Top 60 Outfielders for 2020
by Paul Sporer
November 5, 2019
I decided to cut my OF rankings at 60 for this list, but let me be clear that there were another 15 or so who could’ve taken those last 4-5 spots. It’s definitely a mid-to-late round glob of talent, one of several that develops in the OF pool, including a power glob I highlight starting just after #30.
Other 2020 Rankings:
Think I missed someone who is a surefire top 60? Make your case in the comments below. I’m also curious if you have a strong preference with those top 3, who I seem to change my opinion on every other day lately.
Top 60 OF for 2020
| Rk | Player | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Trout | SB dip causing panic, but sprint spd remains unchanged and elite |
| 2 | Christian Yelich | B2B brilliant seasons; only a fluke busted kneecap could stop him |
| 3 | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Near 40-40 yr makes him a #1 viable candidate if you so choose |
| 4 | Mookie Betts | Every bit as good as the top 3 & reasonable #4 overall pick |
| 5 | Cody Bellinger | Don’t sleep on sharply improved K% (down 8 pts to 16% in ’19) |
| 6 | Juan Soto | Basically carried ’18 pace over first full season; sneaky SBs, too |
| 7 | J.D. Martinez | One of the steadiest power bats in the game |
| 8 | Bryce Harper | AVG is the only flaw and 40-120 is still very much in play any given year |
| 9 | Aaron Judge | Still a 40-100 bat, but now 2 straight seasons under 500 PA |
| 10 | Starling Marte | Speed carries profile and has now has B2B 20+ HR yrs to go with it |
| 11 | Charlie Blackmon | 4 yrs of declining SB, but still a great pwr bat w/Coors protection |
| 12 | George Springer | Slightly overlooked stud sitting atop one of the game’s best lineups |
| 13 | Kris Bryant | Great R contributor, but has just 1 season of 100+ RBI |
| 14 | Giancarlo Stanton | Was starting to turn health profile w/159 & 158 gms before 18 gms in ’19 |
| 15 | Eloy Jiménez | Surged to finish line with .308/.342/.575 line & 14 HR in Aug-Sept. |
| 16 | Victor Robles | Pwr/spd combo carried light slash and 23 yr old still has room to grow |
| 17 | Ketel Marte | There will be some pullback on career yr; prefer to slot him at 2B |
| 18 | Tommy Pham | Averaging .284, 22 HR, 22 SB over the last 3 seasons |
| 19 | Austin Meadows | 2x Barrel rate plus FB & Pull rate jumps delivered massive breakout |
| 20 | Joey Gallo | Had a great half season, but AVG gains seem driven by .368 BABIP |
| 21 | Jeff McNeil | Premium contact and sneaky pop cuts a Brantley 2.0 profile |
| 22 | Michael Brantley | AVG asset thrived in HOU and will remain there for ’20 |
| 23 | Ramón Laureano | Pacing for 30/20 season before late-July inj; returned strong in Sept. |
| 24 | Nicholas Castellanos | Invigorated after trade to CHC; maybe 30-100 w/full yr on a good tm? |
| 25 | Eddie Rosario | Still chasing elusive 600 PA yr, but averaging .284/28/88/86 since ’17 |
| 26 | Michael Conforto | Has developed into solid 30 HR bat; next step 100 RBI? |
| 27 | Yasiel Puig | Just a bankable 25/15/.260 bat; we’ll find out his new team this winter |
| 28 | Whit Merrifield | Cut SBs from 45 to 20 and now has SB-stingy Matheny at the reins |
| 29 | Kyle Tucker | Put up 35 HR/30 SB per 600 PA in last 2 yrs at AAA; betting on breakout |
| 30 | Andrew Benintendi | Spd dip cut SB in half & K% jump ate in AVG; interesting, but be careful |
| 31 | Oscar Mercado | Was essentially 20 HR/30 SB if you include AAA work |
| 32 | Marcell Ozuna | Start of 7 bat pwr glob where minor differences can dictate preference |
| 33 | Jorge Soler | Bubbling pop finally surfaced w/elite 48 HR season |
| 34 | Max Kepler | Improvements vL (.293 AVG) and FB surge (53%) drove breakout |
| 35 | Kyle Schwarber | Averaging 35 HR per 600 PA over the last 3 seasons |
| 36 | J.D. Davis | StatCast darling could parlay vR jump into full-time role for ’20 |
| 37 | Franmil Reyes | AL landing perfect for this true DH; easy 30+ HR per 600 PA |
| 38 | Trey Mancini | Seems to be at the mercy of his BABIP: .352, .285, .326 the last 3 yrs |
| 39 | David Dahl | Just cannot be trusted for 500 PA until we actually see something close |
| 40 | Mitch Haniger | Maintained power in injury-shortened season, but BABIP tanked AVG |
| 41 | Adam Eaton | Finally showed what a healthy season can deliver |
| 42 | Andrew McCutchen | Could score 100 R even w/some missed time after ACL surgery |
| 43 | Luis Robert | Huge 30/30 season (32 HR/36 SB) will foster major 2020 hype |
| 44 | Scott Kingery | Still too much swing & miss, but finally showed off vast skills profile |
| 45 | Byron Buxton | Skills are there, the bet is on health (just 115 gms in 2018-19) |
| 46 | Lorenzo Cain | Power-starved bat now dealing w/dwindling speed at age-34 |
| 47 | Jo Adell | Needs some more AAA seasoning, but skills are very enticing |
| 48 | Willie Calhoun | High contact and power combo could yield .300/30 upside |
| 49 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | Now has a full season of PA (606) in MLB: .279, 31 HR, 85 RBI, 82 R, 7 SB |
| 50 | Bryan Reynolds | Strong AVG asset has 20 HR/10 SB potential in full season atop lineup |
| 51 | Justin Upton | Injury-riddled season still had 30-HR pace; solid cheap buyback option |
| 52 | Shin-Soo Choo | Just keeps plugging w/3 straight 630+ PA yrs; useful 20/10 performer |
| 53 | Ryan Braun | Remains a force (.270/20/11 per yr since ’17) even if it’s only 450 PA |
| 54 | Aristides Aquino | Sneaky 7-for-7 SB contribution w/major power production |
| 55 | Nick Senzel | This depends on his Sept. labrum surgery recovery process; stay tuned |
| 56 | Austin Riley | Righties found a hole (.215 AVG), but still a 30 HR bat in 600 PA |
| 57 | Hunter Dozier | Legit pwr breakout and has some sneaky speed that could yield 10+ SB |
| 58 | Hunter Renfroe | Basically an older version of Riley w/a 30 HR season under his belt |
| 59 | Joc Pederson | You know what you’re getting: platoon bat w/.245 AVG & 25-30 HR |
| 60 | Mallex Smith | Led MLB w/46 SB, but hit just .227 w/no pop and only 70 R |
Corey Dickerson? Guessing somewhere around 50 but avg is huge
Literally 61 and I hated cutting off before him, especially for someone like Mallex Smith who I’m not a fan of (I don’t draft rabbits), but I couldn’t ignore 40+ SBs for two straight seasons