We come to the end of our series. We are looking at the Steamer projections for all of the hitters that should be rated for a standard 300 player draft. We have already looked at the three year averages for these players, but because they were rated over three seasons some young players were left out.
So, we are ranking the right fielders according to their projections in the six main categories (walks as the sixth). Projections are not always accurate, so these rankings are flawed just like the other rankings. Hopefully, the combination gives us something to go on.
Mookie Betts– Boston Red Sox
Projection: .303, 30 HR, 117 Runs, 96 RBI, 26 SB, 77 BB
Betts has a credible argument for the top spot in all of baseball. Naturally, Mike Trout has something to say about that. When you include fielding Betts probably has the edge. He plays on the best offensive team in baseball, so that is probably worth something in the counting categories.
Christian Yelich– Milwaukee Brewers
Projection: .297, 27 HR, 96 Runs, 87 RBI, 15 SB, 73 BB
The balkanization of the Marlins is now complete and with all of the hype you would think that J.T. Realmuto was the reincarnation of Johnny Bench. Yelich was probably the best of the lot as evidenced by his MVP. The fact that both MVPs come from right field is an indication of the strength of the position.
Bryce Harper– Free Agent
Projection: .267, 35 HR 95 Runs, 94 RBI, 10 SB, 111 BB
Talk about a guessing game. We don’t even know where he is going yet and the possibilities could change his numbers drastically,. If he winds up in San Diego the numbers will be depressed. If he winds up in Philadelphia it could be a bonanza. So, I’d wait to see where he winds up.
J.D. Martinez– Boston Red Sox
Projection: .297, 36 HR, 94 Runs, 110 RBI, 4 SB, 63 BB
Is the MVP the best player in baseball or is the MVP the guy most responsible for the winning team winning it all? Betts was the best player, but the Red Sox were merely a good team without Martinez. He gave them the extra oomph they needed to go all the way.
Aaron Judge– New York Yankees
Projection: .251, 36 HR, 98 Runs, 93 RBI, 7 SB, 95 BB
Judge took an obvious step back last season, but he is still a very productive guy. In total points leagues he strikes out too often to be an upper echielon player, but in standard leagues he is still very strong.
Giancarlo Stanton– New York Yankees
Projection: .267, 45 HR, 96 Runs, 114 RBI, 3 SB, 67 BB
Stanton is flawed like Judge. The general idea is that hopefully one of them is hot at any one time. Either of them are capable of carrying a team for short bursts. Neither are as good as Betts and Martinez and that is why the Yankees are likely to come up short again.
Yasiel Puig– Cincinnati Reds
Projection: .276, 27 HR, 77 Runs, 87 RBI, 14 SB, 57 BB
The key in these things is never in the rankings themselves, but in the gaps you find. Puig is only next to Stanton in terms of absolute rank. The distance between the two is exceptional. Puig has always been talented. He gets one season to show how talented before becoming a free agent.
Andrew McCutchen– Philadelphia Phillies
Projection: .263, 26 HR, 78 Runs, 78 RBI, 11 SB, 75 BB
If this were the McCutchen from three years ago, there is no telling how far the Phillies would go. As it stands, the Realmuto trade is likely to make them a trendy pick to win the NL East. It remains to be seen how far they will actually go and how much he has left in the tank.
Mitch Haniger– Seattle Mariners
Projection: .259, 23 HR, 82 Runs, 80 RBI, 7 SB, 62 BB
Baseball is a one on one sport, but we cannot deny the effects of time and place. If you placed Haniger in Philadelphia and McCutchen in Seattle the rankings would be reversed and Haniger might even move up a couple of spots.
Nick Castellanos– Detroit Tigers
Projection: .276, 24 HR, 81 Runs, 90 RBI, 3 SB, 48 BB
Make no mistake, the Tigers will be terrible, but they won’t be terrible offensively. There is also the chance that Castellanos could be dealt to a contender once the Harper situation is resolved. That will have a slight effect on these numbers.
Wil Myers– San Diego Padres
Projection: .240, 23 HR, 72 Runs, 71 RBI, 17 SB, 61
If the Padres sign Manny Machado then Myers becomes the right fielder. If they sign Harper he moves to left field or they try him at third. It’s hard to call him the key to their season given the amount of the investment it would take to get either of those two in town, but a healthy season from him makes them competitive.
Brandon Nimmo– New York Mets
Projection: .240, 16 HR, 78 Runs, 55 RBI, 10 SB, 81 BB
Occasionally, you get significant gaps between formats. There is a huge gap between five and six category formats. The walks play a huge role in his value and they do the same for total points formats. He just isn’t a huge power source yet, but he could develop that as time goes on,
Adam Eaton– Washington Nationals
Projection: .283, 10 HR, 76 Runs, 52 RBI, 11 SB, 57 BB
When the Nats acquired Eaton, he was supposed to be the missing piece in the pennant chase. His career has mirrored their relative lack of success. He has been good when healthy, but he just hasn’t been healthy enough. Defense was always a big part of his game, but after numerous injuries who knows how much he has left.
Max Kepler– Minnesota Twins
Projection: .255, 20 HR, 73 Runs, 74 RBI, 7 SB, 61 BB
Kepler belongs in the baseball encyclopedia as the epitome of an average player. Average players have value. Like most average players, he rises and falls with the tide. If the Twins are good then he will be better. If they struggle again then he will not be as good.
Stephen Piscotty– Oakland Athletics
Projection: .261, 21 HR, 76 Runs, 77 RBI, 4 SB, 56 BB
Explanations like above seem pithy, but Piscotty is a perfect example of it. As the A’s gained momentum he gained momentum. Sure, he was a part of that momentun, but boats always seem to rise with the tide.
Randal Grichuk– Toronto Blue Jays
Projection: .243, 30 HR, 71 Runs, 84 RBI, 5 SB, 36 BB
Grichuk came on strong in the second half last year to give the Blue Jays some hope for next season. Add him to a lineup with Guerrero Jr. and Justin Smoak and you might have something. The Jays won’t win anything, but they will be fun to watch.
Nomar Mazara– Texas Rangers
Projection: .271, 21 HR, 65 Runs, 72 RBI, 2 SB, 43 BB
There is a difference between value and production. Mazara puts up numbers because he plays in a great ballpark for hitters and plays every day. It’s overly simplistic to say anyone could do it, but more people could do it than you think.
Nick Markakis– Atlanta Braves
Projection: .274, 11 HR, 63 Runs, 62 RBI, 2 SB, 58 BB
Markakis will be on a Hall of Fame ballot some day. He won’t get much support, but that puts a ranking like this in perspective. He isn’t as good as he was last season, but you could do a lot worse on your fantasy bench.
Kole Calhoun– Los Angeles Angels
Projection: .243, 17 HR, 64 Runs, 57 RBI, 5 SB, 50 BB
The first two months of last year saw injuries derail his entire season, but if you took the numbers from the last four months and extrapolated them to a full season you would see his career norms come through. It’s simplistic to say bet on that for a full season, but it’s worth a late round pick to gamble.
Steven Souza– Arizona Diamondbacks
Projection: .239, 16 HR, 52 Runs, 53 RBI, 9 SB, 48 BB
The Dbacks acquired him to be the missing piece and he ended up missing much of the season Now, they have lost Goldschmidt. Still, Souza is worth a pick at the end of the draft in case he comes back to 2017 form.
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