Top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders for the 2023 season

We continue on in our fantasy baseball rankings, this time with outfielders. This list is a mix of left, center, and right fielders, because most fantasy leagues don’t distinguish between the individual positions. I decided to do 20, since narrowing this list down to 10 was nearly impossible, and there are still very talented players who didn’t make it.

This list is a ranking of the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders you should target for your team.

First, a few outfielders who just missed the list:

Teoscar Hernandez has been one of the best power hitters in baseball since he became an everyday player in 2018. Last year, he slashed .267/.316/.491/.807, good for a 127 OPS+. He hit 25 homers, 35 doubles, drove in 77 runs, and scored 71. He’ll be entrenched in the middle of a deep Mariners lineup with plenty of opportunities to be productive.

Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t look of play like his usual self after returning from his ACL injury. Last year, he slashed just .266/.351/.413/.764, with a career-low OPS+ of 114. He hit 15 homers, 24 doubles, drove in 50 runs, and scored 71. He still stole 29 bases, even though he got caught 11 times. It often takes time for players to find their groove after major injury like that, so I’d expect him to be back to his usual self this year and jump back onto the top half of this list.

Daulton Varsho will be moving to the outfield full-time in Toronto, and providing a much-needed lefty bat in the middle of that lineup. In 2022, he slashed .235/.302/.443/.745, which was an OPS+ of 109. He hit 27 homers, 23 doubles, drove in 74 runs, and scored 79. He also stole 16 bases. As noted in the catcher rankings, he will start the year with catcher eligibility, but likely lose it relatively early since those duties will be handled by Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen, so just know that if you plan on drafting him.

Michael Harris had an electric rookie campaign culminating in the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He slashed .297/.339/.514/.853, good for a 135 OPS+. He hit 19 homers, 27 doubles, drove in 64 runs, scored 75 runs, and stole 20 bases while only getting caught twice. The concern for him is the alarming strikeout and walk problems. His strikeout rate was sky high at 24.3%, and his walk rate was just 4.8%. Unless he can cut the strikeout rate and boost the walk rate, his ceiling will be limited.

These are all guys that you should be content with on your fantasy baseball teams. With the honorable mentions out of the way, let’s look at the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders you should target for your team in 2023.