Thursday's Outfielder Value Rankings
Here are theScore's outfielder value rankings for Thursday, May 12 (note that these stats exclude Wednesday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Braun (MIL) | vs. SD | 9 |
Braun has been fantastic this year, slashing .368/.435/.607. He has seven long-balls on the season and gets the generous James Shields, who led the league with 33 homers allowed last year and has surrendered six through 45 innings this season. In his hitter-friendly home, Braun is capable of a big-time performance.
Mid-Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Trout (LAA) | vs. STL | 7 |
| Mookie Betts (BOS) | vs. HOU | 7 |
| Mark Trumbo (BAL) | vs. DET | 7 |
| Chris Young (BOS) | vs. HOU | 7 |
| Lorenzo Cain (KC) | at NYY | 6 |
| Carlos Beltran (NYY) | vs. KC | 6 |
| Stephen Piscotty (STL) | at LAA | 6 |
| Hunter Pence (SF) | at ARI | 6 |
| Alex Gordon (KC) | at NYY | 6 |
| Jackie Bradley Jr. (BOS) | vs. HOU | 6 |
| George Springer (HOU) | at BOS | 6 |
| Yoenis Cespedes (NYM) | at LAD | 6 |
| Brock Holt (BOS) | vs. HOU | 6 |
Cain and Beltran have both gone deep more than once during the Kansas City-New York series. Their seasonal play hasn't been overly impressive, but now looks like the best time to roll either of them.
Gordon is batting .281 over his last 10 games. As a lefty, he gets a huge advantage at Yankee Stadium.
Cespedes comes with a reduced price tag because of his matchup against LHP Clayton Kershaw. Cespedes, however, has a tremendous .600 OBP against southpaws this season. Unfortunately, Kershaw isn't just any left hander. As a result, reserve Yo for tournament play.
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Jay (SD) | at MIL | 5 |
| Joc Pederson (LAD) | vs. NYM | 5 |
| Brandon Drury (ARI) | vs. SF | 5 |
| Brett Gardner (NYY) | vs. KC | 5 |
| Odubel Herrera (PHI) | at ATL | 5 |
| Matt Kemp (SD) | at MIL | 5 |
| Aaron Hicks (NYY) | vs. KC | 5 |
| Adam Jones (BAL) | vs. DET | 5 |
| Kole Calhoun (LAA) | vs. STL | 5 |
| Denard Span (SF) | at ARI | 5 |
| Ender Inciarte (ATL) | vs. PHI | 5 |
| David Peralta (ARI) | vs. SF | 5 |
| Nick Markakis (ATL) | vs. PHI | 5 |
| Brandon Moss (STL) | at LAA | 5 |
| Yasiel Puig (LAD) | vs. NYM | 4 |
| Yasmany Tomas (ARI) | vs. SF | 4 |
| Jeremy Hazelbaker (STL) | at LAA | 4 |
| Joey Rickard (BAL) | vs. DET | 4 |
| Randal Grichuk (STL) | at LAA | 4 |
| Matt Holliday (STL) | at LAA | 4 |
| Melvin Upton Jr. (SD) | at MIL | 4 |
| Trayce Thompson (LAD) | vs. NYM | 4 |
| Anthony Gose (DET) | at BAL | 4 |
Jay comes at a cheap price and has three multi-hit games in his past four outings.
Jones has struggled this season with just six extra-base hits in 100 at-bats. He did, however, hit his second home run of the season on Tuesday, and gets a favorable matchup against SP Mike Pelfrey.
Puig has just one extra-base hit in his past 10 games and only three homers on the season. Wait for the power to return before rostering him.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Domingo Santana (MIL) | vs. SD | 3 |
| Carlos Gomez (HOU) | at BOS | 3 |
| Colby Rasmus (HOU) | at BOS | 3 |
| J.D. Martinez (DET) | at BAL | 3 |
| Justin Upton (DET) | at BAL | 3 |
| Chris Owings (ARI) | vs. SF | 3 |
| Curtis Granderson (NYM) | at LAD | 3 |
| Gregor Blanco (SF) | at ARI | 3 |
| Jarrod Dyson (KC) | at NYY | 3 |
| Carl Crawford (LAD) | vs. NYM | 2 |
| Dustin Ackley (NYY) | vs. KC | 2 |
| Tyler Goeddel (PHI) | at ATL | 2 |
| Michael Conforto (NYM) | at LAD | 1 |
Upton and Martinez are the slumping Tigers now, especially Martinez, who is hitting .114 over his last 10. Both come with significant salaries and should be faded.
Granderson and Conforto fall against the southpaw Kershaw. Conforto is also unlikely to play because of how poorly he has hit lefties in his young career.