Underappreciated Fantasy Baseball Players: Outfielder Edition | Brent Rooker, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo, JJ Bleday, Jackson Merrill and More
Discussing MLB outfielders who are underappreciated in fantasy baseball leagues this season.
The other day, I started up a series on underappreciated fantasy baseball players.
I started with infielders and now will transition to underappreciated outfielders. There’s a bunch of players who could be part of this story, but I’m going to limit myself to 12 players.
We’ll cover pitchers in another story, so be sure to check back for that.
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Underappreciated Outfielders
We’ll kick things off by talking about Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker. He’s primarily been the team’s designated hitter, but he’s an outfielder when he’s playing the field.
In 64 games played, Rooker has a .261 average and .338 on-base percentage. Along with a solid average and OBP, Rooker has 29 extra-base hits (including 13 home runs), 44 RBIs, 27 runs scored, two stolen bases, 26 walks and 92 strikeouts.
Playing for a below-average team doesn’t do Rooker any favors, and neither does striking out as much as he does, but if you are in a league that doesn’t penalize players too much for Ks, Rooker is really a strong fantasy option. Rooker plays just about every day he’s healthy and still puts up positive points despite all the strikeouts.
He’s owned in 64% of leagues, and that number is going down, so there’s a decent chance he’s available in your standard league if you wanted to add him.
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Joc Pederson is very underappreciated in my eyes.
In 65 games, Pederson has a .297 average and .394 OBP. He’s got 12 doubles and 10 home runs among his 54 total hits, 34 RBIs, 28 runs scored, four stolen bases, 25 walks and 55 strikeouts.
Despite the solid all-around numbers, Pederson is owned in just 49% of leagues - and that’s after going up 30-plus percent in the past couple weeks.
Pederson is playing plenty and putting up great numbers for the season. I really don’t understand why he isn’t owned in a bunch more leagues, and if you have the chance to add him, I’d do it now.
Washington Nationals’ Jesse Winker had a rough go of things in 2023, making his 2024 season a big surprise.
In 73 total games, Winker has a .265 average and .381 OBP. He’s got 11 doubles and eight home runs among his 63 total hits. Winker also has 34 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 39 walks and 66 strikeouts this season.
Winker has been a really streaky hitter, but has been trending upward of late. Despite the up-and-down season, Winker is still one of the better fantasy options in standard point leagues.
At least add him until he cools off at the plate. He’s available in about 45% of leagues still.
Boston Red Sox’s Tyler O'Neill has had an injury-plagued career, and has dealt with more injuries this season. When he’s been out there though, he’s been a good fantasy option.
In 53 games, O'Neill has a .257 average and .353 on-base percentage. He’s doubled nine times and homered on 15 occasions across his 49 total hits. O'Neill also has 26 RBIs, 39 runs scored, one stolen base, 27 walks and 72 strikeouts so far this season.
He might not be the best fantasy option because of his injury concerns and high strikeout numbers, but O'Neill is still valuable enough to roster in just about every fantasy league. He’s owned in 81% of leagues now and really should be closer to 100%, at least for the time being.
New York Yankees’ Alex Verdugo is having a fine first season in New York, but is still available in 15% of leagues.
In 75 games so far, Verdugo has a .251 average and .309 OBP. He’s got better career numbers in both departments, so there’s a chance his fantasy value improves as the season rolls along.
Verdugo has 15 doubles, one triple and nine home runs among his 70 total hits. He’s also got 41 RBIs, 36 runs scored, one stolen base, 25 walks and 41 strikeouts.
Between the numbers he’s already produced and what he’s done over his career, I think Verdugo should be owned in more leagues.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho is basically a perfect example of the boom-or-bust fantasy hitter.
In 72 games, Varsho has 28 extra-base hits (including 11 home runs), but also has 68 strikeouts. That results in a .207 average and .289 OBP, which definitely leave plenty to be desired. Varsho also has 35 RBIs, 40 runs scored and eight stolen bases on the season.
He’s owned in 68% of leagues, mostly because of his low average, but he’s producing enough still to be rostered in several more leagues. He’s a solid backup option at the very least.
Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela is trending in the right direction and is up to 68% owned now.
Across 75 games, Rafaela has a .248 average and .275 OBP. He’s tallied 12 doubles, two triples and eight home runs among his 65 total hits. Rafaela also has 41 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 10 walks and 76 strikeouts.
His own percentage would likely be higher if he cut down on his strikeouts and was able to draw more walks. Still though, he’s a pretty good all-around fantasy option, and that’s why his own percentage has jumped nearly 30% in the past two weeks.
Oakland’s JJ Bleday is another underappreciated outfielder to me. He’s currently owned in 42% of leagues, but is among the better options in points leagues.
In 79 games, Bleday has a .256 average and .341 OBP. He’s doubled 22 times, tripled three times and homered on 11 occasions across his 72 total knocks. Bleday also has 28 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 35 walks and 58 strikeouts.
I think being on the Athletics really hurts fantasy owner’s perception of Bleday (and Rooker). Bleday gets on base plenty, provides a bunch of extra-base hits and has decent RBI and runs scored totals - what’s not to like?
St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan is just a few fantasy points behind Bleday this season. Donovan is owned in 57% of leagues.
In 70 games, Donovan has a .262 average and .329 OBP. He’s got 16 doubles, one triple and eight home runs among his 72 total hits. Donovan also has 37 RBIs, 34 runs scored, one stolen base, 20 walks and 41 strikeouts.
Donovan also has great position versatility in fantasy leagues, so I think his own percentage needs to jump closer to 80% or so.
San Diego Padres’ Jackson Merrill got overlooked by the other Jackson prospects (Jackson Holliday and Jackson Chourio) this spring, but Merril has been the best rookie of the three. He’s owned in 83% of leagues and probably should be closer to 100%.
Across 77 games, Merrill has a .290 average and .327 OBP. He’s walked 14 times and struck out on 44 occasions. Merrill mostly had been providing fantasy value with singles, but is in a home run barrage right now, and up to 10 on the season. He’s also got 35 RBIs and 34 runs scored, along with nine stolen bases.
If fantasy owners were not adding Merrill because of his lack of power, there’s really no reason now to not add him. He’s got a great average, is a stolen base threat and now can provide some pop. Add him before it’s too late.
St. Louis’ Alec Burleson is having a career season this year.
In 68 games, Burleson has a .281 average and .316 OBP. He’s also got 30 RBIs and runs scored, three stolen bases, eight doubles, 12 home runs, 10 walks and 36 strikeouts for the season.
His career averages are way lower than what he’s down so far, so some regression is definitely possible. At the same time though, Burleson is a good fantasy option right now and should be owned in more than 41% of fantasy leagues.
Miami Marlins’ Bryan De La Cruz is the last outfielder I want to talk about. He’s owned in 52% of leagues, and I think a lot of that has to do with the team he is on.
De La Cruz has a .248 average and .298 OBP across 75 games played. He’s doubled and homered 14 times among his 74 total hits. De La Cruz also has 35 RBIs and runs scored, one stolen base, 20 walks and 80 strikeouts.
Sure, there’s better fantasy options out there, but he’s also outperforming a lot of outfielders who are owned in more fantasy leagues than him. Between his power and solid RBI and run scored totals, I’d definitely consider De La Cruz in a standard league, even if he’s just a backup option.
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