The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. Buck Showalter, Mets. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. Even though Meusel played just 11 seasons, he still recorded 157 outfield assists. After a terrific finish to the 2019 season with the Chicago Cubs, Nick Castellanos signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds in free agency. Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants. Translation: Realmuto dominates the catcher throwing department. A good spring could get the 29-year-old on the 40-man roster. Let's get right into it. 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). Something that jumped out to Giants staffers last year was Yastrzemski's fearlessness in two-strike counts: After the count reached no balls and two strikes, he hit .222; after the count was 1-2, his OPS was 1.033. Guerrero currently ranks fifth on the active list for outfield assists. Tier 5: Anthony Santander, Victor Robles, Clint Frazier, Max Kepler, Kyle Schwarber, Jesse Winker, Trey Mancini, Andrew McCutchen, Jarred Kelenic, AJ Pollock, Andrew Benintendi, Mark Canha, Chris Taylor, Nick Solak, Mitch Haniger, Aaron Hicks, Brandon Nimmo, Lorenzo Cain, Joc Pederson, Garrett Hampson. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. Harper wraps up the first tier. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. 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. 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. 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. 2023 MLB Top 30 Prospects; Rankings; Players; Draft; Store; . The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). With the unique 2020 season behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the hot stove season. Here are this years top fantasy outfielders, broken down into tiers. It must be noted here that Tatis did have an issue with throwing miscues that drove down his overall defensive value. The lefty bat can play both first base and outfield, and has even filled in a third base. He threw a ball 445 feet and 10 inches in 1957 while he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A team. Aside from having a ton of playable depth, the Giants have also slugged an MLB-leading 14 pinch-hit home runs. Simply speaking, Mantiply has become the epitome of control. Larry Walker is considered one of the best Rockies ever in the team's short existence. How Does Carlos Correa's Deal Impact Dansby Swanson's Market? Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues. 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. What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. Robles struggled in 2020, but he had 17 homers, 28 steals, 65 RBIs and 86 runs in '19 and has no competition for playing time this season. It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. So how do you rank a player who didn't have his first 2020 plate appearance until Aug. 30, but may have been the first- or second-best player in October, depending where you want to stack Corey Seager? That leaves the Cincinnati Reds as the pick. Free shipping for many products! The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. Kaline was known for his perfect throwing from and his ability to catch and throw. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. However, the slugger has missed nearly a full seasons worth of games (142) over the past three years due to an assortment of injuries, which is something for fantasy managers to keep in mind. He looks ready for a huge breakout season, after another year of offensive maturation. The corner outfield duo of Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker both rank among the MLB leaders in a number of offensive categories: Joining them isTyler Naquin, who earned a spot on the MLB roster on a minor league contract and is earning $1.5 million on a one-year deal. -- Thomas Harrigan Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense) Ha-Seong Kim (Padres): 95.2 mph 4. Judges 12.5 AB/HR rate ranks fourth among players with 50-plus homers since the beginning of 2017. Below you'll find the consensus rankings that eight of our MLB writers were involved in. Runners were afraid to take the extra base when these outfielders had the ball in their hands. Major League Baseball is loaded with talent in 2021, and the outfield is where you'll find some of the game's biggest stars. His .366 career average is a major league record. With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. I like that he didn't change teams, and he retains the buoyancy of the New York lineup and park . The speedy Straw was an everyday player for the first time in 2021, first replacing George Springer in center field in Houston before the Astros traded him to Cleveland at the deadline. Dawson racked up 157 outfield assists in his 21 major league seasons. The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. Adam Eaton, Chicago White Sox, Right field, 11, (14-3) Adam Eaton of the Chicago White Sox makes a run for it | Ezra Shaw/Getty Images. They've responded with an MLB-best 3.05 ERA. 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 third tier is filled with enticing players, but its also rife with uncertainty. Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . Despite his great arm, Gorbous only managed to play three seasons in the major leagues. But for now, it's not wholly clear whether the universal DH will be adopted for the 2021 season, despite the fact that both MLB and the Players Association want it. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. 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. In 2021, he was the No. According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. Managers who dont grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players to choose from after that. Most everyone reading this article is probably asking themselves who Glenn Gorbous is. even despite missing a good chunk of 2021 . Andre Dawson had a cannon for an arm. 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. 17. 8. Buxton, Myers, Pham, Laureano, Moore and Carlson could be double-digit homer and steal guys. His production bottomed out during the abridged 2020 campaign, but he bounced back in a big way this year. Hot Stove Tracker Starting Lineups Transactions . 7. He's a career .225/.337/.409 hitter in the minors, and his strikeout rate has risen at every level, topping out at 27% in Triple-A last year and 28.2% in his 238-plate appearance MLB debut . The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. Adj ER Saved - Our metric for catcher value in staff handling (similar to Catcher ERA but with important adjustments) Jesse Barfield had an incredibly strong and an incredibly accurate throwing arm. He hit .264/.367/.487 with 29 doubles, 23 home runs and 10 steals, which, coupled with his usual standout defense in right field, was enough for him to finish fourth in WAR on a stacked Dodgers roster. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. In the third season of his massive 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, there was no question that Bryce Harper lived up to his salary. Steven Hajjar- Michigan prospect sophomore that fanned 24 of 87 batters faced and 3-0 record in four game. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. The 23-year-old is expected to return sometime during the first half of next season. Gallo, Soler, Lewis, Yastrzemski, Happ, Rosario and Mountcastle can provide it. 22). 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. In a down year by his standards, Betts was still a 4.2 WAR player. There just isn't another divisional outfield duo that comes very close. After years of teasing his immense raw power potential in the minors and sporadically in the big leagues, Tyler O'Neill finally put together his long-awaited breakout season. $0.99 The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). There are undoubtedly better defensive trios than this group, but their top-tier offensive production earns them the nod for top outfield unit in 2021. I can promise you with 100 percent certainty that my fantasy baseball outfield rankings for 2021 will not be 100 percent right. He's not just an MVP-caliber hitter; he has one of the strongest outfield arms in the league. The tattoo was earned, as Mondesi had one of the strongest arms in baseball in the 1990s. He's played at that level, and sometime this season, he'll surpass 1,000 runs for his career, and move beyond 1,500 hits. 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. Minimum 800 innings 6. With club control through the 2025 season, he is a long-term building block for the O's. Steven Duggar-OF-San Francisco Giants-Bats Left-Age 27 It might be tough to pry Duggar from the winning Giants, but he is a very good defensive center fielder with speed. Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs, Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets; Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners; Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees; Victor Robles, Washington Nationals; Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). 6. Welcome to Bleacher Report's final positional rankings of the 2021 MLB season! For a boost in the batting-average category, target McNeil, Verdugo or Brantley. Craig Counsell, Brewers. Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers/New York Yankees. He is, by any measure, the best outfielder and player of his generation. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. Here are the players who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: 25. The Mariners sent pitchers Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, Anthony Swarzak and outfielder Jay Bruce to Seattle for infielder Robinson Cano and pitcher Edwin Diaz. Wilmer Flores (358 PA, 102 OPS+, 15 HR, 44 RBI), LaMonte Wade Jr. (249 PA, 123 OPS+, 16 HR, 41 RBI) and Darin Ruf (230 PA, 151 OPS+, 14 HR, 33 RBI)have all been extremely productive in utility roles. 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. Need more power? 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. He also played a solid defensive center field in a 5.7 WAR season. but if he regresses to 2017 or 2021 levels no one should complain. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. The precision is there (nine errors across nearly 1,140 innings last year), and so is the power and reaction time. Mays had 195 career outfield assists and he won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves. Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense). Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All Stadium MLB insider Russell Dorsey breaks down who the top five outfield arms in MLB are. No position in fantasy baseball is deeper than the outfield. As another player the Arizona Diamondbacks gave away, Adam Eaton continually shows himself to be a gritty . fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft in right-handed . 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. 5. The damage he did in the playoffs and World Series, against some of the best pitchers in the world, was absolutely staggering. He has a 103 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and an NL-leading 32 doubles. Mookie Betts is the sixth-best outfielder in baseball, and it feels wrong to rank him this low, but wait until you see the top five. He struggling terribly against off-speed pitches -- in 2018, Yelich batted .302 against breaking balls; last year, .191. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. The Giants acquired him at the trade deadline, and he is poised to cash in as a free agent this offseason. Utley's UZR/150 has been at least 8.0 in nine of his 10 seasons as a regular in the big leagues. Meusel is another player on this list gaining recognition from Bill James as having the strongest outfield arm in the majors during his playing years (1920s). In the third season of a five-year, $60 million contract, Pollock enjoyed his best season in a Dodgers uniform, hitting .297/.355/.536 for a 137 OPS+ with 27 doubles, 21 home runs and 69 RBI. He led the NL in home runs, RBIs and total bases last season, thriving with runners in scoring position: in those moments, Ozuna batted .364, with a .444 on-base percentage and a .623 slugging percentage. Prior to a game in the 2004 ALDS versus the Yankees, Guerrero threw a ball 370 feet in warm-ups. February 26, 2023. The MLB Tonight panel breaks . The 27-year-old posted a 171 OPS+ with 42 extra-base hits in 254 plate appearances, and he had 10 DRS in 509.2 innings in center field. Carl Furillo's right arm earned him the nickname, "The Reading Rifle". I think we'll see him hunt early in counts against next season.". Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox He is an OBP machine, a mini-Votto. The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. In his 10 years, Valentine did manage to win one Gold Glove and he recorded 85 assists. Realmuto, C, PhilliesKey stat: 46.7 percent caught stealing rate in 2019. Cobb had 271 errors as an outfielder in his career. Backup catcher Curt Casali (180 PA, 97 OPS+, 5 HR, 23 RBI) has also been solid at the plate, and the pitching staff has a fantastic 2.63 ERA with him in the crouch. 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). In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. 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. 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. Oneil Cruz (Pirates): 97.9 mph 2. Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays No other infielder came close to matching his average arm strength on Statcast-measured throws. 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. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants. But at the least, we know the potential is there. Didi Gregorius (free agent): 94.7 mph 7. 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. February 13, 2023. As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. Walker was known for his abilities at the plate, but he also had a gun for an arm. Barfield would consistently throw strikes from right field to home plate. Of course, that required trading several core players, but given the fact that Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez were all rentals at last year's deadline, the Cubs made out phenomenally. A 2021 20th-round pick . The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. From first-time All-Star Andrew Kittredge (44 G, 1.41 ERA) to reclamation project Collin McHugh (27 G, 1.30 ERA) to 31-year-old rookie Louis Head (20 G, 3.16 ERA), they continue to plug and play better than any organization in baseball when it comes to building a bullpen. Bill James had him as the 67th best right fielder in major league history and said he had. Robert may have the higher ceiling of the two, but he also has the lower floor. That's primal, natural. 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. The top 10 center fielders, based on input from folks under the MLB umbrella: Another historical comp for Trout, unfortunately, is the link that is developing with Ted Williams: their paucity of postseason opportunity. The 26-year-old made notable strides at the plate in 2020, posting the best chase rate (14.1%, second lowest in MLB), walk rate (15.6%), hard-hit rate (43.2%) and barrel rate (12.5%) of his career. Bellinger has made some spectacular throws, like his 268-foot laser from right field to third base to bail the Dodgers out of a late-inning bases-loaded jam against the Mets last May 27 (his second outfield assist of that game). However, he was also a 4.2 WAR player at the time of the trade. Sun's out, guns out. Bobby Abreu has had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in baseball in recent years. 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. You could argue that so long as his arm is healthy, there's none more valuable. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. Walker won seven Gold Gloves and ended his career with 154 outfield assists. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. The 24-year-old led the team in OPS+ (147) while hitting .294/.359/.557 with 37 doubles, 30 home runs, 92 RBI and 14 steals in what was essentially his first full season in the majors, aside from last year's shortened slate. Tabbed as the 58th-best outfield prospect nationally (D1Baseball). He had such a good showing last year that as some rival executives kick around the idea of a possible Toronto match in a Francisco Lindor trade, they think Gurriel could anchor the package of players going from the Jays to Cleveland. One important stipulation: Each player could only be selected for one of the five tools. Tagged: 2023 MLB Draft, MLB Draft, Dylan Crews, Jacob Gonzalez, Max Clark, Brock Wilken, Walker Jenkins, Christian Little, Patrick Reilly, Dylan Cupp, Thomas White, Enrique Bradfield, Tanner Witt, Jaxon Wiggins, Teddy McGraw, Carson Montgomery, TJ Nichols, Drew Bowser, Jackson Baumeister, Will Sanders, Blake Mitchell, Tre' Morgan, Tommy Troy, 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. March 1, 2023. Here are five options going much later in drafts than they should based on their .