I present to you my 2017 fantasy baseball right field rankings.
The top 30 right fielders have been grouped into four tiers, with the top and bottom player of each tier profiled below. The average draft position of each player, according to FantasyDraftPros.com, are listed adjacent to the player.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Saunders (PHI), Brandon Drury (ARI), Aaron Judge (NYY), Shin-Soo Choo (TEX), Josh Reddick (HOU), Avisail Garcia (CWS), Danny Valencia (OAK), Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE), Steven Souza Jr (TB), and Travis Jankowski (SD)
Tier 1
- Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox, (4)
- Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals, (10)
Mookie Betts is the only player other than Mike Trout you should consider for the first overall pick this season. Betts had a breakout campaign in 2016, batting .318 with 31 home runs, 122 runs scored, 113 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases.
The runner-up in MVP batted .338 in the second half, suggesting we could see further improvement from Betts in the near future. The five-category contributor will remain in the MVP conversation for years to come.
Bryce Harper had a rough 2016 and battled injuries all season. The 2015 MVP had a career low batting average of .243, while only hitting 24 home runs. That is quite low by his standards.
Harper decided to forgo the World Baseball Classic in order to be fully healthy come opening day. Be confident in a bounce back season for the 24-year-old because he has all of the potential in the world.
Tier 2
- George Springer, Houston Astros, (28)
- Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates, (54)
- Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners, (42)
- Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies, (34)
- Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins, (39)
- Matt Kemp, Atlanta Braves, (96)
- J.D. Martinez, Detroit Tigers, (40)
- Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays, (67)
- Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles, (77)
- Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals, (118)
- Adam Eaton, Washington Nationals (103)
George Springer is a highly sought after commodity in all fantasy leagues, and for good reason. The 26-year-old played in all 162 games last season and finished with a .261 average, 29 home runs, 116 runs scored, 82 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Springer lead the league in times caught stealing in 2016, although he stole 37 and 45 bases in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Be confident in drafting Springer in 2017, as his 30/30 potential is very real.
Adam Eaton will join Bryce Harper and company in Washington D.C. in 2017. The 28-year-old will bat in the leadoff or two-hole for the Nationals, which will give him a great chance to eclipse the 100-run mark for the first time in his career.
The move from Chicago to Washington will also help Eaton increase his steal totals, as the Nationals are a much more aggressive base stealing team than the White Sox. Eaton will be a great source of runs and speed with solid floors in all other categories, which makes him well worth a top 100 pick.
Tier 3
- Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals, (98)
- Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels, (144)
- Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants, (122)
- Carlos Beltran, Houston Astros, (174)
- Jay Bruce, New York Mets, (153)
- Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins, (122)
Stephen Piscotty flew under the radar in 2016 after playing in 63 games in 2015 when he finished with a .305 batting average, seven home runs and 39 RBIs.
If you invested in Piscotty last season, you reaped the benefits, as he ended the year with a .273 batting average, 22 home runs, 86 runs scored and 85 RBIs. The St. Louis Cardinals clean-up hitter is a safe top 100 selection in all formats, as he is a career .282 hitter entering only his third major league season.
Miguel Sano’s upside has been duely noted for years. He has hit 107 home runs in only 453 minor league games. The knock on Sano has been his atrocious strike out rate of 36 percent. It severally limits his upside, especially in leagues that consider OBP.
I don’t see myself drafting Sano this season as his ADP is fairly high at 122. However, the 23-year-old has all the time in the world to prove me wrong.
Tier 4
- Hunter Renfroe, San Diego Padres, (262)
- Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers, (205)
- Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs, (123)
- Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins, (230)
- Yasmany Tomas, Arizona Diamondbacks, (191)
- David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks, (279)
- Domingo Santana, Milwaukee Brewers, (297)
- Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers, (258)
- Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs, (232)
- Curtis Granderson, New York Mets, (181)
- Jarrod Dyson, Seattle Mariners, (219)
Hunter Renfroe was called up by the San Diego Padres in September of 2016. He batted an astounding .371, with four home runs and 14 RBIs in his short stint of 11 games.
I understand this sample size is too small to consider relevant, but his minor-league statistics also suggest that he will be successful. In four minor-league seasons, he has batted .281 and hit 77 home runs in 438 games. The upside is real, and the ADP is very low. Renfroe will be a game changer in deeper leagues come 2017.
Jarrod Dyson will be an everyday player for the first time in his career. The 32-year-old will bat lead-off for the Seattle Mariners to begin the season. This alone makes him a candidate to score 100 runs.
The career .260 hitter is most known for his prowess as an elite base stealer, who has stolen 176 bases in 550 MLB games. Dyson could be everything fantasy owners are looking for in Billy Hamilton, except Dyson is going 150 picks later. If you need cheap speed, Dyson is your man.
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