Underrated Fantasy Baseball Players: Outfielder Edition

Discussing MLB outfielders who are underappreciated in fantasy baseball leagues this season.

The other day, I started a series on underrated fantasy baseball players.

I started with outfield players and now I will move on to underrated players. There are a bunch of players that could be part of this story, but I’ll limit myself to 12 players.

We’ll cover pitchers in another story, so be sure to check back for that.

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Underrated outfielders

We’ll kick things off by talking about the Oakland Athletics. He was primarily the team’s designated hitter, but is an outfielder when he plays in the field.

In 64 games played, Rooker has a .261 average and a .338 on-base percentage. Along with a solid average and OBP, Rooker has 29 extra-base hits (including 13 homers), 44 RBIs, 27 runs scored, two stolen bases, 26 walks and 92 strikeouts.

Playing for a below average team doesn’t do Rooker any favors and the hitting doesn’t do him as much as he does, but if you’re in a league that doesn’t penalize players too much for Ks, Rooker is a really strong fantasy . option. Rooker plays almost every day, is healthy and still brings positives despite all the hits.

He’s owned in 64% of leagues, and that number is falling, so there’s a decent chance he’ll be available in your standard league if you want to add him.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are very underrated in my eyes.

In 65 games, Pederson has a .297 average and .394 OBP. He has 12 doubles and 10 home runs among his 54 total hits, 34 RBIs, 28 runs scored, four stolen bases, 25 walks and 55 strikeouts.

Despite the solid numbers, Pederson is owned in just 49 percent of leagues — and that’s after rising more than 30 percent over the past two weeks.

Pederson is playing quite a bit and is putting up great numbers for the season. I really don’t understand why he isn’t owned in more leagues, and if you get a chance to add him, I would do it now.

The Washington Nationals struggled in 2023, making his 2024 season a big surprise.

In 73 total games, Winker has a .265 average and .381 OBP. He has 11 doubles and eight home runs among his 63 total hits. Winker also has 34 RBI, 35 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 39 walks and 66 strikeouts this season.

Winker was a really streaky hitter, but he’s been trending up lately. Despite his up and down season, Winker is still one of the best fantasy options in standard scoring leagues.

At least add it until it cools on the plate. He is still available in about 45% of leagues.

The Boston Red Sox have had an injury-riddled career and have dealt with several injuries this season. When he was there, though, he was a good fantasy option.

In 53 games, O’Neill has a .257 average and a .353 on-base percentage. He doubled nine times and homered 15 times in his total of 49 hits. O’Neill also has 26 RBIs, 39 runs scored, a stolen base, 27 walks and 72 strikeouts so far this season.

He might not be the top fantasy option due to his injury concerns and high strikeout numbers, but O’Neill is still valuable enough to slot into almost any fantasy league. He is owned in 81% of leagues now, and should really be closer to 100%, at least for now.

The New York Yankees are having a good first season in New York, but are still available in 15% of the league.

In 75 games so far, Verdugo has a .251 average and .309 OBP. He has career-best numbers in both departments, so there’s a chance his fantasy value will improve as the season goes on.

Verdugo has 15 doubles, one triple and nine home runs among his 70 total hits. He also has 41 RBI, 36 runs scored, one stolen base, 25 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Between the numbers he’s already produced and what he’s done throughout his career, I think Verdugo should be owned in multiple leagues.

The Toronto Blue Jays are basically a perfect example of a boom-or-bust fantasy hitter.

In 72 games, Varsho has 28 extra-base hits (including 11 home runs), but also has 68 strikeouts. That results in a .207 average and .289 OBP, which certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Varsho also has 35 RBI, 40 runs scored and eight stolen bases on the season.

He is owned in 68% of leagues, mostly due to his low batting average, but still produces enough to be included in a few other leagues. It’s at least a solid backup option.

Boston’s is trending in the right direction and is up to 68% owned now.

In 75 games, Rafaela has a .248 average and .275 OBP. He tallied 12 doubles, two triples and eight home runs among his 65 total hits. Rafaela also has 41 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 10 walks and 76 strikeouts.

His percentage would likely be higher if he cut down on his strikeouts and could draw more walks. Still, he’s a pretty good fantasy option, and that’s why his own percentage is up nearly 30% over the past two weeks.

Oakland’s is another underrated outfielder for me. He’s currently owned in 42% of leagues, but he’s among the top options in scoring leagues.

In 79 games, Bleday has a .256 average and .341 OBP. He doubled 22 times, tripled three times and homered 11 times in 72 total hits. Bleday also has 28 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 35 walks and 58 strikeouts.

I think being on athletics really hurts the fantasy owner’s perception of Bleday (and Rooker). Bleday gets on base a lot, delivers a ton of extra-base hits, and has decent RBI and run totals – what’s not to like?

St. Louis Cardinals is just a few fantasy points behind Bleday this season. Donovan is owned in 57% of leagues.

In 70 games, Donovan has a .262 average and .329 OBP. He has 16 doubles, one triple and eight home runs among his 72 total hits. Donovan also has 37 RBIs, 34 runs scored, one stolen base, 20 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Donovan also has great positional versatility in fantasy leagues, so I think his own percentage has to be closer to 80% or so.

The San Diego Padres overlooked the other Jackson (and) prospects this spring, but Merril was the best rookie of the three. He is owned in 83% of leagues and should probably be closer to 100%.

In 77 games, Merrill has a .290 average and .327 OBP. He walked 14 times and struck out 44 times. Merrill has mostly provided fantasy value with singles, but he’s on a home run streak right now and up to 10 on the season. He also has 35 RBIs and 34 runs scored, along with nine stolen bases.

If fantasy owners didn’t add Merrill because of his lack of power, there’s no reason not to add him now. He has a great average, is a stolen base threat and can now provide some pop. Add it before it’s too late.

St. Louis is having a career season this year.

In 68 games, Burleson has a .281 average and .316 OBP. He also has 30 RBIs and runs scored, three stolen bases, eight doubles, 12 home runs, 10 walks and 36 strikeouts for the season.

His career averages are much lower than he’s dropped so far, so a regression is certainly possible. At the same time, though, Burleson is a good fantasy option right now and should be owned in more than 41% of fantasy leagues.

The Miami Marlins is the last outfielder I want to talk about. He is owned in 52% of the league and I think a lot of that has to do with the team he is on.

De La Cruz has a .248 average and .298 OBP in 75 games played. He doubled and homered 14 times among his 74 hits. De La Cruz also has 35 RBIs and runs scored, one stolen base, 20 walks and 80 strikeouts.

Sure, there are better fantasy options, but he also outperforms a lot of players who are owned in more fantasy leagues than him. Between his power and solid RBI and scoring totals, I’d definitely consider him De La Cruz in a standard league, even if he’s just a backup option.

#resignations #jobs #2024-fantasy-baseball