Fantasy: Outfielder Composite Rankings
theScore's 2015 fantasy rankings apply to standard 10-team, 5x5 rotisserie leagues. Our MLB editors - Jonah Birenbaum, Dan Toman, Greg Warren and Brandon Wile - ranked 70 outfielders and the top 50 are listed below. Check out all of theScore's fantasy content for the upcoming season here.
View rankings by position: C I 1B I 2B I SS I 3B I OF I SP I RP
Injury notes
* Giants outfielder Hunter Pence suffers fractured forearm; expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks of regular season.
* Nationals outfielder Denard Span undergoes core muscle surgery; expected to miss at least 4 weeks of the regular season.
Analysis: 4 high/low rankings
Denard Span, Washington Nationals
Rank: 40.8 (Birenbaum: 30)
JB: Span was one of just four players to steal at least 30 bases while scoring more than 90 runs last season, and the 30-year-old is poised for another strong campaign in 2015 with free agency looming. Span improved upon his already superb contact skills last year, finishing tied for seventh in the majors with a career-best 9.7 percent strikeout rate, and chasing pitches outside the zone with less frequency than he did in 2013. As long as he keeps putting the ball in play at that rate, he should be able to approximate the .302 batting average he posted last year. Span should also remain aggressive on the basepaths - it will help to show prospective employers that his speed has not yet waned - and given his run-scoring potential atop a potent Nationals' lineup, it's reasonable to expect him to finish among fantasy's top-25 outfielders.
Jason Heyward, St. Louis Cardinals
Rank: 26.5 (Toman: 18)
DT: This is an aggressive ranking and it's admittedly based more on gut than science. Heyward figures to benefit from a change of scenery, especially from a fantasy perspective, given Mike Matheny's preference to bat him in the middle of the Cardinals lineup. He's also just 25 years old and two seasons removed from a monster age-22 effort (he's one of two outfielders in baseball history to fill up the stat sheet the way he did at that age). Even if you don't believe he merits a top-20 ranking, Heyward's too young to have his 2012 campaign written off as a fluke. I'll leave you with his Steamer projection for this season: only one outfielder last year equaled or exceeded those totals. His name is Mike Trout.
Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
Rank: 11 (Warren: 6)
GW: Is it just me or is Brantley not getting the respect he deserves after a lights-out 2014 campaign? He hit an impressive .327, with 200 hits, 20 homers and 97 RBIs. He also stole 23 bags in 24 attempts. Don't be afraid of him not being able to replicate those numbers. The Indians left fielder, who finished third in American League MVP voting, turns 28 in May, which means he's entering his prime years. Brantley is a very well-rounded option and will help you in every statistical category.
Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
Rank: 25.5 (Wile:14)
BW: Hamilton's rookie season was a learning curve, as the speedster fell off a cliff after the All-Star break, hitting .200/.254/.257 in the second half. Hamilton put on weight over the offseason to better combat the wear and tear of a 162-game schedule. Expect him to more closely resemble the player who slashed .285/.319/.423 in the first 90 games of last season. The power is limited (6 home runs last year) but he more than compensates in other categories - hits (141), doubles (25), triples (8) - thanks to his speed. Hamilton stole 56 bases last season and has worked on perfecting his approach to avoid getting thrown out as much. A healthy Joey Votto hitting behind him should also increase his run total (72) from a season ago.