We have almost come to the end of August. There are about two weeks left in the fantasy baseball season, so even though there are about 30 games left in the schedule, the clock is running out. We always love the draft, but as we will see, the guys we think are starters in March sometimes go by the wayside in April and May. Sometimes it’s due to bad performance and sometimes it’s due to injury.This makes the waiver wire that much more important throughout the season.

We are looking at the 25-36th ranked outfielders according to Yahoo in six category formats before the season started. We are comparing that with their current rankings in the same format. In some cases, they still have some time to right the ship. Statistics are accurate through most of the action on Monday night.

David Dahl– Colorado Rockies

Preseason: 25

Current: 29

Numbers: .302/15/67/61/4/28

I’m not a huge Dahl fan, but when you look at the numbers in a vacuum they are hard to ignore. Of course, we know they are aided by Coors Field, but who cares in fantasy? The achilles heel here is the lack of patience at the plate. When you don’t hit for power, don’t have speed, and don’t get on base then you are overly reliant on batted ball luck.

Nick Castellanos–Chicago Cubs

Preseason: 26

Current: 38

Numbers: .293/19/76/51/2/36

He’s turned in another gear in Chicago. He could vault into the top 30 when all is said and done. It’s a hot streak to be sure, but a lot of it is just the quality of the team. Counting numbers are always a bit deceptive. Detroit might be the worst team in baseball. Chicago might be in the divisional series. It’s amazing what a change in address can do for a player.

Michael Conforto–New York Mets

Preseason: 27

Current: 16

Numbers: .256/27/70/76/7/66

Add Conforto to Peter Alonso and you have a pretty good one-two punch in the middle of the Mets lineup. Conforto is proof positive that young players develop at different rates. 2018 was a disappointing season, but he discovered something towards the end of the season and its carried over. Obviously, the on base component is a significant part of his value.

Andrew McCutchen–Philadelphia Phillies

Preseason: 28

Current: 81

Numbers: .256/10/45/29/2/43

Obviously, tearing an ACL hurts. McCutchen was on pace to having one of his best years in recent memory. Being a part of a powerful lineup helped take some of the load off. Less and less of his game is centered on speed, so he should be about as valuable next season. Patience has always been an underappreciated part of his game and this season was no different.

A.J. Pollock–Los Angeles Dodgers

Preseason: 29

Current: 100+

Numbers: .264/9/36/32/3/19

Pollock has always been injury prone. That might drop him down into fourth outfielder territory in the future. He still might break into the top 100 if he remains healthy for the remainder of the season. The percentage numbers are within career norms. If he could play 140 games he would be a stud.

Victor Robles–Washington Nationals

Preseason: 30

Current: 31

Numbers: .249/16/73/56/23/30

A recent hot streak has him approaching his preseason rank. He does some things well. He hits for decent power and has better than decent speed. He is also a really good defensive centerfielder. Add all of that up and he has some decent value. If the hot streak continues then he will be a player to watch for 2020.

David Peralta–Arizona Diamondbacks

Preseason: 31

Current: 64

Numbers: .275/12/48/57/0/36

He is on pace for more than 500 plate appearances, so we could blame it on injuries, but he just hasn’t been the player he was in 2018. These things happen. The player he has been this season has been pretty close to the player he was before 2018. Sometimes we can bet on the guy breaking out, but 2018 looks more and more like a career year.

Wil Myers–San Diego Padres

Preseason: 32

Current: 68

Numbers: .226/14/49/39/10/42

Fantasy owners found themselves in the same boat as the Padres this season. You have a 20/20 talent that never seems to get out of first gear. The Padres have invested a ton of money in him, so they are hoping he can get it going. Maybe someone will take a flier on him and take his contract off of their hands. That’s looking increasingly doubtful and fantasy owners are in the same situation.

Eloy Jimenez–Chicago White Sox

Preseason: 33

Current: 72

Numbers: .239/22/47/52/0/24

We often grade rookie campaigns on a curve. Jimenez has been a fantasy disappointment, but 2019 saw his first taste of the big leagues and he has had some moments. In a scant 30 games he might be able to get on a hot streak and salvage some value. He is a great asset in dynasty leagues and the White Sox in general are a team to bet on in the future.

Michael Brantley–Houston Astros

Preseason: 34

Current: 11

Numbers: .338/19/80/80/3/44

Brantley has essentially been the mirror image of guys like Pollock. He has always been productive when healthy and he has been very productive this season. He is a legend in total points formats because he hardly ever strikes out. The only thing missing is speed.

Ender Inciarte–Atlanta Braves

Preseason: 35

Current: 100+

Numbers: .246/5/30/24/7/26

Inciarte was coming off of two straight years of ten or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases. In that light, I suppose putting him in the top 36 makes some sense. However, looking back that seems to have been a foolish move. Much of the season was lost due to injury, but if he had been effective he would have come back a lot sooner. Inciarte is a plus defender, so he will always find work, but he might be a fourth outfielder at this point.

Nomar Mazara–Texas Rangers

Preseason: 36

Current: 41

Numbers: .268/17/65/62/4/26

It’s groundhog day all over again. In the Bill Murray version he seemed to get better with each day. In this case, Mazara just remains the same. If he can finish the season he will likely get to his 20 home runs and 80 RBI. Next season someone in your league will draft him as their third outfielder thinking it will be 2020 when he finally takes the next step. Good luck with that.