Fantasy Baseball RPV Breakdown: Outfield RPV

The common mistake fantasy owners make is thinking that outfield is automatically the deepest position in fantasy. While there may be more to choose from, depending on your league it may actually be the scarcest of all the fantasy slots. In a 12-team league with five active outfielders, you’re looking at 60 outfielders right off the bat active and in play. If you add in the fact some will be delineated with dual eligibility to infield slots when applicable, you can bump that number up to 70 active outfielders needed. Add in a UT or DH slot (which will likely come from the outfield as well with CINF taking up many of legitimate bats) that number jumps to 80-plus! There are only 90 active outfielders on a given night in MLB and that includes platoon players who can be fantasy dead weight. Outfield needs to be paid more mind than you think.

Using Relative Position Value (RPV), we can see what the top 25 outfielders look like 2/3 of the way into the season. Even more importantly, RPV shows us the size of the drop off from tier to tier from the elite to the average. Here’s the tale of the tape:

This top 25 contains the elite and 1A/No.2 group of outfielders. Mike Trout is no stranger to the top tier, but Mookie Betts has been the real story in 2016. His +29% RPV on this list is quite an accomplishment when you consider the talent of his peers. It will be nearly impossible to imagine Betts being outside the top five overall picks next year if he finishes anywhere close to his first four months of the season. Kris Bryant (+17 RPV) has made a strong case for a mid-first round pick last year after hovering around the late first round last March.

The biggest surprise has to be Wil Myers (+11% RPV) who was all but forgotten in many drafts. This once blue chip prospect has finally blossomed and is now looking like a great 2017 investment. Equally surprising is the performance of Bryce Harper (+2%). It hasn’t been all bad, but Harper has yet to return the hefty investment that owners made in him. When a mostly undrafted player like Jackie Bradley Jr. is out producing the consensus No. 1 overall pick it’s not a good look for Bryce Harper owners.

The usually streaky Jay Bruce is leading the NL in RBI and is finally in a pennant race now that he’s been dealt to the Mets. The home ballpark change isn’t a win, but the opportunity to play in meaningful games could be a jolt to propel him to a strong finish. If Bruce’s 2016 has been a breath of fresh air, Carlos Beltran’s has been a revelation. He, too, has changed addresses this week and finds himself in another friendly environment in Texas. That should allow him to stay on a decent pace down the stretch.

If Ian Desmond is the Comeback Player of the Year on this list, then Marcell Ozuna is the one to watch in 2017. His 20 homers and .298/.350/.518 slash has him looking like a player poised to become a fantasy superstar next season. He should be a top trade target in keeper leagues if you are looking ahead to next season.

Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the seven-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football and hosts Fantasy Sports Tonight on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio.