 20-20 seasons.
36. Jasson Dominguez, NYY –
37. Nick Castellanos, PHI –
38. Colton Cowser, BAL –
39. Steven Kwan, CLE –
40. Josh Lowe, TBR –
41. Parker Meadows, DET –
42. Brandon Nimmo, NYM –
43. Lane Thomas, CLE –
44. Cedric Mullins, BAL –
45. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., ARZ –
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