To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Most everyone reading this article is probably asking themselves who Glenn Gorbous is. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. "I'll take a guess that there hasn't been enough impetus for young players to be patient only until recently. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? Of the 60 games Ozuna played last season, only 21 were in the outfield, so if you wanted to make the argument that he should be ranked among designated hitters, well, you'd have a good case. Like with many of the other top outfielders on this list, runners knew not to try for extra bases when the ball was anywhere near Barfield's hands. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. He's hit .300 or better in five of the last seven seasons, and in the two he didn't, he batted .299 (in 2017) and was injury-ravaged in the other (2016). After back-to-back 20-plus-homer seasons in 2018 and 2019, Teoscar Hernandez showcased a more well-rounded offensive game last year, hitting .289/.340/.579 for a 146 OPS+ in 50 games to finish 11th in AL MVP voting and win a Silver Slugger Award. MLB By Chris Novak on March 3, 2023. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. With George Springer, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert all missing considerable time and Cody Bellinger struggling through a down year, the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers narrowly missed the cut for the title of MLB's best outfield unit in 2021. Aaron Judge, Yankees The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All Scouts noted that he has a plus arm in the. Hernandez was signed as a super-utility . But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Monday's games. Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays The regimented preparation that had worked for Yelich in the past was simply not available to him, and he may have suffered for it. That's primal, natural. Griffey's defensive abilities helped him win the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at age 20. . Top Outfield Defense in the Minor Leagues: Kevin Kiermaier ( Tampa Bay Rays) Though Kiermaier wasn't the unanimous winner in this category, his defense earned universal praise across the scouting community. February 26, 2023. Throughout the history of baseball, there have been some outfielders that have had cannons for arms. O'Neill finished with a 150 OPS+ and 34 home runs while hitting alongside Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in the middle of the lineup. In 2015, Marte had a 16-1 number (A-DP) as part of perhaps baseball's best fielding outfield. Scott Pianowski continues his tiered positional rankings by examining the outfield landscape for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. Kyle Schwarber, Washington Nationals/Boston Red Sox. Fantasy managers can still find some starting-caliber outfielders in this tier. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. 10. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. Here are five options going much later in drafts than they should based on their . The 26-year-old finished the season as a 6.0 WAR player, earning a spot among the Gold Glove finalists in center field on top of his excellent offensive numbers. (Worth noting: Second on that list was DJ LeMahieu, who had a 92.9% in-zone contact rate, then Anthony Rendon and Tommy La Stella tied at 91.2% each.)". The future of Florida's pitching staff is incredibly bright. Those are qualities the. Mantle's pure strength can be seen was demonstrated by the fact that he hit some of the longest home runs in baseball history. He also led the field with an average pop time of just 1.88 seconds on throws from home to second, and recorded eight of the 10 fastest caught stealing throws across MLB. The Red Sox acquired him at the deadline, and he finished with a 148 OPS+ and 32 home runs in 113 games, posting a .266/.374/.554 line that represented career highs across the board. 15 throws) with an average arm strength of 88.4 mph on max-effort throws -- a.k.a. A standout defender throughout his time in the big leagues, Bader stepped his offensive game up this year, hitting .267/.324/.460 for a 116 OPS+ with 21 doubles and 16 home runs. The 24-year-old hit .251 with 10 homers, 10 steals and 42 runs in 59 games for the Padres last year. The 31-year-old is hitting .337/.413/.543 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI in 74 games since the beginning of June, and his 3.5 WAR on the year ranks fifth among all first basemen. His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). His nickname is Laser Ramn, so you already knew hed have to make this list. The 33-year-old hit .307 with runners in scoring position, and he had a .937 OPS in 205 plate appearances after the All-Star break. Hard-throwing top prospect Aaron Ashby has also made three spot starts, and he could make a major impact as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen down the stretch. 14. The 29-year-old proved that performance was sustainable over a full season this year, logging a 133 OPS+ while hitting .296/.346/.524 with 29 doubles, 32 home runs and 116 RBI. Trout is about halfway through his career, maybe even further along than that. MLB Tonight: Outfield Arm. The lefty bat can play both first base and outfield, and has even filled in a third base. He is widely seen as defensively challenged and although he is just 30, his future is clearly going to be at DH. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. Through Soto's age 21 season, he has played 313 regular-season games -- two full seasons, basically -- and has 228 walks, 69 homers among 146 extra-base hits, and an OPS of .972. A 2021 20th-round pick . Shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .322/.372/.594 with 10 home runs in 36 games since the All-Star break. Edmonds had phenomenal range while he was younger, and there are many instances in which he scaled the outfield wall to retrieve would-be home runs. Realmuto, C, PhilliesKey stat: 46.7 percent caught stealing rate in 2019. Those are absurd numbers to maintain for a full week, let alone half of a season. Yelich is 29 years old. 8. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. The MLB Tonight panel breaks . One evaluator said that Bellinger's swing is so unusual that he'll probably always struggle for consistency, for finding the feel he needs to be successful, and because of that, he'll probably have a lot of ups and downs. The 27-year-old also has a perfect 99 reaction time rating, 86 arm strength, and 81 arm accuracy. The 28-year-old hit .291 with 35 homers, 97 RBIs, 106 runs and an .899 OPS the last time we saw him. Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time -- and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. 0:00 / 11:29 MLB Best Outfield Throws || MLB 2021 Season (Supercut) Punchouts 18.6K subscribers 96K views 1 year ago Some of the best throws from the 2021 MLB season! With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. Or his 92 mph rocket from right to nail Stephen Strasburg at first base and preserve a Hyun-Jin Ryu no-hit bid on May 12. The sport needs to have him back on the postseason stage in the next few years. With club control through the 2025 season, he is a long-term building block for the O's. We're focusing solely on 2021 production, so previous track record and future projections were not a factor. This is not unusual: Cal Ripken Jr. spent his whole career fighting for feel, winning two MVP awards but also posting seven seasons in which he batted in the .250s or lower. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. Harper wraps up the first tier. Some of Mookie Betts' former teammates watched him go through the postseason last year and believed he really was out of sorts at the plate. Arozarena is coming off a postseason for the ages, on top of a strong finish in the regular season. Furillo also has the distinction of having needed just one more hit in his career to have a .300 average, while he instead finished at .299. The 21-year-old had 23 homers and 20 steals in the Minors in 2019, but thats the only full Minor League season hes played, and the left adductor muscle strain he suffered in his fourth Cactus League game spoiled any chance he had of cracking the Mariners Opening Day roster. Pitchers are on the other end of Soto's will, as well. While one of Ramirez's most memorable moments in the field occurred when he walked into the Green Monster mid-game, it should also been noted that Ramirez has also showcased his arm in front of that very same wall. The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the majors with a 2.90 starters' ERA, but injuries and off-the-field issues have thinned their rotation considerably. Kimbrel still has explosive stuff with a fastball that sits comfortably in the high-90s and a wipeout curveball that generated a staggering 59.3 percent whiff rate in 2021. This situation happens when an outfielder can make a great throw to try to nail the runner that is heading home. Along with the 89 games he played in the outfield, he also spent time at second base (46), shortstop (23) and third base (11). This tier includes a number of power-speed options, led by Tucker and Robert, who both went 30/30 in the Minors in 2019 and continued to contribute on multiple fronts in '20. Trent Grisham, San Diego Padres The MLB Tonight panel breaks down the components of a good outfield arm. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. The 27-year-old became the first 30/30 player in Orioles history, hitting .291/.360/.518 with 37 doubles, 30 home runs and 30 steals while finishing fourth in the league in hits (175), sixth in total bases (312) and 10th in OPS+ (135). After playing in just over 63 percent of the New York Yankees' games during the three-year stretch prior to this season, Aaron Judge finally stayed healthy and turned in an MVP-caliber campaign. 7. In addition to a standard strength-training regimen for upper body and arm strength, outfielders can perform daily throwing drills, such as one-knee throwing and long tosses, to build their. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). Despite missing almost all of September with a hairline fracture in his left thumb, Bez tied for third in Defensive Runs Saved (26) and placed second among all players in Outs Above Average (+19). The Giants acquired him at the trade deadline, and he is poised to cash in as a free agent this offseason. You might not realize just how strong his arm is, though, because the focus tends to be on his hitting first, then his running, then his defense. Honorable Mention:Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals. Pete Crow-Armstrong named among top OF prospects in MLB 38M ago / by James Neveau Cubs hicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been turning heads with his skills both at the plate and on defense, and a new ranking lands him among the best outfield prospects in the game. Ranking MLB's top 10 at each infield spot for 2021. . Those being Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Johnson, Jorge Montanez, David Mendelson . Infielder Tyler Hardman also finds himself in the top 30, but unlike Fitts, he wasn't even ranked ahead of the 2022 season. But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. Hitting with discipline is something you elect to do. Mookie Betts, Dodgers. Two seasons into his 13-year deal with the Phillies, his production has been excellent -- a .385 on-base percentage, an OPS+ of 134, 139 runs in 215 games. . Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Amazingly, his arm was not the best part of his game defensively. As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. 6 player in the Razzball Player Rater, despite playing just 130 games; give him Vladimir Guerrero's 161 games and he would've topped him for the No. The quick reaction and retreat and leap before taking extra bases away from Brandon Lowe in Game 4 of the World Series. He had nine assists in 2022. . Oneil Cruz (Pirates): 97.9 mph 2. In per-game DRS among all MLB. He also improved dramatically on defense, recording +2 Outs Above Average after finishing at -13 in just 53 games in the field in 2019, so his glove is no longer a reason to keep him out of the lineup. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. Not just mine, but any site's rankings of outfielders will not be . He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. Tier 2: Kyle Tucker, Luis Robert, Aaron Judge, George Springer, Marcell Ozuna, Starling Marte, Whit Merrifield. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. Yelich and Bellinger, the National League MVP Award winners in 2018 and '19, respectively, turned in disappointing campaigns a season ago, but were expecting big things from both in '21. Listen. Colavito's arm was so strong that both the Indians and Yankees let him pitch at one point. As another player the Arizona Diamondbacks gave away, Adam Eaton continually shows himself to be a gritty . The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28, 2023 Pick. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. Castellanos and Blackmon, meanwhile, faded dramatically after blazing starts. Aside from having a ton of playable depth, the Giants have also slugged an MLB-leading 14 pinch-hit home runs. Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. Stadium MLB insider Russell Dorsey breaks down who the top five outfield arms in MLB are. They've helped to bridge the gap with veterans Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria both missing significant time because of injuries. In his first 303 games in the big leagues, he has a .380 OBP and an .859 OPS. We are simply looking for which team has the most productive unit this season. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. He also quietly held his own in right field (3 DRS, 2.0 UZR/150) after posting negative defensive metrics in left field previously, and his 7.1 WAR led all outfielders and ranked fifth among all players in 2021. Jackson is known most for his alleged participation in the Black Sox Scandal and the fact that he was banned from baseball by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis following the 1920 season. In Trout's only three games in the postseason, as the Angels were swept by the Royals in a 2014 division series, he went 1-for-12 with a solo home run and three walks. Hernndez (.919 OPS) and Gurriel (.882 OPS) are looking to validate their breakouts, and Conforto is, too, to an extent. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. That success has come despite myriad injuries and significant roster turnover. Lagares easily has the most rARM per 1,000 innings over the last three seasons. He entered spring training far from assured of a spot on the Baltimore Orioles' Opening Day roster, but he won the starting center field job and went on to have the biggest breakout season of 2021. The safe bet is that he'll bounce back and do a ton of damage in the summer ahead. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. Verdugo batted .308 for the Red Sox, his energy sometimes feeling like life support for a franchise going through one of the worst seasons in its history. Mancini is back after missing 2020 because of Stage 3 colon cancer. With the Astros first pick the 2021 draft, they took a prospect who fell right in their laps. Walker won seven Gold Gloves and ended his career with 154 outfield assists. Here's everything we know, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, From bubble struggles to NCAA seed improvement, why these final weekend games matter, Foden's return to form helps mask De Bruyne's troubles, Nelson sends Arsenal into euphoria with last-gasp winner over Bournemouth. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield". Nearly every player on this list has been an All-Star, and all the rest have a chance to make their first Midsummer Classic this season. 1. The tattoo was earned, as Mondesi had one of the strongest arms in baseball in the 1990s. Need more power? Mike Trout was born on Aug. 7, 1991, and every so often, it's worth a few moments to consider the start to his career, to remind yourself that you are watching a historic peer of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth. This is Just Baseball's staff consensus ranking of the top 15 corner outfielders in baseball. On top of his offensive production, he is also one of the game's best pitch framers, and the pitching staff has a 3.61 ERA when he's in the crouch. 2023 MLB Top 30 Prospects; Rankings; Players; Draft; Store; . During nine full MLB seasons, Mike Trout has won three MVP awards, made nine All-Star teams and posted 75 WAR, per FanGraphs (Betts is the next-closest during that span with 40.2). March 1, 2023. Honorable Mention: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants. Mejia, 25, is hitting .263/.323/.429 with 20 extra-base hits, and he has thrown out 32 percent of base stealers on the year. This week, MLB.com is tasking five reporters with building the ultimate five-tool Superman, by picking the best examples of each tool from the talented pool of current big leaguers. The ultra-versatile Taylor was an All-Star for the first time in 2021, posting a 110 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 73 RBI, 92 runs scored and 13 steals in 148 games. The wild card in this tier is Kelenic, MLB Pipelines No. If you don't have coaching that can support that, then the player needs to be very stubborn with his thinking, which, in my opinion, requires a strong independence. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Braves manager Brian Snitker mentioned during the playoffs that he liked to hear Ozuna predicting to teammates in the dugout the pitch sequencing he was about to see -- and a lot of the time, Snitker said, Ozuna would be exactly right. After bouncing around the infield over his first five seasons, Bez settled in as the Cubs starting shortstop last year and was one of the best defensive players in all of baseball. $0.99 But Bellinger is one of only three outfielders with a tracked throw over 101 mph last season -- Hunter Renfroe and Aristides Aquino are the others -- and that wasn't the first time he hit triple-digit velo on a throw from the outfield (he also did it once during the 2018 postseason). He went three rounds without hitting a home run, and had one extra-base hit in the seven-game National League Championship Series against the Braves. 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That duo has started all but one game behind the dish for the Rays this year and posted the following combined stat line in the process: Zunino, 30, was an All-Star for the first time this year. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. He also played a solid defensive center field in a 5.7 WAR season.