Fantasy Baseball: Who are the top left fielders in the MLB in 2024?

When it comes to picking a Fantasy Baseball team, the stats sheets are everything. But you always have to leave at least a little room for the unexpected. Is a player going through a slump? Does his recent performance translate to tomorrow’s opponent?

No position on the field exemplifies this more than left field.

As an outfield spot, left and center are often seen as interchangeable, with both being the power zone for hitters that requires the defender to cover a lot of ground. Right field is generally shorter and relies on slower, but rocket-armed players to keep baserunners in check.

In terms of statistics, it can be tricky as well. Gone are the days when you had a set lineup and everybody in the field hit. With the universal Designated Hitter and a focus on “bullpenning” a game, there has been a trickle over to the batting side to accompany it.

For example, Yordan Álvarez is without question one of the top two or three hitters that anyone would want in their lineup. But is he a DH? Or is he a left fielder?

Some people get around this by treating the outfield as a single position, ranking center, left, and right equally. And it is a temptation to do so here. But that would be disingenuous, since Aaron Judge and Adolis Garcia, two huge hitters, have never played anywhere but right field.

If you go down this road, however, your top pick has to be Ronald Acuña Jr. The National League MVP is a sure-fire star addition to any lineup, but he generally plays center field. For that reason, we have left him out of our left field discussion.

Our top pick is a player who is every bit the enigma in this category. Corbin Carroll has played every outfield spot. With his incredible speed and hitting, he has a legitimate shout at being the top pick for any one of them. But left field is where he is most useful and finds a majority of his playing time so we take him as our top left fielder.

Yordan Álvarez is our number two, and the only reason that he is not number one is that he could be seen as the top DH choice.

We bring in Juan Soto at three as we feel that his move to the Bronx will be a huge breakout season for one of the best hitters in the game.

In what is perhaps a surprise move, we take a youngster in Evan Carter at four. With only a month in the Show before the Texas Rangers blistering World Series run, Carter proved to be durable in the position, making some insane defensive plays and adding a hefty bat to the game. This is going to be his first full season in the bigs and we feel that he is going to blow the doors off the place.

Rounding out our top five is Randy Arozarena. Already a bona fide star in Tampa Bay, Arozarena showed a fun, freewheeling style to his play in the World Baseball Classic, and that has spilled over to his performance in the league where he was a standout All Star last season. He is ready to explode in 2024.