Fantasy baseball drafts are in full swing, and so is sleeper watch. Every team in fantasy baseball will need at least one elite outfielder early on in drafts. But, there are a number of sleepers that can be found late and be real difference-makers this upcoming season. So, which names should you watch out for? Here are five outfielders that we like heading into the 2023 season.
Related: 2023 MLB Fantasy: Five Infield Sleepers To Watch This Season
Dylan Carlson
We’ll start off with Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson. Carlson had a strong rookie season for the Cardinals in 2021, a year that saw him hit .266/.343/.437 with 18 home runs, 53 extra base hits, and 65 runs driven in. The young outfielder’s stats took a hit in 2022, but he still has plenty of potential.
The key for Carlson, though, will be how much the 24-year-old gets into the lineup. Between Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar, and youngsters Jordan Walker and Juan Yepez, it’s fair to wonder how many at-bats Carlson will accrue for a deep St. Louis team in 2023.
Austin Hays
Orioles outfielder Austin Hays has been on our radar for a long time — and for good reason. Hays can pounce on mistakes, as indicated by his 38 home runs over the past two seasons. While the 27-year-old hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers in his career, Hays is consistent. In each of the last two seasons, he’s recorded nearly identical batting averages (.256 and .250) in 2021 and 2022.
A right-handed that does own a career 39.0% Pull% rate, Hays’ home run potential does take a hit with the “Great Wall of Baltimore” out in left field. Nonetheless, his raw pop and ability to put bat on ball does give him sleeper potential for players starved for power and RBIs in 2023.
Max Kepler
The 2022 campaign was one to forget for Max Kepler. As a matter of fact, Kepler has had a rough go of it in the past three seasons. The Twins outfielder has hit just .220/.314/.392 from 2020-22, despite above-average K% rates. And after a monstrous 36 home run campaign in 2019, he’s yet to eclipse 19 in a full season since then.
The 30-year-old, however, could be in line for a rebound performance. Kepler is healthy after a series of IL stints in 2022. And, the shift ban could, at least according to Kepler, be a “game-changer” for him to get back on track.
Austin Meadows
After a strong 2021 campaign, Austin Meadows had his 2022 season stymied due to a bout of vertigo and a mental health sabbatical. The Tigers outfielder was limited to just 147 plate appearances in his first season in Detroit, after being acquired from Tampa last spring. One year earlier, Meadows drove in a career-high 106 runs and crushed 27 home runs for the Rays.
If he can re-gain his stroke at the plate, Meadows could be a nice source of pop for outfield-needy players.
Jesse Winker
New Brewers outfielder Jesse Winker, much like with Kepler and Meadows, dealt with injury troubles in 2022. That’s not of a shock, given how poorly the 2022 season went for Winker. Across 547 plate appearances with the Seattle Mariners, Winker hit a career-low .219 hitter with 14 home runs and 53 runs driven in. For a patient hitter who traditional hits over .250 every season, those numbers were quite the shock.
Now with Milwaukee, Winker has a chance to shake off a tough season and get back on proper footing.
