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With the infield portion of my Head-to-Head Points League Rankings done, the next group of position players, logically, is the outfield. To avoid one giant headache, I'll release the outfielders in two sets of 25 (with the next set coming out tomorrow). Before we get there, a quick recap with links in case you missed something along the way:
Ryan Braun put together his best offensive season to date in 2012, posting a .319/.391/.595 line with a career-high 41 home runs, 108 runs, 112 RBI and 30 steals. It earned him the No. 1 spot in the outfield in points leagues with 541 points, 37 points better than rookie sensation Mike Trout. He was also the No. 2 hitter overall, 56 points behind Miguel Cabrera.
Last night, Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports broke the news that Braun's name appeared on the client records of Biogenesis, the Miami-based anti-aging clinic, although he's not specifically linked to PEDs. For now, Braun remains my No. 1 outfielder, but he'd fall far down my list if anything (say, a 50-game ban) came from the recent findings.
As a reminder, scoring in points leagues is one point for every base, run, RBI, walk and stolen base, and minus-one point for every strikeout.
Here are my top 25 outfielders in H2H Points leagues:
Rank |
Player |
Team |
2012 Points |
1 |
Ryan Braun |
541 |
|
2 |
Mike Trout |
504 |
|
3 |
Andrew McCutchen |
489 |
|
4 |
Matt Kemp |
306 |
|
5 |
Jose Bautista |
305 |
|
6 |
Josh Hamilton |
Angels |
460 |
7 |
Carlos Gonzalez |
399 |
|
8 |
Justin Upton |
372 |
|
9 |
Matt Holliday |
442 |
|
10 |
Alex Rios |
453 |
|
11 |
Ben Zobrist |
434 |
|
12 |
Adam Jones |
436 |
|
13 |
Alex Gordon |
400 |
|
14 |
Jay Bruce |
392 |
|
15 |
Jacoby Ellsbury |
171 |
|
16 |
Jason Heyward |
Braves |
383 |
17 |
Carlos Beltran |
Cardinals |
405 |
18 |
Giancarlo Stanton |
343 |
|
19 |
Shin-Soo Choo |
Reds |
363 |
20 |
Bryce Harper |
365 |
|
21 |
Martin Prado |
427 |
|
22 |
Curtis Granderson |
391 |
|
23 |
Yoenis Cespedes |
355 |
|
24 |
Michael Bourn |
FA |
354 |
25 |
Austin Jackson |
374 |
Braun still gets my No. 1 spot. He's averaged 37 home runs, 108 runs, 111 RBI and 32 steals over the last two years. I see another 35 homers and 25 steals...Trout is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. I think he's a lock for 40 steals and 100 runs, but I don't see more than 25 home runs from the sophomore...McCutchen went 30/20 in 2012, and I think he has a 30/25 season in him...Kemp is right behind McCutchen. I trust the power more than the speed...Bautista averaged 563 points between 2009 and 2010. For a power hitter, Bautista doesn't strike out much, and his high walk totals are a big plus in points leagues. I can see him finishing top 3...Hamilton joins Pujols and Trout in LA and I expect around 30 home runs and 100 RBI from the lefty...Gonzalez is showing negative trends in power, but he still figures to hit 20-plus homers and steal 20...Upton gets a fresh start in Atlanta, and I think he takes advantage... Holliday had his highest GB% since 2005 and his highest K% since 2004. I'm not expecting more than 25 home runs, but he's still trust worthy...Rios makes my top 10, but I'm not entirely sure if you're getting 20/20 or 10/10. I'll bet on the former...Zobrist was my No. 3 shortstop and my No. 4 second baseman. He's a 20/20 threat...Jones is a poor man's McCutchen. I'm not buying the power, and he doesn't have the same speed...Gordon gets a big boost in points leagues. He hit 14 home runs but led the league with 51 doubles in 2012. I think he can hit 17 home runs and score 95 runs from the leadoff spot...Bruce can be a headache at times in H2H formats, but I think he hits 40 home runs for the first time... Ellsbury hit 32 home runs with 119 runs, 105 RBI and 39 steals in 2011, but I'm not confident projecting more than 15 home runs and 30 steals in 2013...Heyward might have a hard time driving in more than 80 runs from the No. 2 spot, but I think the power is here to stay...Beltran hit 30 home runs for the first time since 2007, and it would totally surprise me if he hit 30 again...Stanton would probably be higher on my list if he wasn't stuck in Miami. I'm not totally on board with over 40 home runs, and his 28.8% career strikeout is enough to keep him down my list...Choo moves into a much better lineup in Cincinnati and I think his numbers reflect it...Harper was sensational in 2012. I think he hits 24 home runs but the runs come down a little...Prado was my No. 10 third baseman, but I like him more as a second outfielder...Granderson has hit 40-plus home runs the past two seasons, but his high strikeout rate and poor contact rates could catch up to him. I'm avoiding him this year...Cespedes could push for 30 home runs, which would push him way up this list...Bourn is still without a team, but he can steal 40 and score 90 wherever he ends up...Jackson cut down on the Ks and took more walks in 2012, but I'm not expecting 65+ RBI again.
You can follow me on Twitter at @akantecki.