As expected, the 2025 outfield group is loaded. Outfield has become a foundational component of every successful fantasy roster, as there is annually an abundance of talent, depth and diversity at this position. Even those who start five outfielders in a 12-team league will find plenty of useful options in the late rounds of drafts.
Although there is enough depth to wait on outfielders, most fantasy managers will not have that luxury. Managers will need to spend some early round picks at this position, as there are many players who can provide game-changing fantasy numbers. In fact, five to six names taken in the first round of a typical 12-team league will consist of players with outfield eligibility.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
It’s the area of diversity where this position really shines. When fantasy managers are rounding out their lineups, they will be able to grab the skill sets they need to have a balanced roster. Here are some players to target at various points in the drafts, as well as a couple to avoid.
Proactive picks
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves (Yahoo ADP: 60.6)
It’s hard to believe that after the numbers he has produced in the past two seasons, Ozuna still can’t find his way into the top 50 picks. After all, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the only players who have outperformed Ozuna in homers, RBI and batting average over the pair of campaigns. The slugger’s Statcast page is drool-worthy, as he ranks among the top 10% of players in nearly every metric that relates to quality of contact. And the icing on the cake is that the rest of the Braves lineup is due to rebound from injury plagued seasons.
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (Yahoo ADP: 64.7)
From a skills perspective, few players can match the ceiling of Cruz. The lanky outfielder places in the 100th percentile in bat speed, the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and the 88th percentile in average sprint speed. So far, this incredible skill set has been held in check by a penchant for strikeouts, but there is plenty of room for growth for someone who has tallied fewer than 1,000 MLB at-bats and missed nearly all of the 2023 season. A 30-30 season from Cruz is on the horizon.
Lawrence Butler, Sacramento Athletics (Yahoo ADP: 88.0)
Butler has a wider range of possible outcomes than nearly any other player. After all, he wasn’t considered an elite prospect, nor was he expected to make a major impact last season. But a three-month sample size is hard to ignore, and after July 1, Butler hit .302 with 20 homers, 14 steals and a .943 OPS. And the best news is that his batted-ball data mostly supported his surprising surge. Butler now enters the season as the A’s projected leadoff hitter, capable of producing 35 homers, 90 runs and 25 steals.
Possible fades
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners (Yahoo ADP: 15.5)
One of baseball’s most talented young players, Rodríguez faces an uphill battle to be an elite fantasy hitter. First, he must overcome his pitcher-friendly home park, where last year he hit .242 with eight homers and a .655 OPS. Rodríguez also must find ways to accumulate counting stats in an offense that received no notable upgrades after finishing 21st in runs scored last year. Rodríguez has been inconsistent over the past two seasons, and managers will need everything to go right for him to justify his ADP.
Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox (Yahoo ADP: 94.4)
Like Rodríguez, Robert has multiple things working against him. First, the 27-year-old is injury prone, having just once appeared in more than 100 games. And last year his plate skills were generally lacking, as his batted-ball data was mostly average and he was among the most strikeout-prone players (36.1%) in baseball. Finally, Robert will have to rise above being on baseball’s worst team, which will be a factor in terms of lineup support and possibly motivation.
Sleepers/value picks
Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (Yahoo ADP: 182.5)
Lowe took a giant step backwards in 2024, as an oblique injury led to a miserable first half. The outfielder fared a bit better after the All-Star break (.262 BA, 5 HR, 17 SB in 62 games), which provides optimism that a healthy Lowe could return to the form that resulted in 20 long balls, 32 swipes and a .292 average in 2023. After all, even in a down year, Lowe’s average exit velocity, barrel rate and average sprint speed were among the top 25% of players. And it doesn’t hurt that Tampa’s temporary home park in 2025 is one that maximizes power potential.
Tyler O’Neill, Baltimore Orioles (Yahoo ADP: 190.7)
O’Neill is unbelievably cheap in Yahoo leagues right now. The slugger is coming off a 31-homer (in just 113 games) season with the Red Sox, and as a right-handed hitter, he is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the fences being moved in at Camden Yards. Few players hit the ball harder than the muscular O’Neill, who boasts a 98th percentile barrel rate and a 90th percentile hard-hit rate. Finally, hitting behind Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman should enable O’Neill to easily eclipse his career high of 80 RBI.
Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers (Yahoo ADP: 201.3)
Carpenter only needs to stay healthy to post an impactful home run total. After all, he needed just 87 games to go deep 18 times last year, and he logged 20 homers in 118 games the previous season. And with a lifetime .276 average, Carpenter is more than a pure power hitter. Struggles vs. lefties will likely cause Carpenter to fall short of 30 homers and 90 RBI, but he can still make a major impact, especially in leagues with daily lineup moves.
Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks (Yahoo ADP: 249.1)
McCarthy can flat out fly. The outfielder has ranked among the top-15 players in average sprint speed in each of his four MLB seasons, and he has turned those wheels into 77 steals across 1,098 at-bats. McCarthy collected a career-high 442 at-bats last year, and he should play even more this season. A career .270 hitter, the 27-year-old will combine a solid average with 30 swipes.
Top-12 Eligible OF-eligible draft rankings
-
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
-
2. Kyle Tucker, Cubs
-
3. Corbin Carroll, D-backs
-
4. Mookie Betts, Dodgers
-
5. Juan Soto, Mets
-
6. Yordan Álvarez, Astros
-
7. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
-
8. Jackson Chourio, Brewers
-
9. Julio Rodríguez, Mariners
-
10. Jackson Merrill, Padres
-
11. Jarren Duran, Red Sox
-
12. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Yahoo consensus outfield rankings
