Top outfield sleepers in 2020 fantasy baseball

As the beginning of the 2020 fantasy baseball season draws near, we finish off hitters with a look at the outfield. Outfield is always a deep position. That changes a bit depending on if you start three outfielders or five. Nonetheless, there are plenty of players going late that could return huge draft day value.

Here are several sleeper targets in the outfield going outside of the top 150 in NFBC drafts.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

My Rank: 38
Expert Consensus Rank: 50
NFBC ADP: 154

One of my favorite targets in fantasy this season at any position, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could be in for a breakout year. In 2019, he hit .277 with a .541 SLG, 20 homers, 50 RBIs, and 52 runs in just 84 games. He was second in slugging percentage among left fielders behind only Juan Soto. His hard hit rate of 44.8% was top 50 in the league. The same can be said of his barrels per plate appearance rate of 7.6%. Gurriel Jr. makes hard contact and he puts the barrel on the ball at an elite rate. A top 50 bat could be his ceiling.

Willie Calhoun

My Rank: 40
Expert Consensus Rank: 44
NFBC ADP: 170

A little bit of homerism here. I'm a Rangers fan. But I've seen plenty of fantasy analysts spreading love for Willie Calhoun too. He had a similar year statistically to the aforementioned Gurriel Jr.. Calhoun had 21 homers, 48 RBIs, 51 runs, and a .266 average in 83 games. A .524 SLG as well. Calhoun put up a 40.7% hard hit rate last year as well. Calhoun had great plate discipline as well. He has a .68 BB/K ratio when you combine his major and minor league numbers. Calhoun can provide big power numbers without the high strikeout totals that most big bats bring.

Mark Canha

My Rank: 51
Expert Consensus Rank: 64
NFBC ADP: 256

I'll make this short and sweet. Mark Canha was formerly a platoon player. But last season, he wasn't. From June 26th on, Canha slashed .295/.412/.523 with 16 home runs. Over the full season, he was inside the top 8% of the league in both wOBA (.386) and walk rate (13.5%). He is going way too late in drafts.

Hunter Renfroe

My Rank: 62
Expert Consensus Rank: 67
NFBC ADP: 250

Over the past three seasons, Hunter Renfroe has a 162-game average of 37 home runs. He is also top 50 in MLB in barrel percentage. He now goes to a team who always manages to take players to the next level. Playing time is a bit of a concern, but when he's playing Renfroe has the tools to lead all of baseball in homers. If the Rays can help cut down on his strikeout rate, Renfroe could be a fantasy gem.

Mike Yastrzemski

My Rank: 75
Expert Consensus Rank: 78
NFBC ADP: 337

Mike Yastrzemski is an interesting player. The grandson of a Hall of Famer, already 29 in his second big league season, and he plays in the worst hitter’s park in baseball. All that being said, he's actually a heck of a balplayer even in fake baseball. In 2019 he played in 107 games in the majors, hitting .272 with 21 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 64 runs. The expected stats seem to back it up. His .510 xSLG sticks out the most, a top 50 mark for hitters. His 42.9% hard hit rate was top 65 in baseball as well. He was also No. 51 in baseball in barrels per plate appearance at 7.3%. These numbers paint Yastrzemski as a much better player than his current going rate outside the top 300.

And that’s it for sleepers at outfield!