Prepare for the 2010 fantasy baseball season with Athlon Sports’ Fantasy Kit, which continues today with the outfielders.

Listen to the Daily Diamond Update crew dissect this year’s crop of outfielders.

Click here to download the Outfielders’ fantasy page in .pdf format.

View Athlon's Mock Draft

Key:

A: Franchise Player: You need one to compete, two to win, three to dominate.
B: Career Year: Veteran with a strong possibility of delivering his best season.
C: Sleeper: Could be a great acquisition at a price or draft slot below his true value.
D: Roadblocked: Rank lowered because there is no current opportunity to play regularly.
E: Decliner: Expect moderately to significantly worse stats than in 2009.
F: Injury Risk: Has had a recent injury that could affect performance.
G: Investor’s Special: Top prospect whose immediate impact may be minimal.

Batting stats are expressed AVG-HR-RBI-SB

2010 Outfielders Projections:

Tier 1

1. RYAN BRAUN, Brewers (A) -- Ryan’s 200 hits/30 homers/110 RBIs thing formed a rare triumvirate (unless you’re Lou Gehrig, who did it seven times). But Braun is about more than just brawn. Throw the 20 SBs into the equation and the historical precedent shrinks to seven players. He has a decade or more to be the first to do it twice.

2. MATT KEMP, Dodgers (A) -- We heard our readers’ collective scoffs all the way in Nashville when we optimistically listed Kemp as our No. 4 outfielder last year following his good-but-human .290-18-76. At .297-26-101 (plus 34 SBs and 97 runs), he beat even that projection. Matt hasn’t yet taken the obligatory SO/BB leap (a shaky 2.7 in ’09), but when he does, he might challenge for baseball’s first quintuple crown.

3. MATT HOLLIDAY, Cardinals (A) -- As projected, Holliday’s bat quieted in Oakland, but his 1.023 OPS after the trade to St. Louis was on par with that of his monstrous 2007 season for the Rockies. It was even better (1.119) specifically at Busch Stadium. Suffice it to say we don’t share the hint of skepticism that has surrounded him lately.

4. NICK MARKAKIS, Orioles (A, B) -- Markakis’ No. 4 charting is based 70 percent on past performance, 20 percent on timing his true breakout year and 10 percent on the fact that the outfield consortium as a whole is thin at the top. Last year was a touch regressive as his 43 percent reduction in walks was symptomatic of the O’s cleanup men behind him ranking 28th in OPS.

5. ADAM LIND, Blue Jays (A) -- Batting third or fifth all year, Lind was another batter on an island, as Toronto’s No. 4 hitters finished 13th in the AL in homers. Didn’t seem to bother him. He may not duplicate the .305-35-114, but he won’t be far off. If the Jays go another direction in left field, he blows away the competition as the No. 1 DH.

6. GRADY SIZEMORE, Indians (A, F) -- Even in his two-thirds of a 2009 season, he was rarely at full strength (elbow), so a healthy Sizemore has the capacity to be the No. 1 outfielder. Although his .275 career AVG is not conducive to a bank-breaking investment, we’d consider it anyway if he appears healthy enough in spring training to recoup his 2005-08 means of 27 HRs, 81 RBI, 29 SBs and 116 runs. Also pay attention to whether or not he’s still leading off.

7. JACOBY ELLSBURY, Red Sox -- Ellsbury is thought of chiefly as a runner (his 120 SBs the last two years are 34 more than any other AL’er), but he’s a hitter, too. He sits at .297 for his career, and we think he’ll very soon address his wretched walk rate -- at which time he’ll become the new Ichiro. Well, almost.

8. JOSH HAMILTON, Rangers (F) -- The injury-peppered Hamilton, like Sizemore, will come at a draft discount -- a one-time offer to be exploited. He worked industriously on rehab and durability this winter, so bidding should be on the basis of his .304-32-130 harvest of 2008.

9. CARL CRAWFORD, Rays -- You’ll see Crawford ranked a little higher elsewhere, but we’re tired of waiting for that one, colossal year. That said, another of his really good ones will suffice. He hits .300 with 15 homers and, in 2009, he logged a rare 60-RBI, 60-stolen base season.

Tier 2

10. SHIN-SOO CHOO, Indians -- Ah, Choo ... his 2009 season was nothing to sneeze at. Throw his five fantasy stats (.300 AVG, 20 HRs, 86 RBIs, 21 SBs, 87 runs) into a hat and guess whose name is on the only other slip of paper. Hanley Ramirez. Most folks are still sleeping on this guy, so pounce.

11. JUSTIN UPTON, Diamondbacks -- Upton joined Orlando Cepeda as the second player history to hit at least .300 with 25 homers, 80 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in a year played primarily at age 21. His .830 OPS from May on puts a slightly dimmer light on the accomplishment, but his future is luminous.

12. CARLOS QUENTIN, White Sox -- A .254 career AVG will send some of your rotomates elsewhere, but Quentin has always hit for average when healthy, which he hasn’t been for awhile. Power-wise, he could be special in a full season; his roundtripper rate of the last two years projects to 40.

13. CARLOS GONZALEZ, Rockies -- Hype became reality when Gonzalez was recalled last June, as he finished at .284-13-29-16 in essentially the same amount of action as 2008, when he went .242-4-26-4. Coors helps him a lot, but he showed moxie by ripping 10 hits in the four-game NLDS.

14. JAYSON WERTH, Phillies -- According to Hittracker, Werth led the bigs in 2009 with 17 “Just Enough” homers -- shots that barely cleared the fence. His 36 were more than enough, though, to vault him into roto relevance. Though he also repeated as a 20-SB man, he appears unable to cross the midline in batting average.

15. ICHIRO SUZUKI, Mariners -- The 36-year-old Ich appears to be slowing (26 SBs, down from his previous average of 39), but his unique skills and curious alternating-year pattern make it difficult to gauge a decline at the plate. His last seven AVGs: .312, .372, .303, .322, .351, .310, .352.

16. CARLOS LEE, Astros -- Lee is past peak, but still potent. He, A-Rod and Pujols are the only batsmiths with at least 26 HRs and 99 RBIs every year since 2003 even though, in two of those, Carlos missed a major chunk of the season.

17. TORII HUNTER, Angels -- Despite being sidelined more than a month, Hunter landed pretty much where he always does: .299-22-90-18. He won’t carry your team, but he’s predictable and productive in all five categories -- which is not easy to find.

18. CARLOS BELTRAN, Mets (F) -- Beltran was as good as ever in his 2009 half-schedule, but there is considerable peril in drafting him. Speculation abounds that microfracture surgery is on the horizon if his right knee flares up again. A fit Carlos is a .280-30-110-20 Carlos.

19. ANDRE ETHIER, Dodgers -- Tough to pin down Ethier. As a prospect, he profiled as a high-average hitter with moderate power, not the .272-31-106 guy he was in 2009. He’s going to need to make some adjustments to build on that. Also peculiar: his 1.013/.730 OPS home/road split.

20. ADAM JONES, Orioles (B) -- Jones sprinted through April and May with a 1.000+ OPS before trudging to .658 the rest of the way and literally limping home on a badly sprained ankle. Let’s just call that incremental development and predict a little more of it for 2010.

21. DENARD SPAN, Twins (B) -- Span is already 26 with less than two full seasons in the majors. His career must continue to unfold hastily, and we think it will -- maintaining .300 while amping up his 23 SBs and eight HRs to 30 and 15, respectively.

22. JASON BAY, Mets (E) -- Bay vs. Citi Field will be a confrontation to watch in 2010 -- very instructive as to how that place really plays, and just how good he really is. While Jason will be pressed to hit 36 home runs again, it’s worth noting that 21 of those were on the road, which at least shows he isn’t married to Fenwayball.

23. MANNY RAMIREZ, Dodgers -- Manny has long come with inherent risk, and now he comes with inevitability -- that he’s getting old. Aside from all the aches, pains and skills erosion that go with 38 candles, he needs to realize that, unless you’re Bobby McFerrin, it’s time to lose the dreds. Last year’s .949 OPS was the lowest of his 15 full seasons, which articulates both that he is a great hitter and that he’s not nearly as great as he used to be.

Tier 3

24. SHANE VICTORINO, Phillies -- You’re in great shape if Victorino is your third or fourth outfielder. He’s a plus in three categories and no worse than neutral in the other two. Among his three-year averages are a .289 AVG, 94 runs and 33 thefts.

25. CURTIS GRANDERSON, Yankees -- Granderson’s full-season highs: a .302 AVG, 30 HRs, 74 RBIs, 122 runs and 26 SBs. Granderson’s full-season lows: .249, 19, 66, 90 and eight. With him it’s a box of chocolates, but since he’s now at Yankee Stadium, you might get that gooey caramel everyone wants.

26. JUAN PIERRE, White Sox (C) -- During the duration of Manny’s suspension, Pierre started 50 games, batting .318 with 21 stolen bases. Triple that last figure for an inkling of his capability as an every-day player for the 2010 White Sox.

27. HUNTER PENCE, Astros -- Pence, one the game’s great grinders, is neither a true power hitter nor true base stealer, but he’s going to linger around 20-20 (plus 75-75 in Rs-RBIs) year in, year out. He’s 27, albeit not a player with much upside beyond what he is now.

28. BRAD HAWPE, Rockies -- Hitters don’t come more predictable than Hawpe. Check out his last four seasons: .293-22-84, .291-29-116, .283-25-85, .285-23-86. You know what you’re getting here, and it’s quite a bit.

29. ANDREW MCCUTCHEN, Pirates -- We’d like to see a full season before getting all McGiddy about this kid, but he looks for all the world like the second coming of Andy Van Slyke is his prime. At least. In only 108 games, McCutchen led MLB rookies with 47 extra-base hits and was third in steals with 22.

30. MICHAEL CUDDYER, Twins (E) -- Cuddyer is Hawpe minus the reliability. Last year was his best (.276-32-94), but only once before had he ever hit more than half that many home runs. His average season of at least 450 plate appearances reads .275-21-82.

31. B.J. UPTON, Rays -- The ultimate sweet-and-sour fantasy player. His .300-24-82-22 in 2007 and two recent 40-SB totals are appetizing, but it’s hard not to be bitter about his .257-10-61 average of 2008-09. Buy the swipes and hope this is the year he delivers on his long-rumored promise.

32. MICHAEL BOURN, Astros -- Like Pierre, Bourn is a pure tri-category speed play. En route to his NL-high 61 SBs, he obliterated Bobby Knoop’s 1968 record for most strikeouts by a player with three or fewer homers, 140 to 128. So we’ll toss out another comparison: Remember Gary Pettis?

33. BOBBY ABREU, Angels (E) -- Abreu has refused to cooperate with widespread prophecies of his demise. How unanticipated was his 2009 roto-tally of .293-15-103-30 and 96 runs? No player his age (35) had ever done it before.

34. COLBY RASMUS, Cardinals (C) -- Rasmus, 23, is still figuring out what type of hitter he is. As a rookie, for example, his two top home run months were those in which he posted his lowest batting averages. It won’t be long until he gets it, at which point we’ll figure him as Tier 1.

35. FRANKLIN GUTIERREZ, Mariners (C) -- Once considered the Dodgers’ top prospect, Gutierrez waited until his fifth season to post a belated breakthrough in 2009. None of his data points look like much individually, but his collective .283-18-70-16 plus 85 runs scored was matched by only seven other players — all of whom who will command infinitely more respect at your draft.

36. VERNON WELLS, Blue Jays (F) -- Paying twice at auction what Wells turns out to be worth has become a sacred ritual of spring. Two huge seasons by age 27 have been the carrot, but he’s 31 now, and his three-year average of .265-17-75-10 is the stuff of No. 5 fantasy outfielders.

37. NYJER MORGAN, Nationals -- After leaving the Steel City in July, Morgan transformed Washington into Steal City, swatting .351 and averaging a swipe every two games. Since he’s 29 years old and his previous norm was one per 4.6, we suggest you sip, but not chug, the Kool-Aid.

38. ALFONSO SORIANO, Cubs (F) -- The names of Alfonso’s wife and three children’s all begin with the letter “A,” but he hasn’t brought his own A-game since a 2002-06 period in which his median season was .280-38-95-35. He’s just about exhausted the fantasy equity he accrued by averaging a Grade-B .275-27-67-16 since.

39. NATE MCLOUTH, Braves -- Not unexpectedly, the overachieving McLouth slipped a rung across the board last season. He’s in Gutierrez’s realm with five decent categories, though with fewer prospects of kicking things up a notch.

40. ALEXIS RIOS, White Sox (C) -- Stung by his stunning release last August, Rios proved even more inept in Chicago (.199 AVG) than Toronto. Still, his three prior seasons (.296-19-82-21 average) can’t be ignored. A riddle to be sure, but a buy-low strategy may give you the last laugh.

41. Raul Ibanez, Phillies (E)
42. Nelson Cruz, Rangers
43. Jay Bruce, Reds (B)
44. Johnny Damon, Tigers (E)
45. Chris Coghlan, Marlins (E)

Tier 4

46. Rajai Davis, A’s
47. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
48. J.D. Drew, Red Sox (F)
49. Juan Rivera, Angels
50. Melky Cabrera, Braves
51. Garrett Jones, Pirates
52. Chris Young, Diamondbacks
53. Julio Bourbon, Rangers (C)
54. Corey Hart, Brewers
55. Delmon Young, Twins (B, C)
56. Nick Swisher, Yankees (E)
57. Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals
58. Jermaine Dye, Free Agent (E)
59. David DeJesus, Royals
60. Nolan Reimold, Orioles
61. Jeff Francoeur, Mets
62. Dexter Fowler, Rockies
63. Brett Gardner, Yankees (C)
64. Elijah Dukes, Nationals
65. Lastings Milledge, Pirates
66. Jose Guillen, Royals (F)
67. Travis Snider, Blue Jays (C)
68. Ryan Sweeney, Athletics
69. Marlon Byrd, Cubs
70. Drew Stubbs, Reds (C)
71. Josh Willingham, Nationals
72. Cody Ross, Marlins
73. Cameron Maybin, Marlins (C)
74. Kyle Blanks, Padres
75. Austin Jackson, Tigers (G)

Tier 5

76. Jason Heyward, Braves (G)
77. Gerardo Parra, Diamondbacks
78. Eugenio Velez, Giants (C)
79. Mike Cameron, Red Sox
80. Scott Podsednik, Royals (E)
81. Matt Diaz, Braves
82. Michael Brantley, Indians (C)
83. Carlos Gomez, Brewers
84. Aaron Rowand, Giants
85. Chase Headley, Padres
86. David Murphy, Rangers (D)
87. Willy Taveras, Reds (D)
88. Desmond Jennings, Rays (D, G)
89. Coco Crisp, A’s (F)
90. Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs

DESIGNATED HITTERS

1. JASON KUBEL, Twins -- Kubel’s HRs and RBIs have graphed upwards in each of his five seasons. He may have reached the tip of the arc at .300-28-103 in 2009, but that’s cavernously more than is available from any other DH.

2. HIDEKI MATSUI, Angels -- Matsui, 35, has recently lost big chunks of two seasons to injury but, when ambulatory, has shown scant loss of pop. Even in a compressed Yankee Stadium, he hit far better on the road in 2009, and his lifetime OPS at Angel Stadium is .904.

3. DAVID ORTIZ, Red Sox -- We can’t pretend to interpret the right angles Papi’s career has taken lately, but we’re pretty sure he’s not going to do a 180. The latest was a 149-AB homer drought, immediately followed by an AL-high 28 from May 20 on. Then there’s this to consider: a Sports Illustrated quote claiming, “The chances of his birth certificate being accurate are zero.”

4. TRAVIS HAFNER, Indians (C, F) -- It’s been almost three years of painfully deliberate steps for the sore-shouldered Hafner to return to form. (Remember, this is your AL OPS leader of 2006.) He claims a very positive offseason of progress.

5. MILTON BRADLEY, Mariners Between his combustibility, fragility and inconsistency, Bradley is saddled with more hazards that can potentially undermine a season than any other player. On the off-chance everything goes smoothly, he’s conceivably one of the top 20 hitters in the game.

6. VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Rangers (E, F) --Guerrero is still capable in spurts, but his body -- and consequently his power -- is slowly crumbling. For a bad-ball hitter, it’s revealing that his SO percentage rose as his BB percentage plummeted.

7. NICK JOHNSON, Yankees -- Once a sizzling Yankees prospect, Johnson has returned to the big city toting a suitcase stuffed with medical reports and unfulfilled promise. He sparkled at .290-23-77 in his one season (2006) uninterrupted by injury or trade, so there is still a spark of hope.

8. JACK CUST, A’s -- The A’s apparently felt compelled to re-sign Cust to give him a shot at tying Reggie Jackson’s record of four straight AL strikeout leaderships. On a well-balanced fantasy squad, his estimated 18 homers, 65 runs and 60 RBIs (all downgraded from 2007-09 since he may platoon with Jake Fox) will counteract the damage from his .240 AVG.

9. RANDY RUIZ, Blue Jays (C) -- Picture a decade-older, four inches taller, just as marshmallowy Pablo Sandoval. That’s Ruiz -- and, if finally given a chance, he’ll hit almost as well. He’s been hammering minor league pitchers since 1999, and he stroked .313 with 10 homers in 33 games for the Jays last year.

10. PAT BURRELL, Rays -- Burrell, deemed perhaps out of shape, fell totally off the grid in 2009. His 14 homers were exactly half his career norm, and his .221 AVG was the AL’s second-lowest among players with 450 PAs. His contract is a hot potato, so he’s facing an uncertain ’10.

Listen to the Daily Diamond Update crew dissect this year’s crop of outfielders.

Click here to download the Outfielders’ fantasy page in .pdf format.

View Athlon's Mock Draft

These rankings appear in the 2010 Athlon Sports Baseball magazine. Click here to order your copy now.