Center field is the premier position on the diamond. You think of history of baseball and its great players and center fielders usually come to mind. In the 1950s, you had Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Duke Snider all in New York. In terms of baseball history, you have the debate between Willie Mays and Ty Cobb for the crown of best center fielder of all-time. Sure, there is Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, but a plurality of the best players in baseball history have been center fielders.
Last year, the debate began between Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. So far, Trout is ahead by a sizeable margin, but you never know what the future may hold. Some believe Harper will become a 50 home run hitter even if it isn’t as a center fielder. As for Trout, most knowledgable fans know that Trout is the best player in baseball. He came into the season as the number one ranked fantasy player and he hasn’t disappointed. His numbers may end up being better than they were a year ago.
Every position is rocked by injuries every season and center field is no different. You could see the gravestones of fantasy teams across the country with different players engraved in the headstones. For some it has been Ryan Braun and Albert Pujols, but Matt Kemp‘s name will also come up a lot on those gravestones.
Kemp came into the season as a top ten fantasy player, but he will not be in the top twenty at the position because of injuries. No one lost a season entirely because of the loss of Curtis Granderson. He came into the season hurt, so his fantasy stock dived from the get go. However, it couldn’t have helped. Normally, those two would be in the top ten at the position with even a conservative estimate. So, you could add those to the top ten and see how loaded the position would normally be.
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Last year, the debate began between Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. So far, Trout is ahead by a sizeable margin, but you never know what the future may hold. Some believe Harper will become a 50 home run hitter even if it isn’t as a center fielder. As for Trout, most knowledgable fans know that Trout is the best player in baseball. He came into the season as the number one ranked fantasy player and he hasn’t disappointed. His numbers may end up being better than they were a year ago.
Every position is rocked by injuries every season and center field is no different. You could see the gravestones of fantasy teams across the country with different players engraved in the headstones. For some it has been Ryan Braun and Albert Pujols, but Matt Kemp‘s name will also come up a lot on those gravestones.
Kemp came into the season as a top ten fantasy player, but he will not be in the top twenty at the position because of injuries. No one lost a season entirely because of the loss of Curtis Granderson. He came into the season hurt, so his fantasy stock dived from the get go. However, it couldn’t have helped. Normally, those two would be in the top ten at the position with even a conservative estimate. So, you could add those to the top ten and see how loaded the position would normally be.
| PRE | RC | BR | TOT | Notes | |
| Mike Trout | 1 | 105 | 3 | 108 | Clearly the best overall player in baseball, but in terms of fantasy it is debatable. |
| Andrew McCutchen | 6 | 80 | 4 | 84 | He continues to quietly perform and he has his Pirates in first place. |
| Shin Shoo Choo | 77 | 82 | 1 | 83 | Take away some shoddy defense and he has been a revelation for the Reds. |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 37 | 74 | 74 | The impending free agent has himself in position for a major payday. | |
| Adam Jones | 33 | 74 | 74 | He is not quite elite, but he has been consistently very good for several years. | |
| Carlos Gomez | 94 | 70 | 2 | 72 | This year has been his coming out party. |
| Alejandro De Aza | 137 | 62 | 1 | 63 | He is quietly productive on a team that isn’t productive. |
| Colby Rasmus | 256 | 61 | 61 | This has been a nice bounce back campaign for Rasmus. | |
| Desmond Jennings | 71 | 57 | 4 | 61 | Considering his pre-draft ranking, this has to be seen as a disappointment. |
| Brett Gardner | 165 | 57 | 57 | He is really a left fielder, but he got stuck here due to Granderson’s injury troubles. | |
| Marlon Byrd | 398 | 56 | 1 | 57 | He is here because the Mets have no one else. |
| Dexter* Fowler | 174 | 55 | 1 | 56 | Like always, he is great at home and so-so on the road. |
| Austin Jackson | 88 | 47 | 4 | 51 | Cut him some slack, he has to cover a lot of extra ground in center for this team. |
| Coco Crisp | 161 | 48 | 1 | 49 | Considering where he was being drafted, this isn’t all that bad. |
| Denard Span | 280 | 46 | 3 | 49 | I don’t understand why he was being drafted this low. He went undrafted a ton. |
| Jon Jay | 292 | 46 | 3 | 49 | He doesn’t have any elite skills, so this is somewhat understandable. |
| Michael Bourn | 80 | 43 | 4 | 47 | Injuries have derailed another season for many fantasy players. |
| Leonys Martin | 265 | 43 | 1 | 44 | I imagine he will be a lot higher next season now that he has established himself. |
| Will Venable | 386 | 41 | 3 | 44 | Cameron Maybin’s loss is everyone else’s gain in San Diego. |
| Lorenzo Cain | 202 | 39 | 3 | 42 | He seemed to be smoking in June, but he has fallen back since then. |
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