Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings – Top 25 Outfielders

Today marks the sixth day of an 11 article special that is designed to help get you all caught up and informed on MLB prospects for your fantasy baseball leagues. My colleague Adam Garland and I are going to be releasing mid-season top prospect lists for every position and we will release our lists on the following schedule:

Top 30 Catchers
Top 30 1st Basemen
Top 30 2nd Basemen
Top 30 3rd Basemen
Top 30 Shortstops
Top 25 Outfielders
Top 50 Outfielders
Top 150 Overall Hitters
Top 150 Overall Pitchers
Adam’s Disagreements – July 23rd
Brennen’s Disagreements – July 24th

We have included a rough prime projection for each player as well as an estimated ETA. We tried not to include players that have cemented roles in the majors at the time of this writing, so guys like Juan Soto and Mike Soroka will not be included. Note that we place an emphasis on upside, namely power and speed guys, while also prioritizing closeness to the majors when the value is close. Feel free to ask questions or drop a comment, we are always happy to discuss! Without further ado, onto the list!

Rank	Player	Organization	Level	Age	Projection	ETA
1.	Eloy Jimenez	Chicago White Sox	AAA	21	.300 AVG / 30 HR / 0 SB	2018
2.	Victor Robles	Washington Nationals	AAA	21	.300 AVG / 20 HR / 20 SB	2018
3.	Kyle Tucker	Houston Astros	MLB/AAA	21	.280 AVG / 22 HR / 15 SB	2018
4.	Taylor Trammell	Cincinnati Reds	A+	20	.285 AVG / 8 HR / 30 SB	2020
5.	Jo Adell	Los Angeles Angels	A+	19	.280 AVG / 20 HR / 20 SB	2021
6.	Willie Calhoun	Texas Rangers	AAA	23	.290 AVG / 30 HR / 1 SB	2018
7.	Luis Robert	Chicago White Sox	A+	20	.280 AVG / 18 HR / 20 SB	2020
8.	Yordan Alvarez	Houston Astros	AAA	21	.290 AVG / 20 HR / 5 SB	2019
9.	Jesus Sanchez	Tampa Bay Rays	A+	20	.300 AVG / 18 HR / 5 SB	2019
10.	Alex Verdugo	Los Angeles Dodgers	AAA/MLB	22	.285 AVG / 10 HR / 5 SB	2018
11.	Alex Kirilloff	Minnesota Twins	A+	20	.285 AVG / 20 HR / 0 SB	2020
12.	Myles Straw	Houston Astros	AAA	23	.290 AVG / 0 HR / 40 SB	2018
13.	Tyler O’Neill	St. Louis Cardinals	MLB/AAA	23	.265 AVG / 25 HR / 5 SB	2018
14.	Christin Stewart	Detroit Tigers	AAA	24	.265 AVG / 34 HR / 0 SB	2018
15.	Adam Haseley	Philadelphia Phillies	A+	22	.285 AVG / 12 HR / 10 SB	2019
16.	Jarred Kelenic	New York Mets	R	18	.285 AVG/ 20 HR / 15 SB	2022
17.	Blake Rutherford	Chicago White Sox	A+	21	.280 AVG / 10 HR / 12 SB	2020
18.	Buddy Reed	San Diego Padres	A+	23	.275 AVG / 8 HR / 30 SB	2019
19.	Travis Swaggerty	Pittsburgh Pirates	A-	20	.285 AVG / 15 HR / 20 SB	2021
20.	Akil Baddoo	Minnesota Twins	A	19	.270 AVG / 12 HR / 20 SB	2020
21.	Julio Pablo Martinez	Texas Rangers	A-	22	.280 AVG / 15 HR / 25 SB	2020
22.	Brian Miller	Miami Marlins	AA	22	.285 AVG / 0 HR / 30 SB	2019
23.	Estevan Florial	New York Yankees	A+	20	.265 AVG / 20 HR / 10 SB	2021
24.	Brandon Marsh	Los Angeles Angels	A+	20	.275 AVG / 15 HR / 15 SB	2020
25.	Franmil Reyes	San Diego Padres	AAA/MLB	23	.265 AVG / 30 HR / 0 SB	2018

Brennen’s Thoughts:

• Tommy John surgery derailed Alex Kirilloff’s 2017 season, but the former first-round pick has been back with a vengeance this season hitting 14 home runs while batting .323 between A and A+ ball. Kirilloff is still young and projects to have plus power by the time he reaches the MLB.
• A cold spring and repeat year in Triple-A have left many soured on Willie Calhoun. Calhoun still projects to be an everyday hitter for the Texas Rangers and has the plate discipline to make the transition. Power and position are Calhoun’s biggest question marks this season, the power should come and he will get a crack at left field when called up.
• My boldest placement on this list is Myles Straw. Straw has been obscene this season, leading the minor leagues with 48 stolen bases (on 55 attempts) with a batting average of .322. While he has no power to speak of, Straw walks regularly (12%), strikes out infrequently (15%), and gets on base at an elite rate (.413 OBP). He has spent about one-third of his season in Triple-A and has not skipped a beat from his success in Double-A. Despite an already high rank on this list, I can still see Straw moving higher if he maintains this success in Triple-A.
• I may be too bullish on Christin Stewart, but I love the improvements he has made overall to his game this year. He is striking out less (down 5% to 19.8%), still walking in the double digits (11%), and prior to his injury still hitting for power. Consistency will be key for when Stewart makes the jump as 2018 has demonstrated his streakiness, but I think with some time in the MLB he will be able to lead the Tigers after their rebuild.
• Akil Baddoo has what it takes to climb this list quickly. His batting average hasn’t been impressive and he strikes out too frequently for my taste given he is only in Single-A ball, but he has the patience at the plate and is young enough to make the corrections as he moves through the minors. He is already showing more power than originally expected, this ranking may also be bullish, but I think he will earn it.
• Estevan Florial despite being #23 was the player I was closest to keeping out of the top 25. Despite a solid 2017, 2018 is showing how much luck may have been involved in his success. Despite a 13.5% walk rate, Florial is still striking out at a 30%+ rate and this year that lack of discipline showed itself in his average. Florial maintains a top-25 rank because he was injured in May and was unable to correct his poor spring. He should be back in a month to make those improvements, but I remain one of the skeptics.
• Franmil Reyes will go down as having one of the most exciting runs of the 2018 season when he hit 8 home runs in 5 games. Don’t let that overshadow the other improvements he made to his game between 2017 and 2018. He jumped his walk rate from 8% to 14% and has maintained that rate all season, he has cut his strikeout rate, and projects to have plus power. Although he had a rocky reception in his brief stint in the MLB (including a 40% strikeout rate over 96 plate appearances), Reyes is showing that he is putting it together.