The Major League outfield is always a hotbed of tools, and this season is no different. The top names on this list also find themselves across the league leaderboards in batting average, home runs, RBI and steals, and the most complete offensive players are likely to play outfield positions. Even excluding Chris Davis, who retained outfield eligibility despite playing the entire 2013 season at first base, this Top-10 is brimming with talent and leaves off a number of players - Yasiel Puig and Bryce Harper come to mind first - who have the potential to top the list in 2014.
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Despite starting slow - at least by the standards of the 2012 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) leader - Trout’s season turned out to be nearly a carbon copy of his rookie campaign, if not an improvement. A .300/.400/.500 batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage puts a hitter in rare company, and Trout takes his .324/.431/.557 line into the season’s final weekend. For the second year in a row, he leads the American League with 108 runs scored, and pitchers have clearly taken notice, increasing his walk total from 67 last season to 105 today. He contributes with the long ball (26 home runs in 2013) and on the basepaths (33 stolen bases.) Once again, Trout and Miguel Cabrera will likely be first and second in both the AL MVP voting and the 2014 fantasy draft.
2. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
Like Trout, McCutchen does it all with the bat and on the bases. His .318/.404/.553 slash line tell a good part of the story, but 38 doubles, 20 home runs and 27 steals add even more flourish. He is as proven as anyone in the game to play a full season, as he has missed no significant time with injury since his call-up in mid-2009. McCutchen is not only a solid first-round selection in your 2014 fantasy draft, he could be a pick to improve in his age 27 season. His 31 home runs last season were a career-high - but also a total that could be reached again - and he has the potential to join the 30/30 Club next season.
3. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Just when it seemed like fantasy owners might see a full season of CarGo, the injury bug bit yet again, robbing the 27-year-old of the elite numbers that he has the potential to produce. A sprained right middle finger changed the course of Gonzalez’s 2013 from MVP candidate to crash landing. Through July 31 - essentially the day his season ended - he had 26 home runs, 71 runs batted and 21 stolen bases. CarGo has the skill set of Trout or McCutchen, but his kryptonite has been staying healthy for a full season, something he has not been able to do since 2010. Word has it that the Rockies’ outfielder may be headed to the operating table to fix his injured finger in the offseason - and may ultimately be destined for another team.
4. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
The list of incredibly toolsy outfielders continues with Jones, a power and speed player with a track record of consistency since arriving in the big leagues. The Orioles lead the Major Leagues with 209 home runs as a team and are third overall in slugging percentage, and Jones’ 32 dingers and .492 SLG made him a top contributor. For the first time in his career, the 27-year-old drove in over 100 runs, and with 98 runs scored and the weekend of games remaining, he may well hit another century mark before game 162. Strikeouts are something we’ve come to expect - and accept - as part of Jones’ package, though if he can find more discipline at the plate next season, his numbers across the board stand to improve. Scary.
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
Since his 2011 power surge when he hit 32 home runs and drove in 105, Ellsbury has settled into a groove as a leadoff guy who gets a lot of hits - some of them for extra bags - and runs a ton. It’s hard to imagine a Top-10 outfielder completely losing - or abandoning - one of his tools and remaining at such an elite level, but Ellsbury is a prime example. The home run power may never return, but in the leadoff spot, Ellsbury is as good as they come. He’s missed time this season, but still managed to score 91 runs, steal a league-leading 52 bases, and bat .297 in 133 games thus far. And who knows - Ellsbury the slugger may just make a cameo again!
6. Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies
Cuddyer has always been a commodity for his versatility at both infield corners and in the outfield. This season, he settled into a fine niche in right field in Colorado and has not only enjoyed a breakout season - he’s close to locking up the National League batting title. Cuddyer missed time in May with a neck injury, and has endured nagging ailments all season long, however his batting average remained hovered in the .330-.340 range throughout 2013. His 20 homers and 80 runs batted in are numbers we have come to expect from the 34-year-old, especially playing half his games at Coors Field. Whether his exceptional average this season was a fluke or not, Cuddyer should be drafted within the first five rounds in 2014.
7. Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers
If you weren’t lucky enough to have Trout, McCutchen or Jones on your team this season, Gomez’s emergence this season as an all-around offensive player was one heck of a consolation prize. Sure, he strikes out a ton (145 whiffs on the season), leaving something to be desired in his on-base percentage, but his contributions in both power and speed categories were elite. In 2013, Gomez hit 23 home runs, drove in 71 runs (mind you, this occurred in the middle of a downgraded Milwaukee offense) and stole 37 bags. All of these numbers were career highs for the 27-year-old, including his .278 batting average, and at his age, there is good reason to believe 2013 marks the beginning of his peak, not a fluke.
8. Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals
It’s always difficult to look at a 34-year-old outfielder and think that the best still may be to come. With Werth, the definition of a late bloomer, that is exactly the case. From 2008 to 2011 with Philadelphia and Washington, he averaged 27 home runs, 77 runs batted in and 18 steals, batting .267 in this period. Having struggled to stay healthy and consistent since signing with the Nationals, Werth’s breakout has arrived. In 2013, he has a .319/.400/.535 line, putting him, of all people, into that exclusive .300/.400/.500 club. He has 25 homers and 82 RBI in 128 games, numbers that may well have been MVP-worthy had he not missed the month of May with a hamstring injury.
9. Alfonso Soriano, New York Yankees
In 2003, Soriano hit .290 with 38 home runs and 35 runs batted in with the Yankees. That offseason, the Alex Rodriguez era with the Bronx Bombers began, and Soriano bounced around from Texas to Washington to the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees’ decision to deal for the 37-year-old this season felt like a coming-of-age movie, as Soriano picked up right where he left off on June 26, 2013. It often shocks fantasy owners - who have become used to seeing Soriano’s name farther down this list - that he is has been one of the most consistent power hitters of the past decade, averaging 35 doubles and 31 homers from 2003 to 2012. This season, his slugging prowess is back on display with 34 home runs and 101 runs batted in - something lacking in both the New York and Chicago offenses. Once a 40-steal threat, running is no longer part of his game, and his free-swinging approach leads to strikeouts (155 this season) and a low OBP (.299). However, fantasy owners who drafted Soriano low should be ecstatic that the “all” outweighed the “nothing” this season.
10. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants
Admittedly, it’s difficult to watch Pence play, with movements at the plate and in the outfield that make you question whether or not he’s a professional athlete at all. What’s not difficult to look at? A 26-homer, 22-steal season that made him the obvious MVP of an unrecognizably bad Giants team. This, believe it or not, is the kind of player that Pence has always been - a high-average hitter (.282 in 2013, .285 career) with the potential for both power and steals. Add to that the fact that he hasn’t missed any time to note since arriving in the big leagues, and you’ve got one of the most dependable outfielders in the game. At 30 years old, Pence is undeservingly under-the-radar - a snag this year as well as next, even when the doubters scoff.