Ranking the best 15 left fielders in MLB for 2016

As we continue with our series of ranking each position (previous rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B), we now move on to the hot corner.

As was the case with previous rankings, let's keep these things in mind:

1. We are ranking the players based upon which ones we'd most want to have for the 2016 season only, ignoring salary. Quite simply, if money were no object and you were trying to win the World Series this season, which player would you most want to have?

2. These are subjective, as voted on by Matt Snyder, Dayn Perry and Mike Axisa. We ranked the players at each position individually and averaged out the results.

3. These aren't fantasy baseball rankings. All-around play matters.

In left field, it's not nearly as deep as some of the other positions. We have a three-headed monster at the top followed by an injured player, and then we get into the hot youngsters. Take note that we're ranking where the players are expected to play in 2016 so, for example, Yoenis Cespedes isn't here (he's in CF). Also, the Twins announced Friday that Miguel Sano will play right field, not left.

Without further ado ...

	1. Starling Marte, Pirates
Possibly a surprise selection here to some. After all, he's never even made the All-Star team. Expect that to change this season. Marte is overshadowed by his teammate in center (Andrew McCutchen), but he does everything well. He hit .287/.337/.444 with 30 doubles, 19 homers and 30 steals last season. He also won a Gold Glove thanks to his stellar range and arm, racking up 15 outfield assists and 24 defensive runs saved. He gets the nod here thanks to age (he's 27 compared to Gordon turning 32 next year), health (Brantley is hurt) and all-around play (Upton isn't great on defense).
	2. Alex Gordon, Royals
Gordon's numbers won't jump out at you. He hit .271/.377/.432 with 18 doubles, 13 homers and two steals last season, but it was truncated due to a major injury (104 games played). We also have to consider that Gordon is still probably the best defensive left fielder (if not second behind Marte), runs the bases well even when he doesn't rack up steals and is the leader of the two-time defending AL champs and defending World Series champs.
	3. Justin Upton, Tigers
The best proven power hitter (we'll get to that in a second) of the group, Upton has averaged 25 homers per season over the last seven years and he's still only 28 years old. He can run, too, having swiped 19 bases in 24 tries last season. He's capable of a good average, but he hit .251 last season with a .336 OBP. With a good arm and adequate range, he's not awful but can't measure up to the top two here in defense.
	4. Michael Brantley, Indians
Remember, these are our rankings for the 2016 season, and given that Brantley is set to miss the first several weeks (if not months), he's docked. Otherwise he might have been the top dog here. Since his age-27 breakout, Brantley has hit .319/.382/.494 the last two seasons combined. He led the majors with 45 doubles last season despite playing in only 137 games. He also had 15 homers and steals while walking more than he struck out. Defensive metrics don't love him and, again, there's the injury.
	5. Kyle Schwarber, Cubs
In the regular season and postseason combined as a rookie, Schwarber hit 21 home runs in just 304 plate appearances. That's around a half-season, so he could well hit 40 bombs in 2016, making him the best raw power hitter here (note the Upton mention), even if he hasn't yet proven it over a full season. We've already seen Schwarber's ability to post a high OBP and he's a fine baserunner (no, he's not slow even though people assume that when looking at him). The defense in left is suspect, though, even if not nearly as bad as it was in the NLCS.
	6. Michael Conforto, Mets
Another youngster with limited experience and big upside, Conforto announced his presence with two World Series home runs last season. The regular-season showing of .270/.335/.506 with 14 doubles and nine home runs in only 194 PAs was very encouraging.
	7. Matt Holliday, Cardinals
On career pedigree, he should certainly be higher than at least Schwarber and Conforto here, but Holliday is now 36 years old in an increasingly younger man's game. Injury held him to just 73 games last season and he only hit four home runs. His overall .279/.394/.410 line is useful, particularly the on-base skills, but he doesn't add any value on the bases and is poor in left field defensively.
	8. Christian Yelich, Marlins
We get into the underrated portion of the list with these next two entries. If Yelich stays in left field, he's a very good defender (metrics love him LF and hate him in CF, and the eye test matches up). He's yet to flash good power, but otherwise has shown a lot at the big-league level, hitting .300 with a .366 OBP, 30 doubles and 16 steals last season.
	9. David Peralta, Diamondbacks
The former pitcher led the NL with 10 triples last season, also adding 26 doubles and 17 homers en route to a robust .522 slugging percentage. His .312 average, .371 OBP and nine steals show he's an all-around offensive player, too, though his defense is marginal at best.
	10. Brett Gardner, Yankees
So which guy was the real Gardner last season? First half: .302/.377/.484, 22 2B, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 15 SB Second half: .206/.300/.292, 4 2B, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB He dealt with a shoulder injury late in the season and can still run well, but he's definitely lost a step, and it's shown on defense. The hunch is though he got there in a roundabout way, the overall 2015 line (.259/.343/.399) is around where Gardner will live this year.
	11. Andre Ethier, Dodgers
The 33-year-old had a very nice boune-back season last year, hitting .294/.366/.486 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 14 homers and 53 RBI in 445 PAs. He's still a liability against lefties, but is very useful otherwise.
	12. Corey Dickerson, Rays
He'll be 27 next year and owns a career .299/.345/.534 line, good for a 125 OPS+. Of course, there's this: Coors Field: .355/.410/.675, 32 2B, 12 3B, 24 HR Elsewhere: .249/.286/.410, 26 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR That's about as exaggerated as it gets. There's some evidence that playing home games in Coors Field actually makes hitters worse on the road, so we'll see how Dickerson adapts to a new league and pitcher-friendly home park.
	13. Colby Rasmus, Astros
The "Colby Jack" happened 25 times in the regular season and four times in the playoffs for Houston in 2015. He's going to hit for a low average and good power with a high strikeout total. That's fine. He had a 113 OPS+ and 2.6 WAR. And the Astros had their best season ever in the AL.
	14. Melky Cabrera, White Sox
After a huge 2014, Cabrera wasn't very good in 2015, hitting .273/.314/.394 (97 OPS+). He's still a doubles machine and hits righties real well.
	15. Khris Davis, Brewers
The 28-year-old has great power, as he clubbed 27 homers in just 392 at-bats last season. He also doesn't hit for average, strikes out a lot more than he walks and doesn't play good defense. Still, love that power.