New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge certainly provided ample fantasy baseball value during the 2021 season when he hit .287 with 39 home runs and, perhaps most impressively, played in 148 games. After all, few doubted Judge's ability to barrel baseballs up and hit them very hard and very far. The question with Judge, ever since his historic 2017 rookie campaign when he hit 52 home runs, was about his durability. If we could count on 150-plus games, we could likely count on big numbers.
Well, mission accomplished.
In his age-30 season, Judge flew past 150 games this season and, obviously, captured the baseball world with his incredible power display, easily outdistancing everyone else when it came to home runs. Rostering Judge this season meant not only big power and batting average numbers, but bigger power numbers than everyone else. That's a significant advantage. Judge will finish the 2022 season as the runaway winner on the ESPN Player Rater and a surprisingly durable, five-category provider.
Fantasy managers in category/roto formats love the power, but appreciate the career-best stolen bases, too. Judge hadn't hit .300 in a full season before and he hadn't delivered double-digit stolen bases either. What an incredible season! If you want to make the case for Judge (a jewel of a second-round pick in 2022 ADP) as the first player off the board in 2023 drafts, we won't argue. We may not choose him first, but it's a compelling case.
It's been an awesome 2022 fantasy baseball season and we thank you for following along at ESPN Fantasy. We have already recapped the season and named MVPs/LVPs for starting pitchers, relief pitchers and infielders/catchers already, and plan to reveal our early 2023 rankings soon, but here we go with the outfielders.
Fantasy outfielder MVP
Judge is the obvious selection, even with his second-round ADP, but we must give attention to Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena, Texas Rangers surprise Adolis Garcia, Atlanta Braves rookie Michael Harris II and Cleveland Guardians rookie Steven Kwan as well. What a great season for rookie outfielders!
What's interesting about these first-year outfield stars is that only Rodriguez was regarded as a top fantasy prospect. Perhaps fantasy managers were scared to invest after his touted teammate Jarred Kelenic flopped. Rodriguez was a mid-round pick who hit 27 home runs and stole 25 bases! Harris skipped Triple-A and provided instant five-category greatness, while the contact-oriented Kwan hit for average and scored many runs.
Meanwhile, credit Arozarena and Garcia, among others, for providing power and stolen bases. Arozarena sailed past 30 steals for the first time, while Garcia provided similar numbers from 2021, even though many were skeptical of him repeating. Garcia was a 24th-round pick in ESPN ADP! Guardians SS/OF Amed Rosario, Baltimore Orioles slugger Anthony Santander, San Diego Padres acquisition Brandon Drury and New York Mets on-base machine Brandon Nimmo also delivered huge value this season.
Fantasy outfielder LVP
First, let's discuss who does not belong in this section. Yes, current Padres OF Juan Soto struggled in batting average and was the first outfielder off the board in many leagues, but he hit for power and scored runs, and is a top-five outfielder in points formats, thanks to myriad walks. He and Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, another top-five outfielder on draft day who missed months with a thumb injury, hardly were bad. Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout missed a ton of games again and did not steal bases when he played, but c'mon, the power was real. These are not LVPs.
However, Padres SS/OF Fernando Tatis Jr. did not play in a game in 2022. No games at all! We knew Tatis would be delayed in debuting this season due to wrist surgery. We did not know that in August, just as he was ramping up to play and enticing eager fantasy managers, the league would be handing him an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance. Tatis will miss the start of the 2023 season as well. He was a discounted ninth-round selection in ESPN ADP, but obviously that still was far too generous.
Meanwhile, we already highlighted Colorado Rockies disappointment Kris Bryant in the infielder entry (how does a slugger hit nary a home run at Coors Field?!?), so let's focus on Phillies disappointment Nick Castellanos, Arizona Diamondbacks 2B/OF Ketel Marte, Boston Red Sox OF/DH J.D. Martinez and Toronto Blue Jays 2B/OF Whit Merrifield.
Marte was a fifth-round pick who hit for neither average nor power. It's time to forget about his 32-HR season of 2019. Castellanos went only one round later but didn't come remotely close to his career season of 2021 or a top-50 spot at his position on the Rater. He does represent a decent bounce-back candidate, though. Martinez ceased hitting for power in his age-34 season, though he wasn't as bad as Washington Nationals DH Nelson Cruz (yep, I recommended him one year too many). Merrifield led the league in stolen bases in 2021. He did not do so in 2022.
Rookie watch
How can it get any better than 2022? Speedy Diamondback Corbin Carroll retains rookie eligibility for 2023, and he should be an instant hit for fantasy managers seeking five-category production. The Nationals could debut Robert Hassell, with younger James Wood not far behind. We may also see Milwaukee Brewers teenager Jackson Chourio, as he continues to rise in the minors and up prospect lists. He's at Double-A now. The Brewers should give slugger Joey Wiemer a chance in 2023.
Sophomores to watch
Not all rookie outfielders shined in 2022. The Detroit Tigers gave Riley Greene a legit chance and, if he can hit fewer ground balls, perhaps a star awaits. Greene boasts enticing power and speed. Spend a mid-round pick on him for the upside. The Rays' Josh Lowe struggled in the majors, but continued to hit for average, power and steal bases at Triple-A Durham. He has to hit in the majors. Guardians slugger Nolan Jones should hit for power.