Fantasy baseball outfielders #12: Byron Buxton
You could make a very strong argument that Byron Buxton has the loudest raw tools (except contact) in baseball, but his health problems are severe. He got called up in 2015, and in his eight MLB seasons, he’s only played more than 100 games once, and more than 86 games four times. Last season, in 92 games, he slashed .224/.306/.526/.833, good for a 135 OPS+. He hit 28 homers (50 homer pace of 162!), 13 doubles, drove in 51 runs, and scored 61. His stolen base numbers have dropped to a fraction of what they used to be, probably in an effort to avoid injuries. If he can stay on the field, he’s one of the best players in the game, and I really hope we get to see that.
Fantasy baseball outfielders #11: Randy Arozarena
Arozarena is one of the most well-rounded players in baseball. Last year, he hit .263/.327/.445/.773, good for a 124 OPS+. He hit 20 homers, 42 doubles, drove in 89 runs, and scored 72. He stole 32 bases, but he also led the league in caught stealing with 12, just as he led the league with 10 times caught stealing in 2021. He needs to get better at picking his spots to steal, but he can definitely benefit from the bigger bases this year.
Fantasy baseball outfielders #10: George Springer
Springer missed about a month last year, which unfortunately is the norm for him, but he puts up elite production when he plays. Last year, he slashed .267/.342/.472/.814, good for a 131 OPS+. He hit 25 homers, 22 doubles, drove in 76 runs, scored 89 runs, and stole 14 bases. Heading into his age-33 season, he can still do it all, and he’ll be atop a very talented Blue Jays lineup.