Fantasy Baseball Best Value Picks Among Outfielders: Steven Kwan, Anthony Santander, Christian Yelich, Lane Thomas, Teoscar Hernandez and More

Discussing several value picks among outfielders right now in fantasy baseball drafts.

Fantasy baseball draft season has already started for some of us, and there’s plenty more that will join the mix in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, I wanted to highlight some value picks based on where they are going according to the FantasySP Average Draft Position Rankings. We’ll cover some outfielders today after going over infielders a couple weeks ago.

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American League Outfielders

There’s several outfielders from the AL that I believe to be good value picks in 2024.

The first guy is Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan. He’s got an ADP of 89 as of this publication, but was nearly a top-30 finisher in points leagues last season.

He falls in fantasy drafts because he doesn’t hit for much power (5 home runs last season), but he makes up for that number in other areas. Kwan had a .268 batting average, which was 30 points lower than the previous season, so I also expect a better average out of him this season.

Kwan drove in 54 runs and stole 21 bases. He also finished with 36 doubles and seven triples among his 171 total hits, plus he scored 93 runs. Kwan is in the lineup just about every day (which is another plus for fantasy owners), playing 158 games last season.

I love his value for where he’s going in drafts. You might need to make up some homers if you are playing in a category-based league, but he’s a pretty well-rounded option otherwise.

Baltimore Orioles’ Anthony Santander was a solid fantasy performer last season and has an ADP of 106 this season.

Santander had a .257 average, .325 on-base percentage, 28 home runs, 41 doubles, one triple, 95 RBIs, 152 total hits and 81 runs scored. He played in 153 games.

He should hit in the heart of the Baltimore lineup, which should allow him to post big numbers again if he can hit at a similar clip. It’s hard to find a player with this kind of home run power deeper in drafts, so that’s what makes him most valuable. If you miss out on some of the top OF, Santander is a great pick in the middle rounds.

National League Outfielders

Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich finished right next to Kwan in points leagues and has an ADP of 85, which seems low for what Yelich can provide during the season.

Yelich posted a .278 average and got on base at a .370 clip. Those aren’t the elite numbers he posted in his MVP-deserving seasons, but it was a big step in the right direction.

The Brewers’ outfielder/designated hitter clubbed 19 homers, 34 doubles and a triple among his 153 total hits, while driving in 76 runs. He stole 28 bases and scored 106 times. He played in 144 games.

Yelich should hit atop the Brewers’ lineup again this season, and with plenty of young outfielders on the team, he might get plenty of at-bats as the DH, which should keep him fresh and healthy throughout the season. His power numbers aren’t great, but again, they were a step in the right direction last season. He’s a great asset in leagues where on-base percentage is rewarded (whether that be a category league or a points one that rewards walks).

Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ is another outfielder that I think is going too low. He finished just a few spots behind Kwan and Yelich in points leagues and has an ADP of 130.

Happ’s average dipped way down to .248 (after hitting .271 the previous season), but he clubbed 21 home runs and drove in 84 runs. He stole a career high 14 bases and added 35 doubles and four triples. Happ had 144 total hits and scored 86 runs. He played in 158 games.

The low average is probably scaring people off Happ, but he’s another fairly well-rounded player that you can get great value out of based on where he’s going in drafts. He should continue to hit near the heart of the Cubs’ lineup, affording him plenty of opportunities to be a good fantasy piece and possible steal for where he’s going most often.

New York Mets’ Brandon Nimmo finished a handful of points behind Happ last season. While Nimmo’s ADP is 116, I still think you are getting great value picking him near that spot.

Nimmo played in 152 games last season, finishing with a .274 average, .363 on-base percentage, 24 home runs, 30 doubles, six triples, 162 total hits and 89 runs scored. He posted similar numbers the previous season, but with eight more home runs.

Nimmo is expected to hit atop the Mets’ lineup again this season, which might limit his RBI numbers again, but allow him to score a bunch of runs and produce good hitting numbers. I like Nimmo near his ADP, and especially like him if he continues to fall later in drafts.

Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber definitely belongs on this list, even with an ADP of 54. He finished just ahead of Kwan in points leagues last season.

The big knock on Schwarber is his average, which was just .197 last season. He still had a .343 on-base percentage and clubbed 47 home runs, 19 doubles and a triple. Schwarber drove in 104 runs, had 115 total hits and scored 108 runs.

He’s a classic boom-or-bust guy at the plate, but if you can draft smartly around him, you can offset his lower average. His home runs help do that job, and that high on-base percentage goes overlooked a lot of times too.

Washington Nationals’ Lane Thomas seems to still be flying under the radar despite a good season last year. He has an ADP of 149 so far this season.

Thomas posted a .268 average and .315 on-base percentage a season ago. He had 36 doubles, three triples and 28 home runs across his 168 total hits, while driving in 86 runs and scoring 101 times himself. He also stole 20 bases.

He might be my favorite value pick among all these guys. I am really not sure why he’s being passed over until this late in drafts, but I’m 100% trying to capitalize on it.

Nick Castellanos is another Philly outfielder that I view as a value pick. His ADP is 123 so far.

Castellanos had a .272 average and .311 on-base percentage a season ago. He clubbed 37 doubles, two triples and 29 home runs among his 170 total hits, driving in 106 runs along the way. He added in 11 stolen bases and scored 79 runs.

He’ll hit in the heart of a top-heavy Phillies’ lineup, which should afford him plenty of run-scoring opportunities. If he can keep his average up near last year’s mark, he’ll be a steal if he goes near his ADP - and he sometimes goes much later than that.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez is the last guy I want to talk about. His ADP is 128 this season.

With the Seattle Mariners last season, Hernandez capped the season with a .258 average and .305 on-base percentage. He finished with 29 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs among his 161 total hits. Hernandez drove in 93 runs and scored 70 times.

He now joins an absolutely stacked Dodgers’ lineup and might fall under the radar with so many other stud hitters ahead of him in the lineup. There should be plenty of chances for him to drive in runs even hitting near the bottom of the order, which could make him a better fantasy option than he has been in the past couple seasons.

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