Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. Santander is locked into an everyday role with the Orioles, and he has produced 31 homers with 91 RBIs and an .807 OPS in 130 games over the past two years. Abreu's strong arm helped him win his only Gold Glove in 2005. He is, by any measure, the best outfielder and player of his generation. He also slugged 38 home runs while winning his second straight Gold Glove. While Bo Jackson's greatest accomplishment might be the fact that he is the greatest video game character ever, it is not the only thing that Bo is known for. those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. ESPN's Paul Hembekides sent this along: "I think his issues in 2020 stem from a lack of confidence -- he just stopped swinging. 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. February 26, 2023. The aisle of youth had two of the best young arms in Cuba but Raisel Iglesias and Yoan Lopez now represent two of the best Cuban arms in the Majors. On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. The biggest surprise has been Austin Riley, who looked like the weak link after posting an 84 OPS+ in 503 plate appearances over his first two seasons. The former Red Sox great and six-time Gold Glove winner is known for his arm. 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. Mantle's pure strength can be seen was demonstrated by the fact that he hit some of the longest home runs in baseball history. The best arms tend to have lower rates because they get run on less, though Clemente is barely in the top 70 all time and IIRC Vlad doesn't even crack the top 200 Though I guess my point agrees with you, he wasn't great but he wasn't awful 2 Buzzed27 San Francisco Giants 5 yr. ago Not sure what you're talking about exactly. 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). He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. O'Neill won a Gold Glove last season, but he hit only .173 with a 70 OPS+ and 0.9 WAR in 50 games, tallying just 12 extra-base hits in 157 plate appearances. Julio Rodriguez was the team's best player while former top prospect arms Logan Gilbert and George Kirby shined in Seattle's rotation. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. Unfortunately for Valentine, he was only able to play 10 seasons in the majors. Clemente is tied with Willie Mays for the the most Gold Gloves for an outfielder with 12. His contract and track record mean more is expected of him, but he was still a top-15 outfielder. March 1, 2023. Springer has been one of the most productive outfielders in the game over the past five years, and he has joined up with a Blue Jays team that averaged 5.03 runs per game in 2020. Jordan Wicks- from Kansas State at 6'2 and 220lbs he is 2-0 in 2021 and went 3-0 last year. 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. In the 60-game season, Bellinger hit .239 and was moved down in the lineup to the No. The eight-time Gold Glove winner was finally inducted into Cooperstown in 2010. Bonds had a strong throwing arm even before he began to bulk up. Harper hit .338/.476/.713 with 20 home runs after the All-Star break, doing his part to help a Phillies team that tried in vain to chase down a postseason berth. The Milwaukee Brewers aren't far behind with a 3.11 ERA, and they have a trio of bona fide aces atop the staff that have helped lead them to the top of the NL Central standings. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). He hit .281 with an .800 OPS after the All-Star break, and he capped off the season by winning his first Gold Glove. As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. Ramirez has never won a Gold Glove and he is thought of more for his offensive prowess than his defensive abilities. 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. 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. 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. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. 8. Other choices were more complicated, particularly by the question of who might be more suited to be ranked among the designated hitters. He ultimately found his way back to Tampa Bay on a new one-year, $3 million deal that includes a 2022 club option. A.J. His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. With three more home runs from Albies, the 2021 Braves will become only the second team in MLB history to have all four primary infielders tally 25 home runs, per ESPN Stats & Information's Jared Berson, joining the 2008 Florida Marlins. -- Thomas Harrigan Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense) 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. There is no shortage of articles ranking MLB players by position, league, age, production or something else entirely. 6. He hit .328/.376/.624 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 homers, 92 RBI, 108 runs and 36 steals across three . In addition to his impressive offensive numbers, Cobb also thrilled fans with his arm. 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). You can make a case for a number of players to go first overall in 2021 drafts, but were giving Acua a slight edge over Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Heres the 23-year-olds per-162-game averages over the past two seasons: 45 homers, 37 steals, 105 RBIs and 139 runs with a .274/.374/.531 slash line. In an empty Fenway Park on Aug. 7, Verdugo had a big day -- two home runs, both over the Green Monster, for the left-handed-hitting Verdugo, and then he took a home run away from Travis Shaw in the ninth inning. . Scouts noted that he has a plus arm in the. (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.)". He played more games in the outfield (93) than he did at his natural position of third base (55), and he posted a 124 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 25 home runs and 73 RBI in a 3.3 WAR season. "I'll take a guess that there hasn't been enough impetus for young players to be patient only until recently. Williams loved to talk hitting, and through the last years of his life, he developed friendships with the likes of Tony Gwynn. MLB Power Rankings: The 25 Best Outfield Arms in MLB History | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report MLB Final NYY 7 LAA 4 Soccer Today 6:30PM ARS AVFC Today. And it would be a crime not to grab Bellinger in this five-tools exercise somewhere. This prevented the Orioles from scoring that inning and the Pirates would go on to win the World Series. 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. He failed to maintain a red-hot start in his first season with the team, but he put together the best year of his career in 2021, hitting .309/.362/.576 for a 136 OPS+ with 38 doubles, 34 home runs and 100 RBI for a career-high 3.2 WAR. Bellinger could be a great pick for any tool -- hit, power, speed, glove or arm. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. T. Alex Verdugo, Kik Hernandez, and Hunter Renfroe were Boston's primary outfielders last season. He earned a starting nod in the All-Star Game, and he deserves a ton of credit for the job he did protecting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out of the cleanup spot in the Toronto lineup. Now the #20 prospect in the Yankees' organization, Hardman posted a 109 wRC+ across High-A and Double-A last season with 22 HRs in 111 games, but his over 30% K% is alarming for his projectability long-term. Even at age 36, Ichiro was consistently able to throw out runners trying to take an extra base. Mookie is one of the best defensive right-fielders of all time. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants. But with several intriguing free-agent outfielders available this winter, Chaim Bloom and Co. could look to add some depth at the position. Adj ER Saved - Our metric for catcher value in staff handling (similar to Catcher ERA but with important adjustments) MLB fans were up in arms on Friday afternoon because of an absurd shift used during a Spring Training game. In per-game DRS among all MLB. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. Only 30 MLB hitters had a lower rate of soft contact than Jimenez -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Corey Seager, Anthony Rendon and Freddie Freeman were among those ranked ahead of him. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Monday's games. Andre Dawson had a cannon for an arm. 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. Carlos Correa (Twins): 95.0 mph 5. After fielding the fly ball, Clemente unleashed a rocket that cause Retterman to retreat back to third base. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. Teel is an excellent athlete with a strong arm, and has a good swing with excellent hand acceleration, but he had some bad BABIP luck last year and hit just .276/.402/.439, a drop from his strong . Let's marvel at the all-around game that is Mookie Betts. Speaker is the MLB record holder for most career outfield assists with 449. Despite his 2020 postseason heroics, Arozarena entered the 2021 season with rookie eligibility, and he wound up leading all rookies with 4.1 WAR. 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. Cobb did have some trouble with his arm however. The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. It's not all about arm strength, of course. There's no doubting that the Chicago Cubs farm system is vastly improved from where it was in 2021. He might just be entering his throwing prime, making this the perfect time to claim his golden arm for my superplayer. 2. Crow-Armstrong soaking in first Spring Training with Cubs. Just like the regular-season rankings, players are ranked solely on the 2021 season. Scouts have long graded position players on five tools that are central to success in the game: hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing. Honorable Mentions: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants. He was snubbed as a Gold Glove finalist despite tallying 11 DRS with a 5.4 UZR/150 in right field while also holding his own when he shifted to center field down the stretch. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. 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. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. With the unique 2020 season behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the hot stove season. Sits in the Top Ten of draft. This is the 14th highest total of all-time. As the anchor of the Dodgers' package for Betts, Verdugo was the centerpiece in perhaps the most unpopular Boston baseball deal since Babe Ruth was shipped off to the Yankees, and he joined the Red Sox with a well-publicized reputation as a less-than-ideal teammate. No other infielder came close to matching his average arm strength on Statcast-measured throws. 2021:Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference selection as an outfielder Started 58 of 59 games played in centerfield Batted .262 (53-for-202) with nine home runs and 33 RBI Scored 35 runs and walked 26 times Swiped 9 of 13 bases (69.2 percent) ESPN's Buster Olney leads the discussion of the latest news and notes around baseball with the game's top analysts. The Tampa Bay Rays began the offseason by declining their$4.5 million club option on catcher Mike Zunino, who logged a 50 OPS+ and minus-0.2 WAR in 118 games with the team in 2019 and 2020. One important stipulation: Each player could only be selected for one of the five tools. It's possible that Merrifield will move back to the infield if Nicky Lopez struggles in his effort to establish himself as the Royals' second baseman. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). 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). Up next is the 22-year-old Soto, whose production over his first three seasons has him drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Bobby Abreu has had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in baseball in recent years. 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 29-year-old opted out of the final two years of his contract shortly after the World Series concluded. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. He has taken to the outfield and his plus-plus arm shuts down running games. Yes, Gallo hit .160 with a 38.6 percent strikeout rate after the Rangers traded him to the Yankees. Those being Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Johnson, Jorge Montanez, David Mendelson . In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson.