Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. is enjoying an historic season, while Los Angeles Dodgers OF/2B/SS Mookie Betts has also been quite fantastic for fantasy purposes, especially considering his eligibility at multiple infield positions as well as in the outfield. Both players have carried fantasy baseball teams and are certainly worthy of earning NL MVP honors. Then again, Acuna and Betts were supposed to be great, since they were among the top-10 selections in almost every ESPN average live draft.
Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll, however, was not a top 10 fantasy pick. In fact, Carroll, who hit .260 with four home runs and two stolen bases in 32 big-league games in 2022, was not among the top-75 choices in many ESPN leagues. Considering how likely he is to end this season among the top 10 players on ESPN's Player Rater, and the value of his later investment, Carroll gets the nod here for fantasy MVP among outfielders.
Carroll has been a solid four-category provider for roto formats, hitting for power, scoring more than 100 runs and approaching 50 stolen bases. Yes, fantasy managers in both roto and points formats have benefited greatly from his breakout. Carroll seems likely to earn NL Rookie of the Year honors, too. It seemed a likely bet that Carroll would hit for a high average and provide stolen bases, but the power is a nice treat as well. Carroll seems primed for many years of top performance.
Draft day status matters, though we do expect Acuna and Betts to end up on many ESPN championship squads. It is easy to gloss it over today, but Acuna was not so awesome in 2022, as he hit .266 with only 15 home runs in more than 500 plate appearances. With his repaired knee healthier this season, Acuna made history, improving across the statistical board. Betts has been incredible, too, reaching a career high in home runs and registering double-digit steals for the ninth consecutive season. What an amazing season for each player!
Here are some other familiar names that are worthy of consideration for fantasy MVP among outfielders -- and also the top choices for LVP, when combining their performance (or lack thereof) with the investment cost.
Other outfield fantasy MVPs
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs: One could easily argue that Bellinger deserves the fantasy MVP nod among outfielders, since he may also finish this season in the top 10 on ESPN's Player Rater, and he went several rounds after Carroll. Bellinger, who hit .305 with 47 home runs in his real-life MVP season of 2019, struggled in the years after, and the Dodgers moved on. Bellinger hit .210 with a 27% strikeout rate last season. He did remarkably better this season, shortening his swing to make more contact and adding 100 points of batting average, and seizing his first 20-HR/20-SB campaign. Bellinger also added first base eligibility during this season.
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers: As with Bellinger, Yelich dominated during the 2019 season (and the prior year, when he won NL MVP honors), but had struggled since then. This season, Yelich finally fell out of the top 100 in ESPN ADP and, while his power numbers still pale in comparison to his peak, he was a solid choice in batting average for much of this year, as well as in stolen bases and runs scored.
Lane Thomas, Washington Nationals: Thomas was a draft-day afterthought in most leagues, but he has been among the top outfielders in fantasy all season, providing five-category goodness in roto formats. Thomas will not be overlooked in 2024.
Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays: Lowe also went undrafted in most leagues after he hit .221 over 198 PA during his rookie season. This year, Lowe broke out despite being a platoon option, sitting against most left-handed pitching. He has done enough against right-handers, especially in batting average and stolen bases, to become a top-50 overall player.
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves: Not everyone has to steal bases to add value for fantasy managers. Ozuna hit .222 with 30 home runs combined during the 2021-2022 seasons, and fantasy managers gave up on him. This year, Ozuna reached 30 home runs for the first time since the 2017 season with Miami, and his batting average returned to passable career norms.
Jorge Soler, Miami Marlins: As with Ozuna, it had been years since Soler provided enough power to justify his low batting average, but Soler smacked 12 home runs this May alone and sailed past 30 home runs for the season during August.
Outfield fantasy LVPs
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: Many Trout fans do not want to hear it, but this future Hall of Famer is no longer a fantasy force. Yet, managers continue choosing him so early in drafts. Trout just cannot stay on the field, depriving everyone of enjoying his wonderful talent. He played in only 82 games this season, after missing more than half of all Angels games over the prior two seasons, and he has now played in 140 games in only one of the last six full seasons. One!
Unfortunately, missing games is not the only reason Trout, who was the No. 26 option in ESPN average live drafts and ninth among outfielders, has become overrated in fantasy. Trout used to be a five-category provider. This season, the only category in which Trout delivered better-than-average production was with his 18 home runs. He was on pace for 35 blasts, though with fewer than 90 RBI.
To sum up the whole sad story: Trout hit a career-low .263 and attempted only two stolen bases. He has not stolen more than two bases in a season since 2019. He was not among the top-50 outfielders on the Player Rater when he succumbed to his wrist injury in early July.
Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies: Missing myriad games has become a theme for Bryant as well. Bryant missed 120 games in 2022, his first season with the Rockies, and missed half of this season as well. If Bryant, like Trout, was performing the way he used to in his prime, we would deal with the missed games -- especially since he gets to play half of his games in a hitter's paradise in Denver. That is not the case. Bryant was the No. 25 outfielder in ADP and far from it in performance.
Starling Marte, New York Mets: The No. 37 outfielder in ADP also struggled to stay on the field, missing nearly half of his team's games. Marte stole plenty of bases but struggled to get on base in the first place and, as he approaches his 35th birthday, it appears the end is nigh.