Five Stud Outfielders Outside the Top 30

At least until Mike Trout signed his record-breaking extension, Bryce Harper stole the baseball headlines. If you are one of the unlucky points-league fantasy managers without a chance to draft Harper, don’t fret, outfield is deeper than you think. Here are five potential studs outside the top 30 outfielders who you can target to help with the sting of not drafting the Phillies new acquisition.

Aaron Hicks, OF, New York Yankees

Like Harper, Hicks also got paid. It wasn’t $330 million, but it was a nice chunk of change — $70 million for seven years. Hicks has been undervalued over the last couple of seasons in fantasy, and now it’s time for fantasy managers to wake up and smell the coffee. Hicks smacked 27 homers, had 11 steals and scored 90 runs last season while playing 137 games. That production came from a variety of spots in the Yankee lineup.

This season, Hicks is in the running for leading off, and with his 15.5 % walk rate and an opportunity to have more than 500 plate appearances, Hicks has the upside to be a top 20 outfielder. Of course, standing in his way is health. Unfortunately, a sore back will delay Hicks start to the 2019 campaign by at least a couple of weeks. He’ll presumably still be in the running for the leadoff spot once he returns.

Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds

Fantasy owners might shy away from Winker on draft day because of offseason shoulder surgery. That’s a mistake — take advantage of his current price of the 185th player off the board. Winker produced a 24% line-drive rate and 44% hard-hit rate last season. If he repeats those levels, a .300 season is within reach. The question has been power, and with the off-season surgery, everyone’s hesitation is understandable.

Winker is in the Reds’ opening day lineup batting leadoff, which will lead to tons of runs in that order. At his current ADP and when considering the outfielders going around him, the upside is worth getting excited about, especially since his outstanding plate discipline is a boon in points scoring.

Max Kepler, OF, Minnesota Twins

The Twins are a trendy pick to make the playoffs in the American League. If true, Max Kepler will play a big part. Kepler has increased his home run total each year over the last three seasons with a good chance to continue the trend. The Twins outfielder incurred a decline in his batting average on ball in play (BABIP) last year, primarily due to a drop in line-drive rate. His average exit velocity is well above average, so a rebound from a .224 season is likely. Kepler’s solid defense and holding his own against left handed pitching should keep him in the lineup everyday.

Franmil Reyes, OF, San Diego Padres

Reyes is my favorite out of this group, but he’s also the riskiest. The Padres have a logjam in the outfield with Hunter Renfroe, Franchy Cordero, Manuel Margot and Wil Myers all in consideration. Reyes is a powerful slugger, opening eyes over the last two months of the season. He slashed .318/.385/.548 with 10 home runs in 157 plate appearances. The concern is playing time and the fact that Reyes is a poor defender, but if his raw power takes over it will be hard for Manager Andy Green not to find regular playing time.

Domingo Santana, OF, Seattle Mariners

Unlike Reyes, Santana should not have playing time issues looming over his head. After a disappointing 2018 season, Santana is looking to rebound in the middle of the Mariners batting order. He must cut down on his strikeout rate (32.8%) to be effective but is only 26 years of age. He isn’t that far removed from his 30 homer 2017 season and is off to a good start with a grand slam in the Tokyo Dome.

Because they tend to walk more, outfielders are key to points league success. Sure, it’s great to build an offense around Trout or Harper, but don’t fret if you don’t. There’s a lot of talent available later.