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Went over the catchers1st basemen2nd basemen and shortstops and top 20 3rd basemen for 2012 fantasy baseball. Guess what’s next!  No, not pitchers. Read the title, man.  In 2010, there were only 5 outfielders that hit 30 homers, in 2011 there were 9, this year there were 14.  It isn’t exactly like a bleached Sammy Sosa is sticking players with needles, but at least the rich got a little richer — yay, capitalism!  Steals were still in abundance, and that doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere any time soon.  There were 14 outfielders who stole 30 bases in 2011 and this year there were 14.  Since outfield is a deep position, I’m going to turn this one to 40.  As before, these rankings are from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 outfielders for 2012 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

1. Mike Trout – If you owned Mike Trout last year and lost your league, you really screwed up.  I finished 6th in my RCL and I would’ve finished no worse than 2nd with Mike Trout on my team.  SAT Question:  Mike Trout is to wonderful as wonderful is to what?  There is no comparison to Mike Trout.  If he shows up on the SATs, walk out and tell the college admissions board your gripe and you want to go to Harvard.  Done.  Tell them I said so, too.  I’ll write your letter of recommendation.  And sign Mike Trout’s name!  I didn’t rank Trout, but I talked about him in preseason sleeper posts and when/if the Angels call him up.  He was in multiple Buys and we dedicated a podcast to him.  So, don’t tell me you weren’t forewarned.  I forewarned you!  Preseason Unranked, 2012 Projections:  55/7/30/.270/20 in 300 ABs, Final Numbers: 129/30/83/.329/49

2. Ryan Braun – We’ve had some laughs at Braun’s expense due to the whole FedEx urine sample being accidentally sent to the MLBB (My Lips But Better lipstick).  But, on the fo’really, if he would’ve bombed this year, people would’ve never shut up about how his suspension should’ve been held up.  After his year, I haven’t heard one thing about his positive drug test.  The morale of this story, boys and four girls:  Do drugs, but don’t get caught.  Preseason Rank #1, 2012 Projections:  105/35/110/.310/15, Final Numbers:  108/41/112/.319/30

3. Josh Hamilton – And due to injury concerns, I would give him exactly the same ranking and projections next year as I did last.  Sure, he could hit 40+ homers like he did this year, but he could also get caught dancing on a bar, and, while ducking away from the TMZ photogs, pull an oblique.  Preseason Rank #10, 2012 Projections:  75/27/85/.295/7, Final Numbers: 103/43/128/.285/7

4. Andrew McCutchen – The Dread Pirate’s season was obviously terrific, so let’s look at the negatives.  His speed was way down and his ranking here is being buoyed a bit by his average.  If he only steals 20 bases and hits .279, as our Expected Batting Average tool says.  Well, then The Dread Pirate might be selling you something he can’t deliver for next year.  Preseason Rank #7, 2012 Projections:  95/25/100/.275/30, Final Numbers: 107/31/96/.327/20

5. Alex Rios – I think my dropping of Rios hurt even more than my dropping of Ryan Zimmerman, because I was one of the few that saw a bounce back coming for Rios and ranked him as high as I did.  I even went and wrote a sleeper post.  I wonder *nudging VinWins* if I kept Rios and Zimmerman where my RCL team would’ve finished.  Preseason Rank #33, 2012 Projections:  75/17/85/.270/22, Final Numbers:  93/25/91/.304/23

6. Curtis Granderson – Since I’ve gone over whether or not he was overrated a bunch already, I decided to just look at Grandy’s career.  This I found shocking.  From active players who have had as many seasons as him (9), the only players with more homers are Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Matt Holliday and Adrian Gonzalez.  Even more shocking, the player with 9 seasons and only one less homer than Grandy?  The player who had 209?  Nick Swisher.  Joe Girardi just scoffed.  Oh, and Grandy should buy the Pesci Pole in right field a nice dinner.  Preseason Rank #13, 2012 Projections:  100/29/90/.255/18, Final Numbers:  102/43/106/.232/10

7. Adam Jones – Why did the O’s get bounced from the playoffs?  Cause their clean up hitter had only 82 RBIs.  Not saying Jones is bad, mind you.  I’m saying the garbage in front of him smells like a piece of Roquefort that you forgot in your refrigerator for three years.  Preseason Rank #20, 2012 Projections:  80/25/90/.285/12, Final Numbers: 103/32/82/.287/16

8. Matt Holliday – Holliday has become that girl that you can call up at 3 AM drunk. You ain’t telling your friends about her, you’re not stopping yourself from talking to other girls before 3 AM because of her, you’re not exactly thrilled in the morning, but when all else fails, at least she’s reliable.  Preseason Rank #14, 2012 Projections:  85/24/90/.305/5, Final Numbers: 95/27/102/.295/4

9. Carlos Gonzalez – One of these years Tulo and CarGo are both gonna be healthy and the Rockies are gonna have a terrific year.  Unfortch, there’s just as good a chance that neither is healthy and the Rockies are talking about seeing what Jonathan Herrera can do with 400 at-bats.  Preseason Rank #6, 2012 Projections:  100/25/100/.300/18, Final Numbers: 89/22/85/.303/22

10. Josh Willingham – 110 RBIs from the Twins clean up hitter but only 82 RBIs from the Orioles clean up hitter.  I bought the Rosetta Stone Common Sense Edition and it can’t even unwrap that riddle.  In the BCS rankings, Willingham is number one for outfielders.  That’s the Best Case Scenario rankings, btw.  Preseason Rank #76, 2012 Projections:  65/22/80/.250/3, Final Numbers: 85/35/110/.260/3

11. Carlos Beltran – Then Beltran’s number two in the BCS with Willingham and him fighting it out in The Fiesta Bowl.  Don’t ask me how they’re gonna pack 50,000 people into a tostada.  I have no idea.  Preseason Rank #41, 2012 Projections:  65/18/80/.275/7, Final Numbers: 83/32/97/.269/13

12. Jason Heyward – I find Heyward to be an interesting case.  He’s sorta like his compadre that is right below him.  When Heyward came up there was all kinds of hype around him.  Call it Hype-a-polooza.  Then he struggled last year.  Call it the “This Shizz Is Warped” tour.   So, now people don’t seem that excited by him even after a solid season.  Heyward’s 23 years old and just had a top 12 season for outfielders.  Guys (four girls), the numbers may not be Big Head Bonds-like, but for this era, they’re pretty damn good.  Preseason Rank #23, 2012 Projections:  80/22/90/.280/10, Final Numbers: 93/27/82/.269/21

13. Jay Bruce – Damn, he was about seven hits, one run and one RBI away from winning my “You Don’t Really Get An Award” Award for landing directly on my projections.  Oh, well, he’ll have to settle for this imaginary horseshoe.  Note to self:  Remind people in January that Bruce is death for H2H leagues.  Preseason Rank #9, 2012 Projections:  90/34/100/.270/10, Final Numbers: 89/34/99/.252/9

14. Giancarlo Stanton – 37 homers at 22 years old.  Once again with feeling:  37 homers at 22 years old.  Once again with specifics:  37 homers at 22 years old as he struggled with a knee injury and missed a month-plus of the season.  37 homers in only 123 games!  A’la Denzel in Training Day, “Ralph Kiner ain’t got shizz on me!”  Preseason Rank #8, 2012 Projections:  100/37/115/.260/7, Final Numbers: 75/37/86/.290/6

15. B.J. Upton – Not a bad send-off if this is his final year with the Rays.  Hope you’re wearing your extra-loose fitting sweat pants because I bet he’s going to the Yankees.  (Or maybe Justin Upton goes there.  There’s gonna be an Upton in pinstripes by January.  Sorry, my psychic was vague.)  Preseason Rank #19, 2012 Projections:  80/20/85/.250/40, Final Numbers: 79/28/78/.246/31

16. Mark Trumbo – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2012 fantasy baseball.

17. Alfonso Soriano – Unless you were in a deep league where dropping Soriano was out of the question, I’d say that in reality Soriano probably gave you around the 30th best outfielder season.  I doubt there were many people that kept him all year.  I was gonna say that maybe you kept him all year if you were a Cubs fan, but the opposite is probably true, and you lived through your fantasy team vicariously by trading him.  Preseason Rank #80 1/2, 2012 Projections:  45/18/60/.240/3, Final Numbers: 68/32/108/.262/6

18. Corey Hart – Seems to have settled into that tier of outfielders that no one is excited about drafting or owning, but does fairly respectable when he’s healthy.  Also, with that beard and no mustache, he looks like he just settled in Massachusetts in the 1500’s.  Preseason Rank #35, 2012 Projections:  75/24/70/.265/8, Final Numbers: 91/30/83/.270/5

19. Justin Upton – This is the most surprising ranking I’ve done in the postseason.  Not because I thought he would be better, though I did.  I’m surprised he ranked this high in what everyone has to consider an off year.  I mean, his club wants to get rid of him, his fantasy owners kept talking about how terrible he was in the comments, yet, a top 20 season.  107 runs are definitely buoying him, but they’re still there to, uh, buoy, ya know?  Preseason Rank #4, 2012 Projections:  100/30/100/.300/20, Final Numbers: 107/17/67/.280/18

20. Michael Bourn – I really have no clue how he didn’t have 100 runs and Upton did.  Just one of those weird things.  I really have no idea how he got 9 homers.  Again…*shrugs shoulders*  His season also had a huge split.  In the 2nd half, he hit only .225.  Maybe all that 1st half power got into his head and he starting going for the fences, which is like a dwarf applying for a job at a Big & Tall store.  Casey Kasem doesn’t say just “reach for the stars.”  He says, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”  Or as I said in my yearbook quote, “It’s not how far you shoot, it’s where you aim.”  Though, I wasn’t talking about baseball.  Preseason Rank #40 1/16, 2012 Projections:  90/2/40/.280/50, Final Numbers: 96/9/57/.274/42