No matter what wintery weather you may be dealing with, the phrase “pitchers and catchers” is every fantasy baseball fan’s dream. That means it’s time for Spring Training in both Arizona and Florida, so it’s also time to start working on your 2025 fantasy baseball strategy. Whether you prefer season-long leagues, DFS contests, or DraftKings Best Ball, DK Network will have you covered all season long. In all formats, outfielders are one of the key offensive positions to target since most leagues feature multiple starters ar the position. Let’s take a look at some of the potential NL outfield breakouts to watch this year in Spring Training.
If you’re looking for some pitchers to watch, check out my AL SP Breakouts and my NL SP Breakouts.
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
Maybe this is too easy for one of my NL outfield breakouts, but Chourio is still being hugely undervalued and an outstanding grab where he’s going in early drafts. His overall numbers from 2024 are solid, but his ceiling is even higher based on has production towards the end of last season and the fact that he won’t turn 21 until just before the season.
Chourio was the team’s top prospect coming into last year and played 148 games. After an adjustment period, he was dominant after the All-Star break, producing across the board in multiple categories. He hit .310 with 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases over his 62 games after the break. He had a .914 OPS and .387 wOBA with a 46.8% hard-hit rate. He also jumped from the bottom of the batting order to the top and hit in the top three for the Brewers down the stretch and into the postseason.
Some fantasy players seem fearful of a sophomore slump with Chourio, but he has the potential to be a top-10 outfielder. He brings tools to produce in every category and his power, speed and prime lineup position gives him the potential to continue to grow into the superstar the Brewers hope he can be going forward.
If you want a deeper sleeper from the Brewers, Garrett Mitchell is also a very intriguing name to watch this Sping Training.
Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants
Ramos has been a hyped prospect in the Giants’ system since he signed with the team back in 2017. Even though it feels like he’s been around a while, since he was only 17 years old when he signed, he’s just 25 coming into this season.
After struggling in his first few times getting called up, he finally found his footing last year. He hit .269 overall with 22 home runs, six stolen bases and a .339 wOBA. He posted an impressive 120 wRC+, made even more impressive by the fact that he posted only a 30 wRC+ in his first two seasons in the majors.
Ramos absolutely destroyed lefties, hitting .370 with a .490 wOBA and 222 wRC+ against southpaws. He especially thrived during June and July before tailing off a little in August as the league adjusted to him.
Ramos showed great plate discipline and power to all fields, which should keep him hitting in the heart of the Giants’ batting order in 2025. According to Baseball Savant, his average exit-velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel percentage were all in the league’s 85th percentile or above, so he has the tools to continue the breakout he started in 2024 and become an even more reliable fantasy option in 2025.
TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds
Friedl is looking for a big bounceback in 2025, after losing much of last year to injuries. He only played 85 games for the Reds last year, and he finished hitting only .226. However, even in limited time, he still had 13 home runs and nine stolen bases, showing he has upside in both categories.
Two years ago in 2023, Friedl seemed ready to have a true breakout after hitting .279 with 18 homers, 27 stolen bases and a .353 wOBA. Last year, even when he was healthy, his numbers were down, but that may have been due to being at less than 100%. He suffered a broken wrist in Spring Training, landed back on the IL after breaking his thumb on a hit-by-pitch, and also battled a balky hamstring.
If he can stay healthy this season, though, he could be a breakout outfield option since he should hit leadoff for the Reds at least against righties. He overhauled his offseason program in an effort to stay healthier and seems like exactly the kind of player who flourishes under new manager Terry Francona.
While he isn’t a young player on the rise like the other two options mentioned as breakout outfield options, he does have the ability and opportunity in front of him to have a big bounce-back year that will give him is delayed breakout.
