More than any other position, Major League outfielders flash a variety of different tools that are equally exciting to watch and valuable to your fantasy roster. Now halfway through the 2013 season, this top-ten list contains hitters with impeccable bat control, light-tower power, baserunning prowess - and many with a combination of all.
Absent from this list, unexpectedly perhaps on draft day, is Ryan Braun, who has missed significant time with injuries and become marred in the controversy of the Biogenesis reports. Josh Hamilton has underachieved to the point where he’s found himself on many fantasy owners benches, if not already sitting atop the scrap heap. Injury has zapped the sweet-swinging Giancarlo Stanton of his usual power numbers, and Justin Upton’s batting average and run production dropped off after a torrid start. Despite the missing names, this list of the top outfielders in Major League Baseball has owned the first half of the 2013 season. Whether or not the same players will compete for the league’s greatest honors at the end of the season will have to wait - and luckily for us, we’ve got another three months of baseball to look forward to.
10. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
How does an outfielder who has played only one-third of the amount of games this season crack the Top-10 list? An OPS of 1.218 through his first 106 at-bats is a good place to start. At the end of Spring Training, many expected Puig would break camp with the Dodgers. Now a one-month Major League veteran, the only question that can be raised is how much better the Dodgers might be had the gigantic Cuban started the season in the big leagues. A free swinger who doesn’t get cheated at the plate, there aren’t many bad balls that Puig can’t get a handle on. His eight home runs shouldn't come as a surprise - the power was always there - and while his .440 batting average most certainly cannot be sustained, Puig isn't being fooled by many pitchers, and he should continue to impress.
9. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Harper is another case of stellar numbers in somewhat limited exposure this season. Before bursitis in his left knee caused him to miss the entire month of June, the 20-year-old Harper had 12 home runs and 23 runs batted in, while showing a veteran's ability to draw walks and limit his whiffs. In his first at bat coming off the disabled list on July 1, Harper blasted the second pitch he saw from Yovani Gallardo out of Nationals Park. The Nats played it careful with Harper’s injury, and he should be expected to pick up where he left off entering the second half of the season. And, need I remind you, Bryce Harper is 20 and improving with every game he plays.
8. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants
Pence is a fantasy owner’s dream, playing - ironically - under the radar on the struggling defending World Champion San Francisco Giants roster. Batting .276 through the fourth of July with 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 22 doubles, he has settled in to the Giants lineup after struggling offensively with San Francisco last season. His strikeout percentage is down significantly, from 21% in 2012 to 16% this season, and on his new team that utilizes his speed, stolen bases - 13 this year, as compared with 8 and 5 in 2011 and 2012, respectively - have become an asset to his game.
7. Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers
When the Brewers signed Gomez to a three-year, $24-million extension in the offseason, it was difficult to predict if his power and production would continue to improve, or if he was destined to be a steady, yet unspectacular outfielder. Through early July, Gomez is on pace to shatter his career bests in all power categories, thanks to increased playing time and experience. The center fielder has 12 home runs, 18 doubles and a league-leading nine triples on the season and he is batting a full 61 points above his career average. Speed remains one of his finest tools, and 16 stolen bases through the mid-way point in the season completes his package as an all-around talent with a ceiling that still remains to be realized.
6. Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals
At age 36, Beltran continues to produce at the same level that made him a seven-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate. The Cardinals certainly have their right fielder to thank for a good part of their 50-34 start to the season, and with 19 home runs and 50 runs batted in thus far, he has a good shot at surpassing his numbers in his first season with St. Louis. Despite walking in only 5.8% of his plate appearances, Beltran is reaching base at a .345 clip and batting .304, the highest since his shortened 2009 with the Mets. Once a 40-stolen base threat, speed is no longer a large part of the veteran’s game, but he has adapted incredibly well and is a force in the middle of the Cardinals lineup.
5. Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
It’s a safe bet that not many fans could imagine the words “Domonic Brown” and “underrated” in the same sentence, but now at age 25 and after years of being labeled an underachieving prospect, Brown has hit his stride. 2012 was a wake-up call for the Phillies that the injuries and natural decline of an aging team had begun to set in, and the trends have continued into 2013 - most notably with the loss of ace Roy Halladay. Brown, with a 6’5” frame that was always projected to hit for power, has 22 home runs on the young season and has driven in 60 runs on a Phillies team that ranks eighth in the National League in on-base percentage.
4. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
No stranger to the leaderboards, McCutchen is proving again to be an All-Star caliber player, and in many categories has shown improvement in his age-26 season. While McCutchen’s power is down somewhat from his 31 home run campaign of 2012, his strikeouts are also down from 132 last season to only 49 through July 4. As usual, when he reaches base, he is a threat to steal, and 17 stolen bases on the season are nothing to scoff at. McCutchen carried the Pirates through their first-half surge last season, whereas this season, he started off slowly by his standards. With the highest winning percentage in baseball, Pirates fans can’t help but be optimistic about the second half of the season now that their centerpiece has hit his stride.
3. Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies
Cuddyer, who has always been a hot fantasy pick because of his position eligibility, is proving to be a power-hitting run producer in Colorado. Despite a stint on the DL from May 9 through May 23 with a neck injury, Cuddyer’s totals - 14 home runs and 49 runs batted in - rank him among players who haven’t missed any time. He is batting .339 on the season, and while a BABIP of .374 indicates that more than the norm of his balls in play are falling for hits, his hitting has been incredibly consistent through the season. In his second season with the Rockies, most encouraging to Cuddyer owners may be that his production numbers home and away are virtually the same, as six of his 14 home runs and ten of his 16 doubles were hit outside of Coors Field.
2. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
The man Rockies fans call CarGo has always been an electric player to watch take the field - the variable, however, was keeping him there. A bona fide five-tool player, Gonzalez excelled from 2010 through 2012, putting up phenomenal numbers despite missing significant time with injuries in each season. This year, he has been healthy, consistent, and has a good shot at achieving major accolades - and at the very least, surpassing his career bests across the board. CarGo has 23 home runs and 61 runs batted in on the season, and despite playing his home games at Coors Field, has actually hit for a significantly higher average on the road. He has added 20 doubles, six triples and 15 stolen bases to his accomplishments, and with his track record, is both a fountain of raw ability and a model of consistency.
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Even ardent believers in the “Sophomore Slump” couldn’t make a case not to draft Trout early in the first round entering the 2013 fantasy season. While the 21-year-old began the season slowly - as did his team - his numbers have risen steadily, and it’s safe to say he’s repeating his MVP form. An on-base percentage of .390 is greatly to thank for his 57 runs scored thus far, despite a Los Angeles middle-of-the-order that has had trouble driving anyone home. His home run power is still an asset, and his doubles power has jumped this season with 25 through the mid-way point as compared to 27 in all of 2012. Trout is not only the most complete player in baseball, he is more valuable to his team than anyone else in the game.