This will be the last week of my positional rankings for baseball and I will highlight shortstops and outfielders. Elite offensive shortstops are very hard to come by. The strategy of drafting this position is to go young because there are many up and coming shortstop game changers including Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Corey Seager, and Francisco Lindor. Outfielders on the other hand are offensive juggernauts. This is the best offensive position in the MLB and is filled with a variety of studs, such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Jose Bautista.
Shortstop
- Carlos Correa- Houston Astros
Correa has wasted no time in making a name for himself. In his rookie season, Correa’s offensive game was extremely impressive. The 21 year old shortstop ranked 1st in home runs and 6th in RBI’s for all short stops while keeping a solid .279 batting average, despite only getting 387 at bats in 2015. At 21 years old, the potential is through the roof for this rising superstar.
- Xander Bogaerts- Boston Red Sox
Boston fans have been waiting for this young stud to live up to his hype and then finally in 2015, Bogaerts revealed his potential. In 2015, Bogaerts ranked 1st in batting average, 2nd in RBI’s, 1st in runs, and 1st in hits among all short stops. Still only at 23 years old, there is much room for offensive growth. In an impactful young Red Sox lineup, Bogaerts has a chance to become a 20 home run player as soon as this year.
- Troy Tulowitzki – Toronto Blue Jays
Known as one of the most consistent power hitting short stops in his generation, Tulowitzki had a major down year in 2015. Despite being traded to the power dome in Toronto, Tulo couldn’t get his game going. However, he was still able to surprisingly rank an inspiring 2nd in batting average, T-4th in home runs, 4th in RBI’s, and 2nd in runs for all short stops. At 31 years old, Tulo doesn’t have the upside he once had, but remains a legitimate top 5 candidate at his position.
- Brandon Crawford- San Francisco Giants
Crawford has been an elite defensive player his entire career, but was finally able to have a big offensive season in 2015. Crawford ranked 2nd in home runs, 1st in RBI’s, and T-9th in runs last year. I owned Crawford on my fantasy team last year and I don’t believe his great 2015 season was a fluke because he was very consistent throughout the season. In a very decent Giants lineup, Crawford has a good chance to have another 20+ home run season.
- Corey Seager- LA Dodgers
It’s very exciting to watch young baseball players who are expected to be something big later in their careers. Seager is definitely one of them. In a short season of 98 at bats, Seager was able to showcase his potential by posting a stellar .337 batting average. With Seager’s high potential and being only 21 years old, it’s scary to imagine what he can do in a full season. He is worth drafting as a sleeper
Next level shortstops in order are: Francisco Lindor, Jhonny Peralta, Ian Desmond, Jose Reyes, and Alexei Ramirez.
Outfielders
- Mike Trout- LA Angels
Mike Trout has become the face of baseball and if he stays consistent, he could mark his name as one of the all-time best in the game. In 2015, the slugger ranked 10th in batting average, 3rd in home runs, 9th in RBI’s, 4th in runs, and T-9th in hits among all outfielders. Trout has also transformed into a huge power hitter (77 home runs over the last two years), while still maintaining a high batting average. The 24 year old Angel is a no question first overall pick.
- Bryce Harper- Washington Nationals
Baseball fans have been waiting for Bryce Harper to have his breakout season. It finally arrived in 2015 and it earned Harper an MVP award! The young star had more home runs, RBI’s, walks, doubles, and runs than he had in 2014 and 2013 combined! In 2015, Harper ranked in the top 5 for all outfielders in batting average, home runs, RBI’s, and runs. Is Harper the real deal? If he can put up these incredible stats at 23 year old, I would say so.
- Jose Bautista- Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Bautista is one of my favorite baseball players and is always drafted on my fantasy team. This is because he’s a consistent 30-40 home run and 100 RBI guy. While Bautista’s batting average included a drop from .286 in 2014 to .250 in 2015, he made up for it by smashing an extraordinary 40 home runs and 114 RBI’s. Bautista ranked T-4th in home runs, 4th in RBI’s, and 3rd in runs for all outfielders, proving that being 35 years old won’t make an impact on his performance on the field.
- J.D. Martinez- Detroit Tigers
J.D. Martinez was my #1 sleeper coming into the 2015 season and I was luckily able to draft him. This resulted as a huge reason why I won my league in 2015. Martinez had an immense breakout season in 2015 by ranking 6th in home runs, 3rd in RBI’s, T-12th in runs, and 13th in hits among all outfielders. Hitting in the middle of sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez should help J.D flourish and blossom even more.
- Andrew McCutchen- Pittsburgh Pirates
A left knee injury pestered McCutchen in spring training and influenced his play for most of the 2015 season. Nevertheless, McCutchen was still able to put together a solid year of ranking 15th in batting average, 7th in RBI’s, 15th in runs, and 15th in hits for all outfielders. The 29 year old Pirates star is a great candidate for a bounce back season, given his splendid performances in past years. McCutchen is one of the safest picks because of his inspiring consistency and potential for a 30 HR, 100 RBI season this year.
Additional outfielder studs in order are: A.J. Pollock, Gioncarlo Stanton, Adam Jones, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, Yoenis Cespedes. Michael Brantley, Matt Kemp, Mookie Betts, Alex Gordon, George Springer, and Carlos Gomez.
Stix Sully's Fantasy Football Analysis 