Top 10 Left Fielders

	Official K-Zone Ranking	Mike’s Ranking	Ian’s Ranking	Mojo’s Ranking	Guti’s Ranking
1.	Giancarlo Stanton (NYY)	Giancarlo Stanton	Giancarlo Stanton (NYY)	Giancarlo Stanton (NYY)	Giancarlo Stanton (NYY)
2.	Justin Upton (LAA)	Justin Upton (LAA)	Justin Upton (LAA)	Justin Upton (LAA)	Justin Upton (LAA)
3.	Marcell Ozuna (STL)	Andrew Benintendi (BOS)	Marcell Ozuna (STL)	Christian Yelich (MIL)	Marcell Ozuna (STL)
4.	Christain Yelich (MIL)	Khris Davis (OAK)	Christian Yelich (MIL)	Marcell Ozuna (STL)	Christian Yelich (MIL)
5.	Khris Davis (OAK)	Christian Yelich (MIL)	Andrew Benintendi (BOS)	Yoenis Cespedes (NYM)	Yoenis Cespedes (NYM)
6.	Andrew Benintendi (BOS)	Michael Brantley (CLE)	Khris Davis (OAK)	Khris Davis (OAK)	Andrew Benintendi (BOS)
7.	Yoenis Cespedes (NYM)	Brett Gardner (NYY)	Yoenis Cespedes (NYM)	Brett Gardner (NYY)	Khris Davis (OAK)
8.	Rhys Hoskins (PHI)	Trey Mancini (BAL)	Rhys Hoskins (PHI)	Michael Brantley (CLE)	Corey Dickerson (PIT)
9.	Brett Gardner (NYY)	Corey Dickerson (PIT)	Corey Dickerson (PIT)	Rhys Hoskins (PHI)	Rhys Hoskins (PHI)
10.	Michael Brantley (CLE)	Rhys Hoskins (PHI)	Trey Mancini (BAL)	Marwin Gonzalez (HOU)	Marwin Gonzalez (HOU)
Sleeper		Marwin Gonzalez (HOU)	Ronald Acuna (ATL)	Andrew Toles (LAD) Andrew Benintendi (BOS) Ronald Acuna (ATL)	Ronald Acuna (ATL) Andrew Toles (LAD) Adam Eaton (WSH)

 

Left field has been full of trade action in the past calendar year, as all of the top four members of the top 10 list having been dealt. Let’s see what the teams managed to acquire. While he may spend some time at DH and some time in right, brand new Yankee and 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton leads off the list. Even though he didn’t get all the way to 60, 59 home runs is still a decent total for the slugger, who finished last year with 156 wRC+ and a 1.007 OPS, with a BABIP under .300. Stanton is far from power-only; he can hit for some average, walk, and play strong defense (9 DRS in 2017). Angels’ recent acquisition and extendee Justin Upton comes in as the consensus #2 LF. He hit 34 home runs, stole 14 bases, and finished last year with a .361 OBP, 5.0 WAR, and 106 million extra dollars in his pocket. Few had faith in Marcell Ozuna last season after his red hot start, but the then-Marlins outfielder never slowed down, being able to maintain a high BABIP, .312 BA, and 37 home runs throughout the season. Ozuna was traded to the Cardinals near the beginning of this long offseason. Christian Yelich is the third former Marlins outfielder on the list, and the fourth left fielder overall. The Brewers’ new piece put up 4.5 WAR last year and hopes to join the 20/20 club in his new hitter-friendly ballpark. Some extra speed and power will pair nicely with his .369 OBP in 2017. Khris Davis of the Oakland A’s is no longer “Chris Davis with a ‘K.'” He has become the primary bearer of his name pronunciation in recent years, hitting at least 42 home runs twice in a row. While he has hit only exactly .247 for three consecutive years now, a recently improved walk rate could lead him to being a better overall player in 2018. Sophomore Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi ranks sixth. A very similar player to the aforementioned Yelich, Benintendi actually did manage to put up 20/20 numbers last season while completely the year with a respectable .352 OBP. Injuries were the biggest obstacle of #7 left fielder Yoenis Cespedes last season, but when he played, he produced. In half a season’s worth of at bats, Cespedes blasted 17 homers and hit a career high .292, totaling up for 131 wRC+. He was on pace for a 3.2 WAR 162-game season. Rhys Hoskins had one of the best debuts in baseball history for Philadelphia last season. Despite only hitting for a .241 BABIP, Hoskins slashed .259/.396/.618 with 18 home runs and 2.2 WAR in only 50 games. Few expect him to maintain a 31.6% HR/FB rate, but he certainly has the potential to do great things for a team that should start contending very soon. Brett Gardner, the incumbent Yankee outfielder, should split the LF AB’s with Stanton. Gardner’s 3.8 2017 WAR was composed of a .350 OBP, 21 steals, and 23 home runs. Cleveland’s Michael Brantley is the final member of the top 10 left fielders. He broke out in 2014 when he slashed .327/.385/.506, but has since been less productive. Brantley played only 90 games last season, hitting .299 with 9 home runs and 11 stolen bases.

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Sources:
Fangraphs
Baseball Reference

Images Attributed to:
mlb.com
Orange County Register
ESPN

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