With Mike Trout tabbed as the obvious top choice for outfield as a potential franchise player, and with Andrew McCutcheon as another obvious pick, we will focus on five other outfielders that may bring better value.
Giancarlo Stanton – Miami Marlins
Before being beaned in an ugly incident against the Milwaukee Brewers last September, Stanton was well on his way for a 40 home run season. Still, it was a career year for Stanton as he equaled his career high of 37 home runs while setting new personal best marks for 105 RBI, 89 runs, and 13 stolen bases. Stanton is only 25 years of age and could be entering the prime of his career. The Marlins locked him in for a 13-year contract as the centerpiece of the franchise. Despite his youth, Stanton has played in 634 games to make for an experienced yet still budding star.
Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians
Brantley is coming off a monster season with a .327 average, 45 doubles, 20 home runs, and 23 stolen bases to earn his first All-Star bid. Brantley also exceeded his career average for on base percentage by 42 points at .385 last year to go with a .890 OPS and .506 slugging percentage.
Jacoby Ellsbury – New York Yankees
In his first year as a Yankee after arriving from the Boston Red Sox, Ellsbury had a letdown season in which he dropped from a .298 batting average to a .271 average while dropping from a .355 to .328 on base percentage. Ellsbury did have a relatively comparable slugging percentage at .419. Ellsbury is a solid pick to increase on production this season now that he is used to his surroundings and being a Yankee.
Starling Marte – Pittsburgh Pirates
Operating in the shadow of McCutcheon, Marte has plenty of value to offer as a more anonymous choice. Last year, Marte excelled with 73 runs, 29 doubles, and 30 stolen bases. An OPS of .808 furthers the case for Marte.
Yeonis Cespedes – Detroit Tigers
After arriving as something of a sensation in 2012 with the Oakland A’s, Cespedes has seen his production drop as there is now a book that has been developed on him. Now playing with his third team in the past year, Cespedes has the opportunity to settle in and play in a Tigers lineup that will offer him enough potential protection to reclaim some of his past production. Cespedes has come nowhere close to his rookie slugging percentage of .505 and OPS of .861 but we’ll take a shot on him as an undervalued stock.
