2007 Top10 Outfielders

What if I told you that Andruw Jones is maybe the 20th best outfielder in baseball with Barry Bonds no where to be found and Yanks’ Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui further down the list than Jones. Garret Anderson might be in the top 50, but Ken Griffey Junior certainly isn’t. Although these players all still garner much media attention, it’s time to give the players who are actually the best at their positions their due. Some of you may not even know who Carl Crawford is because he plays on the bottom feeder Devil Rays. This 25-year-old has increased his homeruns and average every single year in the bigs which hasn’t been done in five straight seasons since Rogers Honsby. The 58 stolen bases he had in 2006 sets him apart. In fact, he has 70 more swipes than anyone else in the AL since 2003 and a career .879 OPS with RISP. He won’t get the recognition, but he’ll be a better fantasy player for you than the slugger down in Atlanta who you’ll pay an arm and a leg for. Oh yeah, and his defense is second to none because of his speed.

The next guy needs no introduction. Vlad Guerrero could win and maybe should win the MVP every year. Other than in 2003 when he missed 50 games, his season lows are 32 homeruns and 108 RBIs with a .307 average. Vlad has recorded eight seasons with numbers at this level or better. Only the babe had more with 11.

Alfonso Soriano hasn’t been an outfielder for very long, but he is already one of the best in baseball out where the green grass grows. He’s the first player ever to hit 200 bombs and steal 200 bases by the end of his sixth full season. With the wind blowing out often enough at Wrigley, look out!

A guy with half of Grady Sizemore’s talent could still play major league baseball just to give you an idea of how talented this kid is. He’s just the seventh player in league history to record 185 hits, 75 RBIs, 20 Homeruns, and 20 stolen bases in back-to-back seasons. Once this guy learns how to hit lefties, he’ll be a legit MVP candidate.

Carlos Beltran is a guy with 40 homerun/120 RBI potential every season. His stolen bases would still probably be in the thirties, too, if the Mets didn’t want to risk injury to him.

Matt Holliday will move up the list again after this season. His .326 average with 34 homeruns and 114 RBIs along with 10 swipes was unmatched by anyone in 2006. And this guy is a machine late in the season with 66 RBIs the last two Septembers. If the Rocks could ever make the playoffs, he could be every aces worst nightmare.

Manny Ramirez isn’t the most solid defender, but his nine straight 30 homerun/100 RBI seasons cannot be overlooked. Only the great Jimmy Foxx ever had more. This could be Manny’s last year in the top 10 as his age (35) will start to catch up with him.

Vernon Wells’ stock may have just quit rising with the big deal he just signed, but if he keeps nailing his 30 homerun/100 RBI seasons, he will continue to be among the elite outfielders in the game. Last season, he also recorded 17 stolen bases. If he continues to up those numbers, you’ll definitely want him on your fantasy team.

I’ll round out my top 10 with Ichiro Suzuki. Perhaps no player in the game has better bat control. His .331 career average is 15 points better than anyone else in the American League and his 39-for-39 stolen base streak heading into this season is unmatched.

You might be shaking your head with some of these guys, but realize that there is more to being a great outfielder than just power numbers. Watch some of these guys you haven’t heard much of play and you might be adding them to your list by next season.

By Jeff Alexander – 4/1/2007

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