I published Part 1 of my Midseason Outfield Rankings last Monday, and here is Part 2. As you read this, I am probably on the beach at a NJ shore, having a beer, or catching some waves. With that said, the stats that appear here are dated, since I am writing this on Saturday July 23rd.
Here is Part 2 of my Outfield Rankings:
13. Matt Holliday, STL-Ok. i want a do-over on Part 1 of my rankings. How did I miss including Holliday in Part 1? Holliday is quietly having another solid season in 2011, hitting .312-.406-.545 with 14 HRs, 51 RBIs, 48 runs and umm 0 stolen bases. Maybe that is what held him off Part 1. in the last 3 seasons, his SB totals have gone from 28 in 2008 to 14 in 2009, to 9 in 2010 to zero in 2011. Should he be knocked in fantasy drafts in 2012 for not running anymore? I think so.
14. Brennan Boesch, DET-I wrote about Boesch in a recent Roto Roundup saying he is quieting those who said his first half 2010 performance was a fluke. He is hitting .297-.352-.491 with 14 HRs, 48 RBIs, 61 runs and 4 SBs this season. Nothing in his advanced stats (BABIP, batted ball data) indicate regression is forthcoming, so this may be the Boesch we see going forward.
15. Shane Victorino, PHI-Victorino has been on the DL a few times this season, but he has still put up solid stats this season. Actually, this might be his best season ever had he not been hurt so much. He is hitting .294-.367-.505 with 9 HRs, 35 RBIs, 55 runs and 13 SBs in 2011. There is a lot to like here as he has cut his K rate, increased his BB rate and ISO this season. Do you know the Dodgers once had Victorino and Jayson Werth on their roster in the past?Arrrggh.
More outfielder rankings after the jump:
16. Alex Gordon, KC-Gordon is experiencing his breakout season, finally. He is hitting .298-.368-.469 with 11 HRs, 51 RBIS, 54 runs and 8 SBs thus far. His BABIP of .356 says there may be a drop in BA in the future, but 22% of his batted balls are line drives, and line drives usually fall for hits. Gordon may finally be reaching the potential many saw in him a few years ago.
17. Adam Jones, BAL-Jones is having another solid season for the Orioles. He is hitting .283-.326-.471 with 16 HRs, 56 RBIs, 44 runs and 6 SBs thus far. He, like Victorino, has reduced his K rate, and increased his BB rate and ISO this season, and is on pace for career highs in HRs, RBIs and SBs.
18. Michael Cuddyer, MIN-Cuddyer has probably been the best hitter on the Twins this year, hitting .299-.371-.474 with 14 HRs, 47 RBIs, 47 runs and 7 SBs. We probably won't see him hitting 32 HRs again, but he is a solid 20-25 HR hitter who won't hurt you in the BA category and is on his way to a career high in SBs this season. He doesn't strike out a lot and owns a walk rate that approaches 10%.
19. Michael Bourn, HOU-Bourn is a 2-3 category hitting who kills you in the power categories, but you are drafting him for his speed and that is it. This season he is hitting .298-.356-.402 with 1 HR, 32 RBIs, 60 runs and 37 SBs. His BA ha benefitted from an abnormally high .370 BABIP and 27% line drive rate this season, and his ground ball rate is down to 50% from around 60% last season.
20. Jay Bruce, CIN-Bruce is one streaky hitter. He is hitting .266-.345-.496 with 21 HRs, 57 RBIs, 53 runs and 7 SBs this season, but has hit under .250 in 3 of the 4 months this season, and has driven in just 24 runs in those same 3 month. He benefitted from a scorching May where he hit 12 HRs and drove in 33 runs.
21. Ben Zobrist, TB-Zobrist is a favorite of those who follow WAR, and is having a solid season in 2011. He is hitting .264-.358-.466 with 11 HRs, 49 RBIs, 63 runs and 10 SBs so far this season. He is solid across the board and really doesn't hurt you in any one category. After hitting just 10 HRs last year, his power has returned and his ISO has almost doubled from the .115 ISO last season.
22. Jeff Francoeur, KC-wow, where did this come from? Frenchy is hitting .268-.314-.453 with 13 HRs, 60 RBIs, 45 runs and 16 SBs this season. Where did all those steals come from? You have to love Royals manager Ned Yost for letting the young team run this season and that is something to remember come draft day 2012. Franceour has doubled his pevious career high in SBs this season, and July is not over yet. He still doesn't walk much, but he doesn't strike out a lot either.
23. Nelson Cruz, TEX-after a bad April and a horrific May which saw him hit just .167, Cruz started warming up in June hitting .260 with 8 HRs and 19 RBIs. He is even hotter in July as he is hitting .309 with 4 HRs and 21 RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .252-.302-.504 with 22 HRs, 64 RBIs, 38 runs and just 5 SBs. The stolen bases are down, but he is on
24. Mike Stanton, FLA-Stanton is only 21 years old and has already hit 43 career HRs. He should be a senior in college or playing AA ball, instead he is crushing base balls across NL ball parks. He is hitting .257-.332-.522 with 21 HRs, 59 RBIs, 53 runs and 3 SBs so far this season. Recently, manager Jack McKeon stated he thinks Stanton can steal more bases with his speed.....like 30 bases. How soon do we even see Stanton stealing 15-20 bases?