Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings: Top 30 shows Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich still hanging on

There's no shortage of talent to be had here.

Outfield is such a big position that it's difficult to compare with the others. You'll find plenty of studs and no shortage of upside plays. A lot of base-stealers, a lot of low-strikeout, high-walk guys -- a lot of everything, really.

There also tends to be more discrepancy between the 5x5 and points rankings because increased availability allows for more fine-tuning. Frankly, it's a pain trying to get the order just right. A top 30 doesn't actually give a complete picture of the position either, but it'll have to do for now.

Early Rankings: Catcher | First base | Second base | Third base | Shortstop | Outfield | Starting pitcher | Relief pitcher

Before we dive in, I should point out that Shohei Ohtani, Brandon Lowe and Franmil Reyes will no longer be eligible in the outfield for the start of 2022. They're not the only ones losing eligibility, but they're the only ones who you might otherwise expect to be in the top 30.

Note that these rankings are intended for 5x5 scoring (such as Rotisserie leagues), but I point out distinctions for points leagues where applicable.  

Top 30 outfielders for 2022

1	Fernando Tatis San Diego Padres SS
Yes, he picked up outfield eligibility late in the season in an effort to spare his shoulder, which he reportedly won't have surgery to correct in the offseason. The game's preeminent power/speed threat has already shown he can manage the injury, but it's a toss-up where you'll play him in Fantasy.
2	Juan Soto Washington Nationals RF
Soto had some trouble elevating the ball, particularly in the first half, and generally hasn't produced home run totals commensurate with other early-round sluggers. He eventually will, though, and may be the best player in Fantasy when he does. He might already be in points leagues given that he walked (87) more than twice as often as he struck out (41) in the second half.
3	Bryce Harper Philadelphia Phillies RF
Coming off his best season since he won NL MVP in 2015, the 29-year-old appears to have smoothed out his rough edges and become a full-fledged Fantasy force. I could point to his .338 batting average and 1.188 OPS in the second half, but it was only the after-effects of a hit by pitch in May that made his first-half numbers something less.
4	Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF
The gold standard for the past decade or so is still probably the best hitter at-bat for at-bat, but he hasn't gotten 500 at-bats in a season since 2016. There's no more avoiding the injury-prone label after what happened to him in 2021, and since he's not a base-stealer anymore either, it doesn't feel like a major concession to pass him over in the first half of the first round.
5	Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers RF
He's expected to go under the knife in the offseason to remove a bone spur from his hip that kept knocking him out of the lineup and likely impacted his production as well. Seeing as he's 29, there are no real concerns of decline, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him run less, which might make him more of a second-rounder going forward.
6	Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF
The 24-year-old's big breakout is all the more impressive when you consider he hit .181 with a .610 OPS in April, when offense was way down across the league. He was genuinely elite for the five months that followed, contributing in all five categories with the sort of strikeout rate that suggests his improved batting average is here to stay.
7	Ronald Acuna Atlanta Braves RF
It sounds like Acuna himself isn't planning to make his return from a torn ACL until May, with all the possibility for a setback before then. He's arguably the best 5x5 player when at full capacity, but between the lost production and the murky timeline, a second-round pick seems more appropriate.
8	Luis Robert Chicago White Sox CF
We knew he had the power and speed to be a 5x5 monster, but nobody would have marked Robert for a .338 batting average this year. A bloated BABIP is partly to credit, but a sharp reduction in strikeout rate is reason for optimism, presuming it wasn't just a product of a 68-game sample.
9	Cedric Mullins Baltimore Orioles CF
Ditching switch-hitting seemed like a sensible plan for Mullins given his career splits, but who could have seen him being this year's only 30/30 man? The power was the most unexpected part, and while the Statcast data suggests he's probably closer to the .261 hitter we saw in the second half than the .314 hitter we saw in the first, this ranking affords him some slippage.
10	Starling Marte Oakland Athletics CF
The 2021 stolen base leader hits the open market after splitting his contract year between two pitcher's parks, but his road numbers suggest they weren't what limited his power production. He still hits enough home runs to make him more than just a one-note player, but it's what the 33-year-old does in that one ever-so-scarce category that will get him drafted this high.
11	Whit Merrifield Kansas City Royals 2B
Joining Starling Marte as the only two 40-steal (or even 35-steal) guys in the majors this year, Merrifield has a steadier track record overall and is also eligible at second base. But there isn't as much pop for him, which gives him a lower ceiling overall. There's an even wider separation between the two in points leagues.
12	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
The big man stayed (mostly) healthy for the first time since blasting off 52 times as a rookie in 2017, and while his numbers weren't quite that good, he did remind us why we've continued to hold out hope, his top-of-the-charts exit velocities giving him a high floor statistically. Suddenly, he's not striking out so much either.
13	Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros DH
It's an upset that the 24-year-old made enough appearances in the outfield to retain eligibility there, especially given all the concern about his knees coming out of last season. His production came back down to earth a little from his rookie season, but there's no denying he's a middle-of-the-order force in a lineup that should do plenty of scoring.
14	Teoscar Hernandez Toronto Blue Jays RF
Hernandez had the look of a fourth-outfielder type who happened to get hot over a small sample during his breakout 2020, but cutting his strikeout rate from 30 to 25 percent this year has completely changed his outlook. He hits the ball hard enough to continue as a 30-homer, .850-OPS guy in a deep lineup while also providing a relevant number of stolen bases.
15	George Springer Toronto Blue Jays CF
The first-year Blue Jay delivered the sort of production expected of a $150 million contract, just not often enough because of oblique, quadriceps and knee injuries. You can't help but wonder if it'll become a chronic thing for the 32-year-old, which is what slots him behind comparables like Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez.
16	Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins CF
Buxton's 3.92 Head-to-Head points per game ranked behind only Ronald Acuna and Fernando Tatis at the position, which shows you the sort of leap he made in his age-27 season. The problem is it came in just 61 games as he once again struggled to stay on the field. At least now the reward seems worth the risk again.
17	Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox LF
A torn pectoral in spring training caused Jimenez to miss all but 55 games, so while his production wasn't up to snuff when he returned, it wasn't a big enough sample to tell us much. It feels like he's playing catchup with guys like Yordan Alvarez and George Springer, but we were actually drafting him ahead of those two this year. The power at least seems bankable enough.
18	Nick Castellanos Cincinnati Reds RF
Though he had the career year so many predicted for him, delivering a career-best batting average and home run total, it likely means Castellanos opts out of his contract despite having hit only .260 with a .772 OPS on the road. He may not need a park as small as Cincinnati's to thrive, but already knowing how things went for him in one as big as Detroit's, I'll rank him cautiously for now.
19	Ketel Marte Arizona Diamondbacks CF
Second base is most likely the position you'll be drafting Marte to play, but either way, you can feel more confident you have a stud on your hands after the way he performed this year, validating his breakthrough 2019 after a mostly punchless season (however abbreviated) in between. He's built more for batting average than power, but there's enough of both.
20	J.D. Martinez Boston Red Sox DH
The final line was great, but so much of Martinez's production came in April (he hit .273 with an .805 OPS the rest of the way) that it may not be enough to erase concerns he's on the decline at age 34. The strikeout rate held steady, though, and his exit velocity and hard-hit rate were still in the 90th percentile, which makes me reluctant to downgrade him further.
21	Jesse Winker Cincinnati Reds LF
After flashing it in years past, Winker finally managed to sustain elite production for a solid 4 1/2 months before a strained intercostal basically ended his season. He has both platoon and durability concerns, but particularly in points leagues, where I rank him six spots higher, his best-case outcome is studly indeed.
22	Bryan Reynolds Pittsburgh Pirates CF
Take a look at the numbers and you'll be surprised just how productive Reynolds was in such a pitiful lineup. The dude can hit, which we would never have doubted if not for the pandemic-shortened 2020. Mark him for 25 homers rather than 30, but with a high batting average and the sort of on-base skills that elevate him even more in points leagues.
23	Tyler O'Neill St. Louis Cardinals LF
How beautiful the breakthrough was for O'Neill once the Cardinals finally committed to playing him, with a two-month stretch at the end that saw him hit .318 with a 1.033 OPS. The strikeout rate will give you pause, but with the way he hammers the ball, Statcast says he earned every bit of his stat line. He can fly, too, so his 15 steals may not be the ceiling.
24	Kyle Schwarber Boston Red Sox LF
Yet another example of that wacky 2020 season throwing us off the scent, Schwarber picked up where he left off in 2019 with huge power production and continued improvement against left-handers. There's little doubt whomever he signs with will want to use him as an everyday player, which might not have been the case a couple years ago.
25	Giancarlo Stanton New York Yankees DH
There's still nobody on earth who hits the ball harder than Stanton, so you know that when he's healthy, the home runs will be there. But for being mostly healthy in 2021, his production was a little underwhelming. He may have gotten cheated in the runs category, judging by his OBP, but it's still reasonable to say he's second-tier now even at his best.
26	Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners RF
After losing the better part of two seasons to injury, Haniger came back strong in 2021, but the shape of his production wasn't exactly what we remembered. He wasn't as disciplined and sold out hard for the long ball -- successfully, yes, but in a way that makes you question its sustainability. There isn't much else for him to fall back on.
27	Randy Arozarena Tampa Bay Rays LF
So it turns out the postseason version of Arozarena was too good to be true, but the 26-year-old was still a 20/20 guy in what was technically his rookie season. Of course, he also struck out too much and put the ball on the ground a ton, so there may not be much room for improvement. Knock him down three spots in points leagues.
28	Kris Bryant San Francisco Giants 3B
The ceiling isn't what it once was, but Bryant bounced back from a miserable 2020 to show he can still be a quality Fantasy option. And because he did it in a park like San Francisco's, you don't worry so much about where he'll land in free agency. HIs third base eligibility is the real attraction here. That position is the pits.
29	Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers CF
A few magical postseason moments will have Bellinger entering the offseason with good mojo, but we can't lose sight of the fact he was utterly useless this year. Still, he was the NL MVP in 2019, was on a solid trajectory before then, and is only 26. At this cost, I'll cross my fingers he's able to correct the mechanics that injuries and unnecessary tweaking have fouled up.
30	Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers LF
Whether because of a fractured kneecap late that year (meh) or a back issue that's nagged him off and on (more likely), Yelich hasn't been right since nearly repeating as NL MVP in 2019. He got his strikeouts back in line this year while continuing to make hard contact, but it didn't do much to improve his bottom line. You draft him here hoping for a miracle fix in his age-30 season.