With less than two weeks to go until the season starts (April 5) it’s time to get your fantasy team in order. First up is the outfielders. Here are the best 30:
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels—Despite winning MVP, Trout actually regressed a bit last year, with his steals down to 16 (from 33), average at .287 (down from .323), and strikeouts up to a league-leading 184 (up from 136). He’s still the best.
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates—McCutchen’s last three seasons have been consistently excellent with averages between .314 – .327 and an OPS between .911 – .953. At 28, expect more of the same.
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins—I'd put Stanton above McCutchen if I were sure there will be no ill effects (mental or physical) from his gruesome hit-by-pitch last September. He hit a league-high 37 home runs before getting beaned, which is a lot in the post-steroid era.
Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers—The two-time All-Star Gomez has averaged 22 home runs, 37 stolen bases, and a .277 the last three seasons for the Brewers.
Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles—Jones has missed a total of just five games the last three years while hitting between 29 and 33 home runs for the Orioles every season.
Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays—While the top five on this list are pretty good bets, the 34-year-old Bautista is a little riskier pick. Though he hit 35 home runs in 2014, he averaged just 110 games a year the previous two seasons.
Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals—Harper represents even more risk, but huge upside. The former No. 1 overall pick in 2010, Harper should be looking to rebound from a season where he played just 100 games and hit just 13 home runs.
Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers—Puig’s talent is undeniable. He was the main catalyst in LA’s run to the playoffs in 2013. Last year’s numbers were a little disappointing (.296 average, 16 home runs) but he’s only 24.
Justin Upton, San Diego Padres—Upton averaged 28 home runs and 86 RBIs in his two years in Atlanta and history suggests, with this being his contract year, that he'll have his best year yet in 2015.
Jason Heyward, St. Louis Cardinals—Heyward, another talented player in a contract year, has the tools for an MVP-type season. Injuries and inconsistency have held back his potential.
George Springer, Houston Astros—Springer, who was a rookie last season, is actually the same age as Heyward (25). Coming off a season where he hit 20 home runs in just 78 games, he should be good for 30-plus this year.
Yoenis Cespedes, Detroit Tigers—Cespedes is another contract year player who has consistently provided power (averaging 24 home runs the past three years) and a decent average (.263 for his career).
Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees—Ellsbury would be higher on this list had an oblique strain not sidelined him from playing, this close to the start of the season. Given how big of a weapon his speed is, the Yankees would be wise to rest him as long as possible.
Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates—Over a 162-game average, Marte has averaged 42 steals, 15 home runs, and a .282 batting average. Should be play a full season this year, the 26-year-old could be quite a steal.
Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians—If Brantley duplicated his numbers from last year (.327 BA, 20 HRs, 97 RBIs) he'd be a top five outfielder. His previous numbers suggest last year was an outlier.
Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants—Pence is currently out with a broken arm, but when he’s in, he’s pretty consistent with seven straight 20-or-more home run seasons in a row and a .284 career average.
Corey Dickerson, Colorado Rockies—Dickerson may not be that well-known but he can hit alright (.312 average, 24 home runs last year) and he plays in the thin air in Colorado, so he might not be a bad choice.
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers—Braun is a bit of a mystery. He struggled last season (career low .266 average) after missing much of 2013 after violating the Joint Drug Agreement. But he’s still just 31 and others have rebounded after such a suspension.
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies—Gonzalez won a batting title in 2010 when he hit .336 but injuries have cut his seasons short ever since, with last year resulting in just 70 games played and a career-low .238 average. If healthy, he can hit.
Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres—Kemp was the MVP runner-up in 2011 but injuries killed his next two seasons. Last year he was healthy (played 150 games) and had a vintage second half with a .309 average and 17 home runs in 62 games.
Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals—Gordon, another contract season player, has averaged 19 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .283 average over the past four seasons.
Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins—Ozuna quietly went for 23 home runs and 85 RBIs last season as a 23-year-old.
Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals—Holliday has hit at least 20 home runs nine straight seasons and owns a career average of .308. Now 35, he has kept most of his hitting value.
Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds—The two-time All-Star Bruce slumped to 18 home runs and a .217 batting average last season—both were career-lows. Previous to that the soon-to-be 28-year old hit 30 or more home runs three straight seasons. He’s a career .251 hitter.
Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds—Hamilton’s strength is well-known—speed. The 24-year old swiped 56 bases last season, though he was caught a league-high 23 times.
Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals—Werth will be 36 in May, but he’s averaged 20 home runs and 82 RBIs the past two seasons. Of course, that’s after he missed half of the 2012 season to injury and hit just .232 in 2011—he’s a risk.
Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners—Cruz had an incredible 2014 with 40 home runs and 108 RBIs, while placing seventh in the MVP voting. He’s likely not going to approach those numbers in Seattle, but should still be good for 20 home runs and a .260 average.
Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox—Betts, at 22, has just 52 major league games under his belt but hit .291 while slugging .444 in that time. He hit for decent power in the minors (.470 slugging) while showing plenty of speed in swiping an average of 30 bases per year.
Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins—Yelich, just 23, hit .284 in 144 games last year, though he only hit 9 home runs. His power should come though as the former first-round pick accumulated a .497 slugging percentage in four minor league seasons.
Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox—Melky followed up a disastrous 2013 by hitting .301 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs last year. He’s never hit 20 home runs in a season, but he should be good for 10 – 15 homers and an average in the .270 – .300 range.
