AL Tiered Outfielder Ranks: July 2016
It once again is time for the monthly update for my AL Outfield Tiers! As always, these are my rest of the season ranks for the position and you can check out my previous versions below as well as Alex Chamberlain’s NL versions.
AL Tiered Outfielder Rankings: Preseason
NL Outfield Rankings: March/April
AL Tiered Outfielder Rankings: April 2016
AL Tiered Outfielder Rankings: May 2016
AL Tiered Outfield Rankings: June 2016
This month’s is a tad bit abbreviated partially due to me being on vacation last week and partially due to the fact the trade deadline could drastically change these ranks.
This week I have named the tiers by the best characters from the show The League.
Tier 1: Pete
Still the best in the game.
Tier 2: Taco
Finally gets his own tier. Mookie has proved me wrong two years in a row.
Tier 3: Kevin
Springer isn’t running how I expected him to. He has only attempted one stolen base in the month of July. It maybe AJ Hinch giving him the stop sign, but I think they’ll come back, just not to the level I had hoped for.
I am waiting for Trumbo to have that second half slump that we have grown accustomed to and he has started the second half a bit slow but he has already hit seven home runs and hit .253/.330/.544 in the month of July. I am going to bank that he can sustain most of the first half gains.
Tier 4: Ruxin
Justin Upton
Bautista has returned from the DL and would have joined his normal spot in Tier 3, but I am a bit concerned about the turf toe issue resurfacing.
Hanley’s power surge since the break is a bit surprising. I don’t expect it to continue, but he has been a solid contributor. Good sell candidate for those rebuilding in keeper/dynasty formats, as he loses OF eligibility next year.
Khris Davis continues to tear the cover off the ball. Four home runs so far in the second half with a .262/.326/.595 and a .921 OPS.
Tier 5: Andre
JD Martinez
Melvin Upton
JD Martinez is working his way back from an elbow injury. I am a bit concerned that he is only DH-ing so far in his rehab assignment.
Mazara has slowed down since his call up, but it is not uncommon for rookies to have slumps. The injuries to Choo and Fielder should help cement his playing time a bit, so I am confident he will rebound and he has looked good since the break. He needs to improve against lefties, but that will come with time.
I believe in some of the changes we have seen from Melvin Upton. He moves to a better park, team and division, but he has a history of reverting back to poor habits, so that keeps him from moving up in my ranks.
Gallo has come up and he hit a bomb yesterday. He could see some decent playing time with Fielder on the DL and has the power upside to hit a ton of home runs in the second half.
Tier 6: Jenny
Brantley is still without a timetable to return. At some point, you have to wonder if he will be back before September.
Tier 7: Ellie
Steven Souza
Gomez and Dickerson are improving, but after their awful starts to the year (and my heavy investment in them), I am being cautious before believing in them again.
While Kepler’s, number don’t jump off the page, he has been pretty good in the last six weeks for the Twins and getting regular playing time since the break. I believe in his talent and his approach and as long as he is getting the at bats, I expect him to be a steady contributor.
The value of the Indians trio of Davis, Naquin and Ramirez could see their value change dramatically soon. Davis and Ramirez have slowed down since the break and could see serious threats to their playing time if the Indians make a move at the trade deadline or call up either Frazier or Zimmer who have recently been promoted to Triple-A.
Tier 8: Shiva
Delino DeShields has returned to the Majors, but I still see him as no more than a #4 outfielder in real life.
Hyun Soo Kim should see increased playing time with Rickard on the DL, but he still has limited upside.
Tier 9: Rafi and Dirty Randy
Just like Rafi and Dirty Randy, this tier has redeeming qualities, but usually do more harm than good.
Tier 10: Ted
Both Frazier and Zimmer have been moved to Triple-A and could make a real impact when called up. We have to wait and see if the Indians make any trade for an outfielder that could slow their arrival time.
Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.
Sad that Buxton is way down in tier 7 and yet that still seems bullish.
Speaking of “oddball herrera” – where is he?
AL only
I am somewhat bullish on Buxton, however I want to believe that his tools will show through at somepoint. The speed should play enough and the Twins need to see what they have in him in a lost season,
As a Beltran owner that has spent all year waiting for him to fall apart, the bottom of tier 7 seems low to me. His ZIPS and Steamer projections are pretty comparable to the guys in tier 5 and even some of the back end of tier 4, and his recent numbers have been okay. Do you think he’s going to collapse down the stretch, or is it a potential move away from Yankee Stadium that has you worried?
The constant injury risk coupled with the move out of yankee stadium is what scares me.
So we’re back to “AL this” and “NL that”?. Let me ask this: other than the very small percentage of fantasy players in AL/NL only leagues, who exactly does this benefit?
*sigh*
I think a lot of people play only leagues. I think the better argument is why do we assume these single-league players aren’t capable of separating NL/AL when looking at a list? I don’t see the benefit of separating them here.
I understand the frustration with this, especially considering Alex, who does the NL side of these ranks, and I approach the game a bit differently. However, I assume ranking 150 outfielders every month would prove daunting to most, hence why OF and SP is broken up. Like Alex said in the comments of his most recent ranks, this is above my pay grade.
I like that Melvin Upton appears in Chamberlain’s NL Teir 1 with Harper, Bryant, Myers and Marte, but is bumped down to your Tier 5. I guess it doesn’t help that his playing time is going to be reduced with the Jays, although the supporting cast will be significantly better..
I worry that if Upton struggles he will revert back to old habits as he has done multiple times in the past. I love the move to Toronto, however, I am worried about further production on a team that probably won’t let him run as much in san diego as well.
Pete is tier 1? :O
Yeah, I’m more outraged by Taco being beneath Pete than I am about any of the actual baseball rankings.
Lol agreed. First thing I looked at when I saw this was the tier breakdown. Further to that point, Ruxin and Dirty Randy/Rafi are way too low and Kevin is extremely too high at #3
I cannot stand the majority of what Randy and Rafi bring to the show. They take away what has been great about the show, which is centered around guys playing in fantasy leagues and their interactions.
Fair, I do love Taco.
Pete is the ring leader of the show, imo.
Pete is basically the straight man – he makes everything tick but he’s not why you watch the show (in my opinion at least).
Agreed with the above about Rafi/Randy too, they lay it on way too thick and it often doesn’t even fit with the rest of the show. That said, Rafi’s slave auction thing during this season’s draft was pretty hilarious.
Justin Upton rest of this season belongs a couple tiers down until he can get his K rate below 30%. He belongs in Tier 6 as pretty much every guy from Tier 5 I’d take before Upton.
Upton had a miserable start, but look at his more recent performance. Since June 1st, he has a 104 wRC+, 24.1 K%, 8 HR, and 5 SB (to pick some easy stats to compare). Calhoun is 117/15.9%/6/1 and ranked right above him. Eaton is 115/20.1%/4/6 and right below. Looking further below you have Gardner (94/15.7%/1/5) and Ellsbury (80/9.0%/2/6). Each of those guys are having better overall seasons, by if we are looking at ROS, the more recent performance should be more relevant and, by that metric, Upton seems to belong there.
steve pearce is slashing .313/.386/.530 on the year & has hit his way into pretty much full-time duty. steven moya is in the minor leagues. mark canha had season-ending hip surgery. they’re all in the same tier
Sorry, thought I had removed Canha and Moya. I am probably too low on Pearce. However, he has started off slow in the second half and is likely to get moved to an unknown team at the deadline.
It’d be nice if all these “Rank” style articles could have a spot in the “Regular Features” list, so they’re easier to find all together. I’ve resorted to googling to try and find them because the search feature is so bad 🙁