1. Ryan Braun – Brewers
2. Carlos Gonzalez – Rockies
3. Matt Kemp – Dodgers
4. Josh Hamilton – Rangers
5. Carl Crawford – Red Sox
6. Matt Holiday – Cardinals
7. Shin Soo-Choo – Indians
8. Justin Upton – D’Backs
9. Nelson Cruz - Rangers
10. Jayson Werth – Nats
The Whys:
- Braun is the classic combination of the power/speed player. Always a threat for a 30/20 season with a .300 average. Do not forget he is 27 this year.
- CarGo might of had a career year last year at 111/34/117/26 .336 but his home road splits were drastically different. I will take the difference as long as he gets his 81 games at Coors field in that special hitter's air.
- Kemp should finally get a secured spot in the batting order with Mattingly as the manager. Do you think Mattingly ever showed up to the park batting 2nd on Monday, 4th on Tuesday, the 8th on Wednesday? That's what Torre did to Kemp last year. Kemp should bat 2nd or 3rd ALL year in 2011. With Davey Lopes now coaching 1st base Kemp could go 30/30.
- Hamilton finally proved why he was an overall #1 pick. If he stays healthy can you say repeat season. I can not remember a better 2 months stretch like Hamilton had in June and July. Be wary of the late summer decline from playing in that 100 degree plus heat all year.
- Crawford will excel at Fenway. He hit .324 there last year. I see a decline in the SB with all that power behind him(no real need to run) plus he will be hitting many more doubles at home. Expect him to score120 runs.
- Holliday is just a consistent grinder. Hits nearly .300 every month with a few HR and and 15 RBI. He never gets white hot but he rarely slumps.
- Choo has the worries of mandatory military service behind him now and continues to get better every year. Back to back 20/20 seasons with 3 consecutive .300 seasons. He will not hurt you as your #1 outfielder.
- Upton is still only 23 and often hurt, but this is the year he breaks out. Look for a 25/25 season on a bad team. Runs and average may not be elite but depending on your type of league he is must have.
- Cruz seems to always be hurt and has never played over 128 games but when he does play he is a monster. Texas has him working out this off season in the Dominican. He will come out lean and mean this year. Expect career highs across the board.
- Werth is moving to a new park and a team that will not compete this year. I consider him a poor man's Holliday with a bigger contract. He will justify that big new contract...but his was obscene.
So...Do you agree, disagree or want to kick me in the knee over these top 10 outfielders? Leave a comment and tell me why.
Wow, Matt Kemp is drastically over rated here. Hamilton and Crawford are both far more reliable and offer as much upside as Kemp does.
ReplyDeleteDrastically? Now that Kemp is away from Torre and hooked up with the best 1st base coach in the bigs he will thrive. If he gets to bat everyday from the 3 hole with his power and speed...yikes. He is also out of that relationship with Rhianna, so no away from the game baggage to bring to the park like last year. Kemp himself even said look out for a 40/40 season...got to like his confidence.
ReplyDeleteYeah there is a difference between confidence and cockyness. Mattingly was there last year as well. I just disagree big time, could he finish there yes but that is not where he should start. You would draft him over Crawford and Hammy?
ReplyDeleteHamilton reliable? Thats positive thinking. He's hurt every year.
ReplyDeleteI would take his productivity when healthy over a guy as inconsistent as Kemp day in and day out. I bet many Kemp owners, last year, would have preferred for him to go on the dl during one of his many droughts.
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