This is it – the final installment of the Top 2024 Keepers. We started with relief pitchers back in the beginning of October and today we wrap things up with the right fielders.
If you have missed an article or want to refresh yourself on the previous rankings, you can click on the links below:
The top players in this position group are some of the top players in all of baseball. I would be more than happy to build my team around the players I ranked in Tier 1. And the depth of this position is pretty strong. I have no qualms having any of the players in Tiers 2 and 3 on my team while players in the lower tiers still can offer value to a fantasy team.
So let’s get to the rankings.
Tier 7
Age as of April 1, 2024
There is no need to go into detail about why the players in this tier are ranked here. All of them could actually provide some value to a fantasy team this year, but you certainly not going to count on them.
The two players with the most upside are Gabriel Arias and Oscar Colas thanks to their age. Arias hit 10 homers in 315 at-bats for the Guardians, so he can provide some power. Colas was a Top 100 prospect entering the 2023 season. However, he struggled on the field for the White Sox, slashing .210/.275/.352 in 75 games.
Hunter Renfroe, coming off a 19-home run season, could hit 20 homers for the Royals this year, making him more valuable than where I am ranking him. The same with Seth Brown, who was limited to 112 games and 343 at-bats this past season.
When on the field, Brown provides power as he hit 14 dingers and drove in 52 runs and slugged .405. I may actually have him ranked a little low here as he can also play left field and first base. At 31, his best days are likely behind him. However, he hits for power, which is something always sought in fantasy baseball.
Tier 6
Getting His Feet Wet
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Henry Davis with the first pick of the 2021 draft and promoted him to the majors last season after Davis showed there was nothing left to prove in the minors. In 122 minor league games, he slashed .286/.415/.532 with 25 homers, 81 RBI and 20 steals.
He didn’t blow anyone away with his MLB debut, slashing .213/.302/.351 with seven homers and 24 RBI in 62 games. But the talent is there and so is his upside. But with so many keeper leagues limiting the number of players who can actually be kept, he lands in this tier as others will outproduce him in 2024.
Upside is There
Baltimore’s Colton Cowser got a taste of the big leagues last season, appearing in 26 games and making eight starts (with five in left and four in right). The Orioles already have depth in the outfield, but Cowser is a top 100 prospect and could push for more playing time somewhere in the outfield.
In 98 games last season, Drew Waters had a slash line of .228/.300/.377 while scoring 40 runs with eight homers, 32 RBI and 16 bases steals. Waters qualifies as both a center fielder and right fielder and will battle for a starting spot, though more likely in center field than right field. But he is young and has upside and in really deep leagues is worth keeping.
Tier 5
The Backup Group
In leagues that start four or five outfielders, the players in this tier are going to fill a lot of those spots. They are starters for their major league teams, or could be, but are not going to be fantasy starters in very many standard leagues. Each player in this tier offers some value, but usually in just one category, two at the most.
The Old Dudes
Jeff McNeil, Ryan O’Hearn, Jason Heyward, Giancarlo Stanton and Michael Conforto are all 30-years-old or older. All five of these players still have some skill, but they are not going to carry your team. Outside of Stanton, this group will likely give you 10 to 15 homers and about 50 RBI and limited steals, though McNeil did swipe 10 bags this past season.
McNeil and O’Hearn probably have the most keeper value out of this group as they also deliver solid slash lines, with McNeil slashing .270/.333.378 this past year and O’Hearn slashing a nice .289/.322/.480 for Baltimore.
As for Stanton, I’m simply done with him. Yes, he can still hit home runs, but that is about all he is good for now. This is his production the last three years:
- 2021 – .273/.354/.516, 35 homers, 97 RBI
- 2022 – .211/.297/.462, 31 homers, 78 RBI
- 2023 – .191/.275/.420, 24 homers, 60 RBI
He still hits the ball as hard as anyone in the game, but his skills are regressing and he is not getting any younger. If you need home runs then he has value. Otherwise I will let someone else have him.
The Young Dudes…
…or the “High Hopes” group. For the players ranked 35th to 31st, expectations have surrounded them at some point but they have yet to meet them. Jesus Sanchez is a former Top 100 prospect who was supposed to be the next big slugger for the Marlins.
And his Statcast numbers suggest he should be close to a 25-homer guy as his xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, AEV, Barrel %, and Hard-Hit % all ranked in the 71st percentile or higher next year. Yet he hit only 14 homers in 125 games in 2023. The reason for that is the fact that he had a 49.4% ground ball rate compared to the MLB average of 42.6%. It’s hard to hit home runs when you are hitting the ball on the ground.
The two players that disappointed me most this past season are Jake McCarthy and MJ Melendez.
I was all aboard the McCarthy train after the 2022 season. Finishing fourth in the NL ROY voting, he slashed .283/.342/.427 with eight homers, 43 RBI and 23 steals in 99 games. Then came the 2023 campaign. McCarthy never got going for the Diamondbacks and finished the season with a .243/.318/.326 slash line with two home runs and 16 RBI. The only good news was the 26 steals he had. Because of his speed, McCarthy still has a chance to shine for Arizona despite a crowded outfield.
Am I Reading This Right?
On paper, the numbers show that Melendez had a down year. As a rookie he hit 18 homers and drove in 62 runs in 129 games and slashed .217/.313/.393. But this past season saw Melendez hit only 16 homers and drive in 56 in 148 games despite a better slash line of .235/.316/.398. Looking deeper into the numbers, he actually hit the ball harder this year (93.2 EV) compared to 2022 (90.7 EV) and his Hard-Hit % increased from 43.7% to 49.6% while his ground ball rate decreased and his fly ball rate increased.
That EV rate ranked in the 96th percentile, his Hard-Hit % ranked in the 91st percentile and his Barrel % ranked in the 75th percentile. All of those were improvements from 2022 when he ranked in the 81st, 69th and 72nd percentiles. In short, I think Melendez is due for better numbers this season.
Tier 4
More Playing Time?
Lars Nootbar sounds like the name of a Dutch chocolate bar covering nougat and peanuts. But that isn’t the case as he roams the outfield for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Nootbar’s production dropped off a bit last season as his home run rate went from 4% in 2022 to 2.8% last season. But he still had 14 homers, 46 RBI and 11 steals in 117 games. With Tyler O’Neil now in Boston, Nootbar should get some more games under his belt, though likely at all three outfield positions.
Shouldn’t He Be Better?
Every year I give Eloy Jimenez the benefit of the doubt, telling myself that if he stays healthy, he’s going to have a monster year like he did his rookie season in 2019 when he hit 31 homers and slugged .513. He had a great 2020 COVID year as well, blasting 14 homers and slugging .559. But since then he has become pedestrian. Injuries have played a part in that decrease in production as he was limited to 55 games in 2021 and 84 in 2022.
But in 120 games last year, Jimenez hit 18 homes and drove in 64 while slashing .272/.317/.441. Those aren’t horrible numbers, but they aren’t close to the bar he set as a rookie. Yet here I am ranking him 26th. I can’t get over the feeling that he will again be the player of 2019 – or at least closer to that player.
Finally, His Breakout Year
Brent Rooker gave a glimpse of his power in 2021 when he hit nine home runs in 58 games. After a lost season in 2022, Rooker slammed 30 home runs last year, ranking sixth among right fielders, while driving in 69 and slashing .246/.329/.488. He isn’t exactly young, but if you are looking for a power hitting right fielder for the next year or two, you could do a lot worse than Rooker.
The Youngsters
Full disclosure when it comes to Sal Frelick and Nelson Velazquez – if these were my dynasty rankings, they would be ranked much higher. But with limited experience and an eye on the short-term value and not long-term value, they are the best of Tier 4.
Frelick started quickly for Milwaukee when recalled from the minors in July but leveled off during August and September to finish the season with three homers, 24 RBI and seven steals in 57 games with a .246/.341/.351 slash line. He didn’t hit the ball particularly hard (83.3 EV) or find the barrel too often (2.5 Barrel%), yet he has enough power to reach 15 to 20 homers. He also has speed and should easily reach 30 steals if given regular playing time.
I sure hope Jose Cuas become a top reliever for the Cubs, because if he doesn’t then the trade of Velazquez will look horrible for the Cubs. After joining the Royals, Velazquez showed off his power by hitting 14 homers in 40 games while slugging .579. For the season, he hit 17 homers in 53 games and slugged .586. Between the two teams, Velazquez had a 21.4 Barrel % (MLB average is 17.2%) and a 49.1 Hard-Hit % (46.3% is average).
He is not going to continue to have a 9.5% home run rate going forward, but his home rate in the minors was 4.1%. If he just matches that rate going forward, he is a 25-homer player. Right now in 130 career games he has 23 homers and 60 RBI.
Tier 3
This Tiger Will Roar
Kerry Carpenter got a taste of MLB life in 2022 when he appeared in 31 games and hit six homers with 10 RBI while slashing .252/.310/.485. Despite missing the month of May this past season, Carpenter slashed .278/.340/.471 while hitting 20 homers and driving in 64 runs in 118 games.
Carpenter has now basically played one full season for the Tigers, posting 26 homers and 74 RBI with a .273/.334/.474 slash line in 149 games (572 plate appearances). He had a high chase rate and strikeout rate last year, so if he can get those two areas under control, he could be a nice offensive weapon on your team.
Left Field, Right Field – Who Cares?
I talked about Will Benson in the left field rankings, where I ranked him 18th. The left-handed hitter has good power and great speed. In 287 at-bats, he hit 11 homers and drove in 31 while stealing 19 bases in 22 attempts.
He does strike out a lot (31.3%) but he had a great walk rate (12.2%) and his average EV was 90.2 mph, nearly two mph above the MLB average. That exit velocity helped him slug .498, ranking seventh among left fielders. Playing in a hitter’s ballpark and in a lineup full of good, young hitters, Benson has the chance to put up really nice numbers for years to come.
He’s No Fluke
Anthony Santander tends to get overlooked in the fantasy baseball world. Maybe it’s due to the fact that he plays in Baltimore. But over the last two seasons, he has been a top right fielder.
If you entered the 2023 season thinking Santander’s 2022 campaign was a fluke, then I guess he proved you wrong. After slashing .240/.318/.455 with 33 homers and 89 RBI in ’22, the Orioles right fielder hit 28 homers and drove in 95 rans while slashing .257/.325/.472.
Only A Matter of Time
Jordan Walker may not hit 40 homers this season, but it is only a matter of time before the youngster becomes a consistent offensive force at the plate. He has massive power and showed it off a bit last year, hitting 16 homers and driving in 51 runs in 420 at-bats. He also slashed .272/.311/.476. Grey had a good piece on Walker that you can read here.
Tier 2
Four-Man Tier
In a departure from every other position ranking, this tier has only four players because I could not include Fernando Tatis Jr. in this tier. The players in this tier are all good, but they aren’t good enough (yet) to be included with the Tier 1 players.
Not Spectacular, Just Very Good
Seiya Suzuki has been very good since joining the Cubs. After injuries limited him in 2022, he appeared in 138 games this past season and slashed .284/.357/.485 with 20 homers and 74 RBI. He doesn’t steal a lot of bases, but I think there is more power to be found. His Hard-Hit% ranked in the 84th percentile while his average AV ranked in the 83rd percentile.
Additionally, his strikeout rate wasn’t horrible, ranking in the 47th percent, while he had a 10.1% walk rate.
Plenty of Power
Adolis Garcia is not going to help your team when it comes to batting average or on-base percentage. He hit .245 with a .328 OBP this past year and his career numbers there are .244 and .302. And if your leagues uses strikeouts as a stat, he is not going to help you there, either.
What Garcia is good at is hitting the ball hard. Garcia is coming off a 39 homer, 107 RBI and has hit 27 or more homers over the last three seasons. In 2023, his xwOBA, xSLG, EV, Barrel %, and Hard-Hit % all ranked in the 90th percentile or higher. And Garcia can even steal a base or two, swiping 16 in 2021 and 25 in 2022 before dropping to nine last season.
Great Consolation Prizes
If you have been reading this series each week, then you know I have already talked about Josh Lowe and Nolan Jones. This is what I said about Lowe last week in the center field rankings: “Lowe was given a 52-game audition by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and it did not go very well as Lowe slashed .221/.284/.343 with two homers, 13 RBI and three steals. But the real Josh Lowe showed up in 2023. In 135 games, Lowe hit 20 homers with 83 RBI and 32 steals (in 35 attempts) while slashing .292/.335/.500.”
As for Jones, who I also included in the first basemen and left fielder rankings, this is what I said previously: “Jones could be at first base for the Rockies in 2024, but he will likely patrol the outfield in either left or right field. No matter where he plays, you want him in your lineup. Jones has power (20 homers in 367 ABs), speed (20 steals) and can hit (.297/.389/.542). His xwOBA, xSLG, Barrell% and BB% were in the 84th percentile or higher this year.”
I really like both of these players, and if you are unable to land of the Tier 1 players, having Jones or Lowe on your team in right field is a great consolation prize. Right now they don’t have the track record of the Tier 1 players, but it may not be long before they should be included in that group.
Tier 1
Can’t Go Wrong
The six players in this group are without question the top six right fielders in baseball. How they are ranked comes down to who you personally just like more or what stats you value more. Within this group you have the pure power hitter in Aaron Judge. then you have the players like Tatis, Corbin Carroll and Kyle Tucker. They all have power and speed and are solid in the slash lines as well. And two players – Mookie Betts and Ronald Acuna Jr. – are a combination of everything.
Whichever player you view as the best, I can’t really argue with you. But since I have rankings next to each player, here is why they fall where they do.
Aaron Judge
I am not a Yankees fan, so maybe I let that bias come into play with Judge and his ranking here. I love his power – who doesn’t want his homers and RBI and slugging percentage on their team. But he does not match the speed the rest of the players in this group do and aside from his amazing 2022 season, he has never hit higher than .287 in a season.
That is not a bad batting average, but when it comes to this group, it is all about splitting hairs.
Tatis vs. Carroll vs. Tucker
The trio of Tatis, Carroll and Tucker averaged 101.3 runs scored 26.7 homers, 88.7 RBI and 37.7 steals this past season. Tatis went 91-25-78-29 while slashing .257/.322/.449. Carroll, the NL Rookie of the Year, went 116-25-76-54 with a .285/.362/.506 slash line and Tucker went 97-29-112-30 and .284/.369/.517.
Carroll will be 23 on Opening Day, Tatis 25 (yes, only 25) and Tucker 27. Tatis comes in fifth as his numbers simply didn’t match Carroll’s or Tucker’s last season in the slash line department and he was way behind Tucker in RBI. If you go by Tatis’ 162-game average vs. Tucker’s or Carroll’s, then bump him up to third and the other two down one spot.
Betts vs. Acuna
Among right fielders, Betts ranked second in runs scored (126), home runs (39), RBI (107), batting average (.307) and OBP (.408) and third in slugging (.579) and OPS (.987). Only one player was consistently ranked ahead of him in those categories – Acuna. The Braves right fielder scored 149 runs, hit 41 homers, drove in `106 (one behind Betts), hit .337, had a .416 OBP and .569 SLG and a 1.012 OPS. His SLG and OPS trailed only Judge.
What separates Acuna from the rest of the pack is the 74 steals he racked up. Will he reach that total again in 2024 or ever? Probably not. But he is easily a 50-steal player with 40-homer, 100-RBI production for years to come as he is only 26 on Opening Day. Betts will be 31.
Betts moving to second base (if the Dodgers actually make that move) would obviously hurt Betts’ value as a right fielder in 2025 and beyond. But even if he gets enough playing time in right, give me Acuna.
Thanks for Reading
If you have been reading this series each week, thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate the comments that have been left and the back-and-forth with each of you.
While this concludes the 2024 Top Keepers series, you haven’t seen the last of me. I will be back at the start of January for the 2024 Dynasty Rankings. The field will expand to the Top 300 players this year (up from the 200) and will slowly count down each week through the end of February.
