By Jeff Andriesse
Rotowhine.com Editor
February 11, 2008

Each week leading up to the 2008 major league baseball regular season, Rotowhine.com will dissect the top players in both the American and National League at each key fantasy position.

Top 15 AL Outfielders - American League
For the Rotowhine outfielder previews, we will be ranking the Top 30 in each league, but 15 at a time. The Top 15 AL outfielders will start things off and we’ll have 15-30 next week. Greg will have the Top 15 NL outfielders on Thursday.

This is a deep position no matter how you slice it. There’s quite a bit of fantasy talent to be had here, and choosing the best of the bunch is a difficult task. Based on several factors but above all his age and trajectory, Grady Sizemore is our top AL outfielder. The kid has everything you would want in a first-round outfield pick. We wouldn’t quite go so far as to recommend taking an outfielder in the first round, but Grady will be very tempting if he’s there at around the ninth, 10th or 11th pick.

A new generation of stud outfielders is emerging in the AL in Sizemore, Alex Rios, Nick Markakis and Curtis Granderson. If your league counts triples, Granderson might be the best guy.

Old warhorses Vlad Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Bobby Abreu aren’t quite ready to be overthrown, either. This could be a bumper crop of AL options for those of you looking for good mid-to-late-round values.

1. Grady Sizemore, CLE
2007 5×5 Stats: .277 BA, 118 R, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 33 SB
Age: 25 (8/2/82)
The only red flag with Sizemore is his position in the batting order: first. He leads off for the Tribe, meaning his RBI opportunities are not what they could be. That said, we’re predicting a huge jump in batting average and runs scored. The sky is the limit with the versatile Sizemore.
2008 Projections: .300 BA, 131 R, 30 HR, 84 RBI, 36 SB

2. Vladimir Guerrero, LAA
2007 5×5 Stats: .324 BA, 89 R, 27 HR, 125 RBI, 2 SB
Age: 32 (2/9/76)
With Torii Hunter in town to help protect Guerrero, Vlad should enjoy a tremendous season. He is 32 years old and a candidate to break down at any minute, but if healthy he’ll carry you to a championship. Draft Vlad and enjoy the numbers. Just hope he doesn’t pull anything.
2008 Projections: .330 BA, 93 R, 25 HR, 119 RBI, 1 SB

3. Carl Crawford, TB
2007 5×5 Stats: .315 BA, 93 R, 11 HR, 80 RBI, 50 SB
Age: 26 (8/5/81)
Crawford disappointed in some ways last year, particularly with his paltry home run total. That said, it is hard to find guys who steal 50 bases with the power potential of a Crawford, and he could easily rebound to hit round-trippers in the 20-plus range this season. He also hit a career-best .315 last year. He’ll be a solid second or third round pick.
2008 Projections: .296 BA, 100 R, 17 HR, 82 RBI, 47 SB

4. Magglio Ordonez, CWS
2007 5×5 Stats: .363 BA, 117 R, 28 HR, 139 RBI, 4 SB
Age: 34 (1/28/74)
Ordonez should come back to Earth a bit this year, but he was well beyond the solar system in 2007. His numbers were obscene and should continue to be as the Tigers have only improved the hitters around him with the addition of Miguel Cabrera. Mags can’t possibly do what he did last year. If he stays healthy, though, this is one of the top handful of outfielders in either league.
2008 Projections: .318 BA, 111 R, 29 HR, 120 RBI, 2 SB

5. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
2007 5×5 Stats: .351 BA, 111 R, 6 HR, 68 RBI, 37 SB
Age: 34 (10/22/73)
Ichiro had one of his finest seasons last year. At age 34, you could be concerned about him slowing down. We wouldn’t recommend sleeping on him, though. His mixture of batting average, runs and stolen bases makes him a unique sure thing if you are confident you can get power elsewhere.
2008 Projections: .343 BA, 116 R, 7 HR, 62 RBI, 38 SB

6. Curtis Granderson, DET
2007 5×5 Stats: .302 BA, 122 R, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 26 SB
Age: 26 (3/16/81)
This guy’s light went on last year and it’s time for everyone to jump on board the Granderson bandwagon. In addition to hitting 23 homers - a thing of beauty for a leadoff guy - Granderson stole 26 bases, surpassing expectations. He leads off in Detroit and is a candidate for an MVP-type season in 2008. Granderson might struggle a bit vs. lefties and strike out a ton, but he has now arrived as a fantasy force.
2008 Projections: .288 BA, 127 R, 24 HR, 81 RBI, 22 SB

7. Alex Rios, TOR
2007 5×5 Stats: .297 BA, 114 R, 24 HR, 85 RBI, 17 SB
Age: 27 (2/18/81)
Rios might fly under the radar in some of the more brain-dead fantasy leagues, but this should be the last year that happens. He reminds us of a poor-man’s Albert Pujols, oozing talent from his pores. He should rake and rake and rake some more in ‘08.
2008 Projections: .316 BA, 108 R, 28 HR, 89 RBI, 15 SB

8. Manny Ramirez, BOS
2007 5×5 Stats: .296 BA, 84 R, 20 HR, 88 RBI, 0 SB
Age: 35 (5/30/72)
Reports of Manny’s demise are likely exaggerated as the enigma is rumored to be working out like a fiend this offseason. As long as Brian McNamee isn’t involved, this is good news. Manny sucked for fantasy owners in 2007 but he is too good not to bounce back.
2008 Projections: .308 BA, 89 R, 32 HR, 110 RBI, 1 SB

9. Nick Markakis, BAL
2007 5×5 Stats: .300 BA, 97 R, 23 HR, 112 RBI, 18 SB
Age: 24 (11/17/83)
Those paying attention to the late returns last year realize Markakis has arrived. He does it all, and there is no reason to think the O’s won’t build their offense around him going forward. This is probably your last chance to get him in your draft at a spot below his value.
2008 Projections: .289 BA, 90 R, 25 HR, 97 RBI, 20 SB

10. Bobby Abreu, NYY
2007 5×5 Stats: .283 BA, 123 R, 16 HR, 101 RBI, 25 SB
Age: 33 (3/11/74)
Abreu has been a mixed bag in New York. Something tells us he’ll sneak up on everyone this year and get that average and homers up to numbers that justify this ranking.
2008 Projections: .301 BA, 111 R, 22 HR, 101 RBI, 18 SB

11. Hideki Matsui, NYY
2007 5×5 Stats: .285 BA, 100 R, 25 HR, 103 RBI, 4 SB
Age: 33 (6/12/74)
Another Yankee who is better than their stats have shown, Matsui should produce a slight uptick across all categories this year. That makes him a good value as the top outfielders are off the board.
2008 Projections: .294 BA, 107 R, 27 HR, 109 RBI, 5 SB

12. Vernon Wells, TOR
2007 5×5 Stats: .245 BA, 85 R, 16 HR, 80 RBI, 10 SB
Age: 29 (12/8/78)
Wells signed his huge deal then had his worst year as a full-time pro. His shoulder injury sapped his power, and if he is healthy this year he’ll be back to where he was in years prior. He was never a complete fantasy masher, but he is a potential 30-100 guy who will be motivated to come back strong in 2008.
2008 Projections: .280 BA, 93 R, 23 HR, 95 RBI, 12 SB

13. Torii Hunter, LAA
2007 5×5 Stats: .287 BA, 94 R, 28 HR, 107 RBI, 18 SB
Age: 32 (7/18/75)
Hunter was a beast last year but he moves to Los Angeles, a punch-and-judy lineup that will ask a lot from him. We see Hunter taking a step back offensively from a fantasy perspective.
2008 Projections: .278 BA, 87 R, 22 HR, 88 RBI, 21 SB

14. Delmon Young, MIN
2007 5×5 Stats: .288 BA, 65 R, 13 HR, 93 RBI, 10 SB
Age: 22 (9/14/85)
Young will be an interesting case study this season. Where should he be drafted? We like his spot in the Twins order, likely fitting snuggly between Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. This is a good spot for Young and he should keep progressing.
2008 Projections: .290 BA, 83 R, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 12 SB

15. Raul Ibanez, SEA
2007 5×5 Stats: .291 BA, 80 R, 21 HR, 105 RBI, 0 SB
Age: 35 (6/2/72)
Turning 36 in June, Ibanez keeps chugging along. Rotowhine can’t remember a year where Ibanez didn’t lead the league in flabbergasted quotes such as “How good has this guy been?” by our crack staff. We’ve finally come around on Ibanez. He is a good late-round fantasy grab.
2008 Projections: .287 BA, 84 R, 23 HR, 95 RBI, 1 SB

Coming Thursday (Feb. 14): Greg Fox breaks down the Top 15 National League outfielders.