AL East Positional Rankings: Outfield, DH, bench

Welcome back to my AL East position rankings, where I’m comparing the five division teams at every position on the diamond. Previously, I ranked the infields.

Enough small talk. Let’s move right to part two: the outfields, designated hitters and benches. You won’t find an Oriole atop any of these lists.

Left Field

1. Brett Gardner, Yankees
2. Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox
3. Trey Mancini, Orioles
4. Curtis Granderson/Steve Pearce, Blue Jays
5. Mallex Smith/Denard Span, Rays

When you think of power bats in the Yankees’ lineup, Gardner probably isn’t the guy who immediately jumps to mind. But he bashed a career-high 21 homers and had a career-best .428 slugging percentage in 2017 at age 33. More than that, though, Gardner has been a mainstay atop the Yankees’ lineup for a decade thanks to his speed and defense. He might sit against southpaw pitchers this year, but there’s some guy named Giancarlo who can spot start in left.

Benintendi, the runner-up for 2017 AL Rookie of the Year, collected 20 homers and 90 RBIs and added 20 steals to go with it. Not bad for a 22-year-old. He could be the gold standard of AL East left fielders for the next decade — and he’s good enough defensively that he could play center field if needed. His one weakness is his vulnerability to lefty pitchers, and, unlike Gardner, he doesn’t have a right-handed caddy as menacing as Stanton.

Mancini placed one spot behind Benintendi in the Rookie of the Year vote, so it’s fitting that he’s one spot behind him in the left field rankings, too. Mancini, who had never played the outfield in his professional career before last season, held his own defensively after learning the position in spring training. What really did the talking was his bat: a .293 average, .826 OPS, 24 homers and 78 RBIs.

The Blue Jays will platoon ex-Oriole Pearce with newly signed Granderson, who has popped 319 home runs in his distinguished major league career. But at age 37, how much does Granderson have left? As for the Rays, they took on the 34-year-old Span’s contract to make the financials work in the Evan Longoria trade with San Francisco, but now they’re planning to give him regular at-bats despite his recent decline. The speedy Smith should take over the left field job if he recovers from the hamstring injury that has plagued him this spring.

Center Field

1. Kevin Kiermaier, Rays
2. Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox
3. Adam Jones, Orioles
4. Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays
5. Aaron Hicks, Yankees

For the first and only time in these rankings, the Rays find themselves on top. Kiermaier is the unquestioned star of their lineup, a two-time Gold Glover who can seemingly run down every fly ball in the state of Florida. And he can hit, too; his 15 homers and .788 OPS in 2017 were both career highs, despite the fact he was limited to 98 games by a hip fracture. The key for Kiermaier is staying healthy. He hasn’t played more than 105 games in a season since 2015.

Bradley is sort of a Kiermaier Lite, a quality player who’s a notch below the Rays’ star. He’s been a consistently excellent fielder in his career, though his hitting skills are a bit more scattershot. Bradley posted back-to-back seasons of an .832 OPS or better in 2015 and 2016 before backsliding to a .726 mark last year.

The Orioles’ Jones is the elder statesmen of AL East center fielders as the only one of the group in his 30s. (Side note: I feel weird calling someone younger than me an “elder statesman.”) Defensively, he doesn’t have the range of the other four, and his Gold Glove days are probably behind him. But his offensive production has remained strong throughout his Orioles’ career. You can pretty much lock in Jones for 25 or more home runs — which he’s had every year since 2011 — and an OPS of .780 or better, which he’s done all but one season in that stretch.

Toronto’s Pillar has been an elite defender for most of his career but provides little at the plate. He’s in the lineup for his glove, period, and if he loses a step defensively, he’s in trouble. Bringing up the rear is Hicks, whose breakout year in 2017 — 15 homers, 52 RBIs and an .847 OPS in 88 games — allowed him to usurp the center field job from the aging, expensive Jacoby Ellsbury. With such stiff competition among AL East center fielders, Hicks will need to prove 2017 wasn’t a fluke in order to rise in the rankings.

Right Field

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
2. Mookie Betts, Red Sox
3. Randal Grichuk, Blue Jays
4. Carlos Gomez, Rays
5. Colby Rasmus, Orioles

Would it be fair to call this a tie? Seriously, how could you go wrong with either Judge or Betts? They’re the last two AL MVP runners-up — Betts in 2016, Judge in 2017 — and both are just 25 years old. Do you prefer pure, mammoth power and great plate discipline, like Judge’s 52 home runs (a rookie record), 114 RBIs, 1.049 OPS and 127 walks last year? Or do you prefer a guy who does everything well, like Betts, who owns a career .292 average, .351 on-base percentage, .488 slugging and two Gold Gloves — plus 80 steals in 96 attempts? I’ll give the edge to Judge, simply because his 2017 season was one for the ages, but it’s really a toss-up.

After those two, it’s a severe drop-off to the rest of the group. The Blue Jays have youth on their side with Grichuk, 26, a once-promising prospect with the St. Louis Cardinals who never really busted out. Still, he has plenty of power potential and could still break through. The Rays snagged two-time All-Star Gomez on a $4 million deal, and while he’s no longer the player he once was, he should provide some decent production on the cheap.

Rasmus, attempting a comeback with the Orioles, is more of a wild card. He lasted just 37 games for the Rays last season before landing on the DL with a hip injury, then left the team for the rest of the season to spend time with his family. Although he was a non-roster invitee, Rasmus is on track to be the Orioles’ starting right fielder, at least against righties. A free-swinging power hitter who doesn’t draw many walks, he’s a similar player to much of the O’s lineup.

Designated Hitter

1. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
2. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox
3. Kendrys Morales, Blue Jays
4. Mark Trumbo, Orioles
5. Brad Miller/Denard Span, Rays

If you ever doubted the Yankees’ and Red Sox’ financial dominance, just look at what transpired with AL East designated hitters this offseason. Both clubs, who were already loaded with talented, young outfields, decided, “What the heck, let’s grab another slugging outfielder and stick him at DH.” The Yankees struck first with their stunning December trade for Stanton, the reigning NL MVP. Stanton (59 homers last year) pairs with Judge (52) to put 2017’s top two home run hitters in the same lineup. The Yankees were one of the only teams in baseball that could take on Stanton’s humongous salary; they’ll be paying $265 million of his remaining $295 million over the next 10 years (assuming he doesn’t opt out after 2020).

The Red Sox responded two months later by signing Martinez to a five-year, $109.95 million deal. Martinez crushed 45 homers in just 119 games last season and would’ve led the majors in slugging by a mile (.690) if he’d had enough at-bats to qualify. That included a 62-game stint with Arizona in which he smacked 29 longballs. He should capably fill the David Ortiz-sized void that the Red Sox weren’t able to address in 2017.

Just as in right field, the rest of the division lags far behind the Yankees and Red Sox at DH. The veteran Morales provides pop but little OBP for the Jays. The Orioles’ Trumbo is hoping to rebound from a forgettable 2017, but he’ll start the year on the DL with a quad injury. The Rays might use a revolving door at DH; early on, the at-bats are expected to go to the uninspiring Miller and Span when they’re not filling in at other positions.

Bench

1. Blue Jays
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles
4. Yankees
5. Rays

As of this writing, a few teams are still trying to sort out their final Opening Day bench spots. The Blue Jays are shaping up to have a pretty good one. Their backup infielders include Yangervis Solarte, who was a solid everyday player for San Diego for several years, and Aledmys Diaz, a rookie All-Star in 2016 who slumped last year. In the outfield, Toronto boasts promising youngster Teoscar Hernandez and ex-Oriole lefty-masher Pearce.

Boston’s bench will include renaissance man Blake Swihart, who can play first base and outfield and serve as a third catcher. Veteran infielder Eduardo Nunez provided a jolt after the Red Sox acquired him last season, and one of Mitch Moreland and Hanley Ramirez will be available for pinch-hitting duty most days.

The Orioles might use their bench more than usual this season with intriguing rookies Chance Sisco and Anthony Santander available, along with veteran Craig Gentry spelling Rasmus against lefty pitchers. They lack a true utility infielder, though, and will instead carry bat-first Danny Valencia. The Yankees’ bench, with light-hitting backup catcher Austin Romine (.577 career OPS) and declining veteran Ellsbury, is a bit suspect.

Remember Brandon Snyder? The now 31-year-old former Orioles’ catching prospect is still kicking around and could make the Rays’ Opening Day roster as a utility man. Overall, it’s not a deep group.