Intro
Forgive me if I’m a bit out of it right now. After the Shane Bieber injury, I searched for life’s meaning in a few liquor bottles. I didn’t quite find the answers I was looking for; but give me a minute, I’ll find them somewhere down there… Anywho, time for another update to the ol’ big board of outfielders. And look who’s making a name for himself in the early going, daddy’s favorite OF sleeper in the preseason, none other than Tyler O’Neill. I hope you all listened to me, not only is he motivated and hitting well, but also moved up to batting 3rd in the Boston lineup. Mmmmmm. So far this season he’s batting .357/.514/.893 (yes, slugging almost .900) with 5 HR and 1 SB. A superheroic feat without measure. Obviously, he will not continue at this pace for the whole season but it certainly makes the 30 HR mark all the more reachable. It wasn’t all that long ago (2021 to be precise) that he put together a 34/15/.286 season. And that wasn’t even in Boston. All the stock for Captain Canuck to the moon! Just ask my mate for the odds at the local dive bar and hot tub emporium, eh?
Early Season Notes
The Leaders
Mookie Betts – Without a doubt, we are seeing the best of Mookie Best to start this season. In my Pert’s league draft recap I told you that he was going to feast having Ohtani and Freeman behind him. Well, he’s currently on pace for a casual 200 Runs and 160 RBI season. Plus he’s added got 5 HR with a .375 AVG. Yeah, that’ll do.
Spencer Steer – He’s doing Grey proud. I never could bring myself to take him as early as he was going, mostly because I was picking up a pitcher during those rounds in drafts, and now I’m regretting it some. Hopefully, you are on the receiving end of his bender. That’s 12 RBI to begin the season.
Teoscar Hernandez – Leading the league with 14 RBI. My main regret besides Steer is that I didn’t draft Teoscar anywhere despite really liking the opportunity he would have for production in that lineup. And of course, he’s been eating so well there, they have moved him up to batting 4th on some nights behind Freeman. Incredible stuff. Feels so clearly like an easy win now.
Mike Trout – is doing everything, and you have to wonder how long he can keep it together. I really hope he lasts 120+ games this season because he juuuuust might give us one of those 40/20 seasons of yesteryear. Now the RBIs… ehhh, let’s not go there while Rendon is batting leadoff, woof. More like Rendon’t, am I right? high five!
Interesting Names
Michael Conforto – is finally healthy again. He had his first full spring of “baseball activities” ramping up for the season and looks like it’s just want the doctor ordered. He’s hitting .351 with 3 HR and 10 RBIs to begin his age 31 season. 4 years ago he had a 33 HR season and he hasn’t been the same since. Will he stay healthy? Who knows, but I picked him up in every 15-team and so should you. 24ish HR with decent run production while hitting 4th for the Giants is a solid pickup for your OF4/5 if you already have command of your steals.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – My boy! It wouldn’t be a Coolwhip draft season without him ending up on 50%+ of my teams. Seems he’s always unappreciated and underestimated. The very picture of a safe OF3/4 based on team build is off to a stellar start. And he’s been hitting as high as 3rd in the Diamondback lineup. I’ll take that every day and twice on Sundays!
Starling Marte – much like Conforto, looks like he’s finally healthy again. He chipped in a HR and 2 SB so far and could be a value by season’s end.
Jarren Duran – Already has 6 steals to start the year. The front of the Boston lineup is suiting him just fine.
Jose Siri – Josh Lowe being out has allowed him to get more ABs and make the best of it. He too has 6 steals. I told you he was sirious!
Connor Joe – Others have talked about him plenty so I’ll just summarize my thoughts. I’ve wrangled him in a few places because he’s as consistent as the spring rain. April is always his month, putting up a wRC+ like an All-Star then disappearing until August. Now is the time to roster him.
Oswaldo Cabrera – Has caught lightning in a bottle after getting the fire lit under him when the Yankees acquired Jon Berti. Despite looking destined for the bench, he has kept Berti at bay and continues to garner playing time with the occasional day off versus lefties. This looks headed for a full platoon, but if he continues to be a plus asset against righties, that’s a solid lineup piece.
Jackson Merrill – He just continues to impress with professional at-bats. I love this guy. And with this type of of effort, it’s no wonder the Padres haven’t resigned a jobless Tommy Pham. Even Jurickson Profar is hitting well while batting 5th in their lineup.
Will Benson – Hitting 2nd verus RHP and slowly earning ABs against LHP for the Reds. You love to see it, don’t sleep on him.
Lars Nootbaar – is due back shortly after some rehab games, which means a struggling Victor Scott could soon find his way back down to the minors. The Cardinals offense seems to have gotten some of their groove back so Nootbaar at hitting towards the top of that lineup might be worth a pickup.
Jake McCarthy – has found his way back in the lineup with Alek Thomas set to miss significant time on the IL with a potential grade 2 hamstring strain. I feel bad for him having won the centerfield job in camp. That said, I absolutely cut bait with him and picked up McCarthy especially after he got 2 hits off a lefty pitcher this week. He might still sit against some, but if he’s anything like his first season, I’ll take the plus speed for some cheap steal potential.
Josh Smith – wins the award for the most generic white boy name ever… and also seems to have wrestled the lion’s share of 3B duties out of Ezekiel Duran’s clutches while Jung is out for a projected 6-8 weeks. I had Duran in so many places but the Rangers so far have preferred both Smith and Jarred Walsh on the strong side of a 3-headed platoon for 3B and 1B respectively. For now: Smith stonks up, Duran stonks down. Fortunately, Smith comes with some of the same multi-position utility that Duran does, so make that move and profit. I did.
The Board
If you need to brush-up on my board’s value system, refer to the preseason post here.
| # | Name | Team | POS | Tier | CW$ |
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | ATL | OF | 1 | 15.99 |
| 2 | Mookie Betts | LAD | 2B/OF | 1 | 13.18 |
| 3 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SD | OF | 1 | 10.85 |
| 4 | Juan Soto | NYY | OF | 1 | 10.73 |
| 5 | Julio Rodriguez | SEA | OF | 1 | 10.64 |
| 6 | Kyle Tucker | HOU | OF | 1 | 10.61 |
| 7 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | OF | 1 | 9.90 |
| 8 | Corbin Carroll | ARI | OF | 1 | 9.55 |
| 9 | Aaron Judge | NYY | OF | 1 | 9.19 |
| 10 | Adolis Garcia | TEX | OF | 1 | 7.06 |
| 11 | Mike Trout | LAA | OF | 1 | 7.03 |
| 12 | Michael Harris II | ATL | OF | 1 | 6.88 |
| 13 | Cody Bellinger | CHC | 1B/OF | 1 | 6.75 |
| 14 | Randy Arozarena | TB | OF | 1 | 6.30 |
| 15 | Spencer Steer | CIN | 1B/3B/ OF | 1 | 6.09 |
| 16 | Teoscar Hernandez | LAD | OF | 1 | 6.00 |
| 17 | Christian Yelich | MIL | OF | 1 | 5.86 |
| 18 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | MIA | OF | 1 | 5.14 |
| 19 | Kyle Schwarber | PHI | OF | 1 | 5.12 |
| 20 | Nolan Jones | COL | OF | 1 | 5.08 |
| 21 | Seiya Suzuki | CHC | OF | 2 | 4.97 |
| 22 | Jarren Duran | BOS | OF | 2 | 4.92 |
| 23 | Jackson Chourio | MIL | OF | 2 | 4.31 |
| 24 | Tyler O’Neill | BOS | OF | 2 | 4.29 |
| 25 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | ARI | OF | 2 | 4.12 |
| 26 | Lane Thomas | WSH | OF | 2 | 4.07 |
| 27 | Anthony Santander | BAL | OF | 2 | 3.94 |
| 28 | Bryan Reynolds | PIT | OF | 2 | 3.87 |
| 29 | George Springer | TOR | OF | 2 | 3.86 |
| 30 | Luis Robert Jr. | CHW | OF | 2 | 3.74 |
| 31 | Wyatt Langford | TEX | OF | 2 | 3.58 |
| 32 | Steven Kwan | CLE | OF | 2 | 3.53 |
| 33 | Jorge Soler | SF | OF | 3 | 3.40 |
| 34 | Ian Happ | CHC | OF | 3 | 3.36 |
| 35 | Christopher Morel | CHC | OF | 3 | 3.19 |
| 36 | Josh Lowe | TB | OF | 3 | 3.02 |
| 37 | Riley Greene | DET | OF | 3 | 2.92 |
| 38 | Taylor Ward | LAA | OF | 3 | 2.65 |
| 39 | Masataka Yoshida | BOS | OF | 3 | 2.52 |
| 40 | Nick Castellanos | PHI | OF | 3 | 2.52 |
| 41 | Evan Carter | TEX | OF | 3 | 2.52 |
| 42 | Brandon Nimmo | NYM | OF | 4 | 2.28 |
| 43 | Jordan Walker | STL | OF | 4 | 2.21 |
| 44 | Cedric Mullins | BAL | OF | 4 | 2.14 |
| 45 | Jose Siri | TB | OF | 4 | 2.04 |
| 46 | Starling Marte | NYM | OF | 4 | 1.80 |
| 47 | MJ Melendez | KC | OF | 4 | 1.65 |
| 48 | Chas McCormick | HOU | OF | 4 | 1.63 |
| 49 | Giancarlo Stanton | NYY | OF | 4 | 1.48 |
| 50 | Michael Conforto | SF | OF | 4 | 1.43 |
| 51 | Nelson Velazquez | KC | OF | 4 | 1.41 |
| 52 | James Outman | LAD | OF | 4 | 1.36 |
| 53 | Jung Hoo Lee | SF | OF | 4 | 1.31 |
| 54 | Kerry Carpenter | DET | OF | 4 | 1.25 |
| 55 | Daulton Varsho | TOR | OF | 4 | 1.03 |
| 56 | Tommy Edman | STL | 2B/SS/ OF | 4 | 1.01 |
| 57 | Jack Suwinski | PIT | OF | 5 | 0.90 |
| 58 | TJ Friedl | CIN | OF | 5 | 0.87 |
| 59 | Leody Taveras | TEX | OF | 5 | 0.82 |
| 60 | Will Benson | CIN | OF | 5 | 0.77 |
| 61 | Bryan De La Cruz | MIA | OF | 5 | 0.75 |
| 62 | Brendan Donovan | STL | 2B/OF | 5 | 0.67 |
| 63 | Lars Nootbaar | STL | OF | 5 | 0.66 |
| 64 | Jarred Kelenic | ATL | OF | 5 | 0.62 |
| 65 | Jake Fraley | CIN | OF | 5 | 0.54 |
| 66 | Charlie Blackmon | COL | OF | 5 | 0.51 |
| 67 | Kris Bryant | COL | OF | 5 | 0.51 |
| 68 | Josh Smith | TEX | SS/3B/OF | 5 | 0.10 |
| 69 | Brent Rooker | OAK | OF | 5 | 0.10 |
| 70 | Sal Frelick | MIL | OF | 5 | -0.03 |
| 71 | Alex Kirilloff | MIN | 1B/OF | 5 | -0.17 |
| 72 | Brenton Doyle | COL | OF | 5 | -0.31 |
| 73 | Max Kepler | MIN | OF | 5 | -0.35 |
| 74 | Ceddanne Rafaela | BOS | OF | 5 | -0.40 |
| 75 | Brandon Marsh | PHI | OF | 5 | -0.43 |
| 76 | Andrew Benintendi | CHW | OF | 5 | -0.45 |
| 77 | Willi Castro | MIN | 3B/OF | 5 | -0.49 |
| 78 | Ryan O’Hearn | BAL | 1B/OF | 5 | -0.64 |
| 79 | Henry Davis | PIT | OF | 5 | -0.70 |
| 80 | Ezekiel Duran | TEX | SS/3B/OF | 5 | -0.85 |
| 81 | Mitch Haniger | SEA | OF | 5 | -0.91 |
| 82 | Alex Verdugo | NYY | OF | 5 | -0.99 |
| 83 | Mark Canha | DET | OF | 5 | -1.01 |
| 84 | Kyle Isbel | KC | OF | 5 | -1.05 |
| 85 | Parker Meadows | DET | OF | 5 | -1.19 |
| 86 | Joc Pederson | ARI | OF | 5 | -1.22 |
| 87 | LaMonte Wade Jr. | SF | 1B/OF | 5 | -1.24 |
| 88 | Gavin Lux | LAD | 2B/OF | 5 | -1.33 |
| 89 | Ramon Laureano | CLE | OF | 5 | -1.40 |
| 90 | Connor Joe | PIT | 1B/OF | 5 | -1.40 |
| 91 | Jake Meyers | HOU | OF | 5 | -1.41 |
| 92 | Edward Olivares | PIT | OF | 5 | -1.42 |
| 93 | Jesus Sanchez | MIA | OF | 5 | -1.42 |
| 94 | Alek Thomas | ARI | OF | 5 | -1.51 |
| 95 | Austin Hays | BAL | OF | 5 | -1.56 |
| 96 | JJ Bleday | OAK | OF | 5 | -1.60 |
| 97 | Michael A. Taylor | PIT | OF | 5 | -1.62 |
| 98 | Luis Rengifo | LAA | 2B/SS/ 3B/OF | 5 | -1.63 |
| 99 | Joey Gallo | WSH | 1B/OF | 5 | -1.63 |
| 100 | Hunter Renfroe | KC | OF | 5 | -1.64 |
As always, the individual ranks (and to a degree the dollars) don’t really matter, what’s important are the tiers, and more important than that—your roster construction. If your team is starving for steals, it doesn’t matter if Soler is worth more than Ruiz, your roster needs Ruiz more. Simple as that. Any outfielder not listed, consider them tier 5.
If you want more Coolwhip to top off your baseball experience, fantasy or otherwise, you can follow me on Twitter: @CoolwhipRB.
