To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. 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. This prevented the Orioles from scoring that inning and the Pirates would go on to win the World Series. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. 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 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. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. Jackson had 183 outfield assists during his 13 year career. For your basic .520/.647/1.160 slash line. 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. 1. 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. 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. 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. MLB fans were up in arms on Friday afternoon because of an absurd shift used during a Spring Training game. Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. The man known as El Mago (The Magician) is blessed with many gifts and would have been a fine pick for the fielding tool, but lets focus on his rocket for a right arm. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2021 Topps Series One Baseball MONTE HARRISON Rookie Base #126 Miami Marlins RC at the best online prices at eBay! Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). Arozarena is coming off a postseason for the ages, on top of a strong finish in the regular season. MLB releases Yankees top 30 prospect list He hit .328/.376/.624 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 homers, 92 RBI, 108 runs and 36 steals across three . Baseball's best arms: Ranking MLB's top 10 starters & relievers for 2021. The writers involved are Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Dunbar, Ryan Kirksey, Nic Civale, Logan Kritzeck, and Matt Heckman. Cobb is also remembered for his feisty attitude and his aggressive playing style. 8. The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. There's still a chance we'll see him in the Majors before the end of April, however, so he's someone to keep in mind in the latter half of fantasy drafts. 2023 MLB Top 30 Prospects; Rankings; Players; Draft; Store; . 14. Mar 22, 2021. 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). Hitting with discipline is something you elect to do. MLB Tonight: Outfield Arm | 09/10/2021 | MLB.com 2021 Consensus Top-80 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings After missing much of the 2019 season and all of last year with a gruesome injury, Haniger finally returned to action, posting a 122 OPS+ with 39 home runs and 100 RBI for the upstart Mariners. 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? Each writer provided anywhere from 80-100+ outfielders so we could create our consensus top-80. Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list out to the 25 best at each position on the diamond, which means each position is going to get its own article. 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. Most teams need to go at least six starters deep over the course of a season, and the Brew Crew also have three quality back-end starters behind their ace-caliber arms. Yelich was the 2018 NL MVP and runner-up in the MVP voting last year. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All "There are so many factors that go into it, and I don't want to speak for Soto, but there are certainly some habits you have to develop and reinforce when you are young. Gallo, Soler, Lewis, Yastrzemski, Happ, Rosario and Mountcastle can provide it. 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. 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. . But given his offensive production and impact at the top of the lineup, that's more than enough to make him an extremely valuable all-around player. 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. 8. In 2021, he was the No. There are currently 13 relief pitchers on the injured list for the Rays, including standout closer Nick Anderson and hard-throwing setup man Pete Fairbanks. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. He was forced to retire at age 30 as the result of a broken jaw which forced him to play with a facemask for a few years. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. The league may have changed the rules on shifting . That notably excluded Mike Trout (146 PA). He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. 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. Baseball Savant. Sits in the Top Ten of draft. Speaker was mentioned in Bill James' Baseball Abstract of having the best arm of anyone who played between 1910-1919. 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. Kaline, also known as Mr. Tiger, made his major league debut at age 18. 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 five-and-two-thirds career innings, Colavito only gave up one hit. Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays Base runners in the National League feared the arm of Roberto Clemente. 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. Giants Sign Carlos Correa to 13-Year, $350 Million Deal Dansby Swanson's Market Is Heating Up The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. In per-game DRS among all MLB. 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. He also had one of the strongest arms that baseball has ever seen. Jesse Barfield had an incredibly strong and an incredibly accurate throwing arm. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .322/.372/.594 with 10 home runs in 36 games since the All-Star break. 4. 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. 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. Minimum 800 innings 6. Prior to a game in the 2004 ALDS versus the Yankees, Guerrero threw a ball 370 feet in warm-ups. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. 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. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. 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. There was a lot of debate during the truncated season why Yelich struggled so much -- and there's no disputing that his troubles were acute, something more than a slump. In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson. His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. Having to play the field regularly could hinder his production, but the fact that he led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBIs while hitting .338/.431/.636 last season cant be ignored. With the unique 2020 season behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the hot stove season. 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. 5 Best Outfield Throwing Arms in the Majors - Sportscasting Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants. 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. In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. This is Just Baseball's staff consensus ranking of the top 15 corner outfielders in baseball. From Jimenez's first season to his second, his wRC+ jumped from 116 to 141. Its not as if my defense pick, Andrelton Simmons, has a poor arm. Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. February 13, 2023. The eight-time Gold Glove winner even managed to throw out 11 base runners from left field at age 39. The late-bloomer is controllable for two more seasons, and the Blue Jays could explore a long-term extension to make sure he sticks around as part of the offensive core that also includes Guerrero, Bo Bichette and George Springer. He might just be entering his throwing prime, making this the perfect time to claim his golden arm for my superplayer. It must be noted here that Tatis did have an issue with throwing miscues that drove down his overall defensive value. Hernandez was signed as a super-utility . Accuracy is considered, but arm strength is the big piece of this. Soto, in my opinion, has that. The 28-year-old hit .291 with 35 homers, 97 RBIs, 106 runs and an .899 OPS the last time we saw him. This situation happens when an outfielder can make a great throw to try to nail the runner that is heading home. Youth. These guys. 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. Texas Rangers outfield arms: The Outliers Some of these players were considered to have the best throwing arms on the Texas Rangers, but statistically, they failed to crack the top 10.. Free agency, trade talk, offseason news . MLB players with the best arms February 26, 2023. His nickname is Laser Ramn, so you already knew hed have to make this list. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. Judges 12.5 AB/HR rate ranks fourth among players with 50-plus homers since the beginning of 2017. This year, he barely edges out Pittsburgh's Neil Walker, who checks in at minus-12-2, for the . "It was as if we were playing for the playoffs," one impressed staffer said. You could argue that so long as his arm is healthy, there's none more valuable. Catch up on the 2021 MLB Player Rankings series:Catchers,First Basemen,Second Basemen, Third Basemen,Shortstops. During Wednesday night's game against the Athletics, Yankees outfield Aaron Hicks broke a Statcast record for the fastest ball thrown in recorded history with a 105.5 mph, 246 . The Yankees re-signed Brett Gardner, but they may finally give Frazier a chance to play every day. Cubs Top Prospects | MLB.com 5. 8 prospect in the game. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. His shoulder first began giving him problems in . Spring training battles: The outfield - Royals Review Crow-Armstrong soaking in first Spring Training with Cubs. 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. The 24-year-old hit .251 with 10 homers, 10 steals and 42 runs in 59 games for the Padres last year. With Merv Retterman on third base, Robinson knocked the ball more than 300 feet deep in center field. 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). He also slugged 38 home runs while winning his second straight Gold Glove. The Venezuela native surged three levels in his age-18 season, showing off plus power and 70-grade speed on his way to becoming the No. We're focusing solely on 2021 production, so previous track record and future projections were not a factor. Since there are three times as many outfielders as there are other positions on the diamond, it made sense to tack an honorable mention list of 25 guys onto our top 25 list. As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. 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. 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. Sometimes he looked like he was guessing wrong over and over and over, with the befuddlement covering his face as he walked away from the plate. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . 1 guy is pretty obvious, through the compilation of thought from folks around the industry. In his 10 years, Valentine did manage to win one Gold Glove and he recorded 85 assists. Whitaker was ranked the #37 prospect by MLB. But Verdugo ingratiated himself with teammates and staff with his passion and play, and he seemed to earn the early respect of socially distant Red Sox fans. Speaker is the MLB record holder for most career outfield assists with 449. Homegrown players Steven Duggar and Austin Slater have also seen semi-regular time in the outfield, though Duggar was recently optioned to Triple-A now that Bryant can provide corner outfield depth as well. On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. Larry Walker is considered one of the best Rockies ever in the team's short existence. His defensive metrics in center field (14 DRS, 12.1 UZR) helped him post a career-best 4.9 WAR season. The San Francisco Giants have had 16 different players tally at least 100 plate appearances this season, and that group does not count prized deadline pickup Kris Bryant. This will likely be the most questioned name on this list. Previous picks: Mookie Betts (hit), Joey Gallo (power), Christian Yelich (run), Harrison Bader (defense), Cody Bellinger, CF, DodgersKey stat: 101.1 mph max arm strength. Not just mine, but any site's rankings of outfielders will not be . Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. With club control through the 2025 season, he is a long-term building block for the O's. Even at age 36, Ichiro was consistently able to throw out runners trying to take an extra base. Gorbous is the answer to the trivia question: "Who has the longest throw in baseball history"? Walker was known for his abilities at the plate, but he also had a gun for an arm. Barfield threw out an astounding 162 runners during his 12 year career. The eight-time Gold Glove winner is one of the best defensive center fielders in major league history. He ultimately found his way back to Tampa Bay on a new one-year, $3 million deal that includes a 2022 club option. Keith Law's MLB Draft 2023 Rankings: Early list is loaded with college C Wil Myers, San Diego Padres; Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros; Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies; Nicholas Castellanos, Cincinnati Reds, Buster Olney's top 10s for 2021: Ranking MLB's best outfielders, NBA investigating after Morant shows gun in video, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Edey leads Wooden finalists; Bama's Miller off list, Chase Elliott out indefinitely after tibia surgery, Jays' Guerrero to miss WBC with inflamed knee, Sources: Patriots tell QB Hoyer he's being cut, Ledecky sees 9-year win streak in U.S. snapped, Inside the long-awaited return of Jon Jones and his quest for heavyweight glory, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. 2y Buster Olney. While his .286 on-base percentage and 31.2 percent strikeout rate leave something to be desired, he was a stellar defender (16 DRS, 11.8 UZR/150) to go along with his power production in a 3.8 WAR season. 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. (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.)". Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. 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. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. He homered 12 times in a 10-game stretch at the end of June, but he missed most of July with a hamstring strain. He has also done a solid job handling the staff with a 3.87 ERA behind the plate. Reels. The longtime utility man split his time between center field (93 games) and second base (47 games), and he posted a 107 OPS+ with 58 extra-base hits in a career-high 585 plate appearances. He scored 15 runs in 18 postseason games, reminded everyone that he's the best baserunner in the game -- and then there was his defense, with layer upon layer of highlights. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. That success has come despite myriad injuries and significant roster turnover. 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. 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. All of the sudden, the ball is at the base, and a runner who thought he had it made is out. Best Outfield Arm. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues. His career OPS is 1.000, exactly. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). The regimented preparation that had worked for Yelich in the past was simply not available to him, and he may have suffered for it. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. Bill James had him as the 67th best right fielder in major league history and said he had. His career will always be under a microscope, but it's hard to call his 2021 performance anything but superstar-caliber. 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. For reference, Bradley Zimmer has one of the best throwing arms on the big league roster and has always had a strong arm, considered to be plus (60) and maybe even double-plus (70). The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. A hyped prospect since he was selected fifth overall in the 2015 draft, his breakout season went a long way toward replacing George Springer's lost production. MLB Best Tools 2021: Managers, Scouts & Executives Vote On Baseball's 2023 Frisco Classic: Everything You Need To Know D1Baseball Potential Outfield Trade Targets For The New York Yankees - Forbes 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. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. Furillo once threw pitcher Mel Queen out by two feet on a ball that was hit to right field and that everyone believed to be a single. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. Buck Showalter, Mets. One important stipulation: Each player could only be selected for one of the five tools. 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. For Springer, that box is checked indelibly. The safe bet is that he'll bounce back and do a ton of damage in the summer ahead. Jordan Wicks- from Kansas State at 6'2 and 220lbs he is 2-0 in 2021 and went 3-0 last year. Here are five options going much later in drafts than they should based on their . 25 attempts). September 10, 2021 | 00:05:48. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. Those are absurd numbers to maintain for a full week, let alone half of a season. Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023 | Just Baseball When he's locked in and at his best, they reported, he's consistently pulling the ball, driving it, and this is not what Betts was doing. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. Why the Twins' outfield defense could be baseball's best Laureanos arm is best known for the throw mentioned above, which resulted in a double play after he caught a fly ball hit by Justin Upton at Angel Stadium.