The first thing anyone notices when moving to the outfield is that there is a ton of depth. Whether it is quality depth or not is anyone’s best guess.  A lot of that depends on your definition of quality. For our purposes we are cutting off the position to 20 players per league. As we move into the month of May we will also notice that some players are owned more or less based on what they are doing so far this season. I still think it is a bit too soon to be basing major decisions on the early portion of the season, but if players want to make speculative bets on their bench there usually is no harm in that.

When we are talking about fantasy starters, it usually isn’t a good idea to really pay attention to seasonal numbers until Memorial Day. At that point, hot streaks become more normal and slumps can start to look like something more than that. At this point, we are still at the point where a week’s worth of plate appearances or a couple of starts can really make the difference. As usual, we will look at the 2012 numbers, but we will begin to cast an eye on the current state of affairs.

Michael Morse stands fifth in the AL in ownership rate despite falling well below the median in total average (TAV) and falling pretty much at the median in both batter runs and runs created. He moved from a good offense to one of the worst offenses in the American League and moved to a ballpark that is not at friendly as Nationals Park. As of this writing, he has 100 plate appearances and a .759 OPS. That’s not bad, but that’s hardly special for a corner outfielder. He plays some right field, so he has positional flexibility, but that can only go so far.

Vernon Wells and Nate McLouth fit the profile of players that are currently hot and therefore will see inflated ownership rates. McLouth is on pace to score more than 100 runs and steal more than 40 bases. If you believe that’s going to happen I have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you. Vernon Wells on the otherhand has a chance to keep performing, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he surpasses 20 home runs on the season and drives in close to 80 runs should he get regular playing time.

The key to picking these guys is figuring out how often they will play. Wells is playing everyday because Brett Gardner is in the centerfield. When Curtis Granderson returns from the DL then Gardner will shift back to left. That leaves Wells in either right field (supplanting Ichiro Suzuki) or at DH (supplanting Travis Hafner). Neither of those are sure things even if he is hitting well when Granderson returns.

In addition to playing time, one must simply exercise patience. The likes of David Murphy, Michael Brantley, and Matt Joyce will hit eventually. None of them will be world beaters, but all of them are capable of producing either 20 home runs or 20 steals and they are owned by 20 percent of mixed league players or less. If any of them are owned, you could sweet talk the owner into parting with him in exchange for a lesser player. May is a good month to take advantage of players that are a little nervous about slumping regulars.

Surprisingly, more people own Dayan Viciedo and Daniel Nava. Neither will either play as often or perform as well as those three above. If you own one you might try a challenge trade by swapping left fielders. Remember, games are won and lost over the long haul and not necessarily all in April or May. Regression always takes over at some point.