With the Super Bowl in the books and the NBA All-Star break upon us, it’s time to get your early fantasy baseball prep in high gear. Spring training is starting to get underway in Arizona and Florida, and there are plenty of players and storylines to keep track of as we approach Opening Day, which is less than seven weeks away! Whether you choose to play season-long leagues, DFS contests, or DraftKings Best Ball, DK Network will have you covered all season long. However you play, outfielders are one of the key offensive positions to target since most leagues feature multiple starters at the position. Let’s take a look at some of the potential AL outfield breakouts to watch this year in spring training.
If you’re looking for some options in the Jr. circuit, check out my NL outfield breakouts. You can also find AL SP Breakouts and NL SP Breakouts if you’re hunting for help on the mound.
Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers
Langford was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and shot to the majors, making his MLB debut at the start of the 2024 season. As a 22-year-old, Langford got plenty of hype coming into last year. While he had a solid season overall, he may have disappointed those that overspent on him, actually resulting in him being undervalued coming into 2025.
He played 134 games for the Rangers last season and was not bad at all, especially when you remember that he only played five games at Triple-A. In 499 at-bats, he hit a solid .253 with 16 home runs, 19 stolen bases, a .321 wOBA and 110 wRC+.
Since those numbers are solid, not spectacular, Langford has the potential to be one of the top outfield breakouts of 2025 if he is able to continue his development. In September, Langford showed he was settling in at the MLB level. He moved from hitting sixth of seventh in the order up to the top three for most of that month and hit a solid .300 with eight home runs, a .422 wOBA and a 180 wRC+.
While that was just a 26-game sample size, his strong finish could lead to a breakout season if he carries over that momentum to spring training this season. He won’t be cheap again this year since he has so much prospect pedigree, but he still stands out as one of the best potential outfield breakouts in the American League.
Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers
Carpenter had a partial breakout season last year and definitely made an impression in the postseason with his clutch heroics. However, he’s still an option you can get in fantasy at a discount mostly due to his continued durability issues.
He was limping around with a hamstring injury in the ALDS against the Guardians, but it was actually a lumbar spine stress fracture that limited him last season. He only played 87 games, but while he was available, he posted impressive totals. Since making his debut in 2022, that has been the story for Carpenter.
He could be one of the top breakout outfielders of 2025 if he can stay on the field. Last year, he posted a .303 ISO and .390 wOBA with a 160 wRC+. He set a career-high with a 45.1% hard-hit rate per Statcast and a 16.9% barrel rate.
Carpenter absolutely crushed right-handed pitching, hitting .305 with 17 of his 18 homers on that side of the split with a .414 wOBA. At worst, he’s a great strong-side platoon bat against righties, but if he can stay healthy and hit lefties even just a little bit, he could take the next big step in 2025 and anchor a solid Tigers offense while providing plenty of power potential.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox gave Rafaela a huge contract last season and consider him to be a cornerstone of their franchise. The 24-year-old is excellent defensively and can play all over the field, but his offensive production has been spotty.
In his first full season in the MLB last year, Rafaela hit only .246, but he did have 15 homers and 19 stolen bases. Rafaela cut down his strikeout rate from 31.5% in 2023 to 26.4% in 2024 and also improved that number from the first half (27.4%) to the second half (24.9%).
In the middle of the summer, Rafaela had a very strong 64-game stretch in which he hit .314 with six home runs, nine stolen bases and a .343 wOBA backed up by a 39.8% hard-hit rate.
He brings both power and speed potential, and his defense should keep him in the lineup on a daily basis. The Red Sox lineup should be productive, especially at home, and Rafaela could serve as a “second leadoff” hitter to start the season at the bottom of the lineup and move up if he breaks out or the team needs him higher due to injuries.
At 24, Rafaela is just entering his best years, and he could be one of the top breakout outfielders in the AL this season.
