Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. All of what you need to know about Meusel's arm was said by Bob Quinn, former president of both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. With Charlie Morton and Blake Snell both departing during the offseason and Tyler Glasnow lost to Tommy John surgery, more pressure has fallen on the relief corps to prop up the pitching staff. 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. He tallied a career-high 42 doubles along with 35 home runs, 84 RBI and 101 runs scored in a 5.9 WAR season. ESPN's Buster Olney leads the discussion of the latest news and notes around baseball with the game's top analysts. Bill James had him as the 67th best right fielder in major league history and said he had. Bellinger could be a great pick for any tool -- hit, power, speed, glove or arm. I like that he didn't change teams, and he retains the buoyancy of the New York lineup and park . Ichiro has the strongest and most powerful arm of any outfielder in the major leagues today. 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. It must be noted here that Tatis did have an issue with throwing miscues that drove down his overall defensive value. The guy who seemed to be in complete control of his plate appearances in his dominant seasons suddenly looked incredibly confused. 7. 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). An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. The tattoo was earned, as Mondesi had one of the strongest arms in baseball in the 1990s. 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. 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. He made more consistent contact while maintaining his usual elite average exit velocity and hard-hit rate metrics. Chicago Cubs Top Prospects | Just Baseball Griffey's defensive abilities helped him win the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at age 20. 2. Barfield threw out an astounding 162 runners during his 12 year career. He was hitting .283/.394/.596 with 19 doubles, 24 home runs and 17 steals through 82 games at the time of the injury, good for a 3.6 WAR season. 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. Hernndez (.919 OPS) and Gurriel (.882 OPS) are looking to validate their breakouts, and Conforto is, too, to an extent. Crow-Armstrong soaking in first Spring Training with Cubs. Scott Pianowski continues his tiered positional rankings by examining the outfield landscape for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. You can't go wrong taking him in the top five, either. Among the four outfielders with a perfect 99 fielding rating is Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. MLB releases Yankees top 30 prospect list Cobb is also remembered for his feisty attitude and his aggressive playing style. In order to qualify for the leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team games / 5. All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball, Alonso says Aston 'living a dream,' eyes podium. Still two years away from arbitration, he will be a cornerstone player for the cost-conscious Rays. But despite all of that offensive imperfection, the lasting impression Betts left behind is that of the closest thing you can have to a perfect player in a sport filled with moments of failure. Despite playing only eight seasons, Jackson managed to rack up 49 assists. His career OPS is 1.000, exactly. His middling defense (-6 DRS, -4.8 UZR/150) and the time he missed kept him from ranking any higher. Acuna was squarely among the NL MVP front-runners when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on July 10. It is a shame that his career was cut short as the result of a hip injury. This is a pretty straight forward category. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). 20. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. 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. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). Jordan Wicks- from Kansas State at 6'2 and 220lbs he is 2-0 in 2021 and went 3-0 last year. With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. It's not like swinging hard and hitting a ball 115 mph. Kaline, also known as Mr. Tiger, made his major league debut at age 18. Yelich was the 2018 NL MVP and runner-up in the MVP voting last year. 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. Fantasy Baseball Cheat Sheet: Outfield Rankings for 2021 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. 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. Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". 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. Ranking the best outfield arms in the majors right now Runners were afraid to take the extra base when these outfielders had the ball in their hands. What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. 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. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). Fantasy baseball 2021 outfield rankings - MLB.com Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? - Stadium The left-handed outfielder had a rock solid 2022 season, holding a .281 batting average with 12 home runs while leading the South Atlantic League with 34 doubles joining Project Birmingham. 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. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Soto, in my opinion, has that. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. . Anyone paying attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 knew Bryan Reynolds was capable of the type of season he put together in 2021. He also had the two fastest-tracked infield assists to first base -- reaching 94 mph -- and was responsible for about half of the 92-plus mph assists from all infielders. Here are this years top fantasy outfielders, broken down into tiers. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? 2. MLB Best Outfield Throws || MLB 2021 Season (Supercut) The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. Milwaukee Brewers Top 30 prospects list 2023 preseason - mlb.com Castellanos and Blackmon, meanwhile, faded dramatically after blazing starts. The Best Current MLB Outfielders - Ranker Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. Dylan Carlson, Cardinals (TOP 250 Rank: 11) Key Fantasy Skill (s): Power, OBP Roadblock: Tyler O'Neill, Lane Thomas (Threat Level: MEDIUM) ETA: 2021 Need to Know: Carlson had a rough MLB. He is, by any measure, the best outfielder and player of his generation. There is no shortage of articles ranking MLB players by position, league, age, production or something else entirely. Throughout the history of baseball, there have been some outfielders that have had cannons for arms. 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. The Giants acquired him at the trade deadline, and he is poised to cash in as a free agent this offseason. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. 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. 3. The writers involved are Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Dunbar, Ryan Kirksey, Nic Civale, Logan Kritzeck, and Matt Heckman. Cobb is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in the history of the game. The 24-year-old has a 131 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 27 home runs and 76 RBI, and he has also made significant strides defensively at the hot corner. 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. We're going to try something a little different. Jackson had 183 outfield assists during his 13 year career. 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. Runners will not even try to advance extra bases when the ball is in Ichiro's hands. Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2022: Best sleepers, breakouts, busts from Those being Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Johnson, Jorge Montanez, David Mendelson . 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. 1 guy is pretty obvious, through the compilation of thought from folks around the industry. In a Houston Astros lineup loaded with star power, Kyle Tucker was arguably the team's most productive hitter in 2021. One of the most exciting defensive plays in baseball occurs when there is going to be a play at the plate. After a slow start, reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman is once posting elite numbers. 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. This is the 14th highest total of all-time. 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). 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. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . Despite only having played 15 seasons, Abreu is second on the active list for outfield assists with 132. The identity of the No. 2021 Topps Series One Baseball MONTE HARRISON Rookie Base #126 Miami But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. In 2021, he was the No. This will likely be the most questioned name on this list. His arm was so powerful, that while pitching for his mill league, Jackson once broke a catchers arm and was subsequently moved to the outfield because no one wanted to catch for him. 5 Best Outfield Throwing Arms in the Majors - Sportscasting 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. February 26, 2023. 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. Top Tools: Best Outfield Defense/Outfield Arm - Baseball What will the Red Sox outfield look like without Jackie Bradley Jr While a member of the Indians minor league team in San Diego, he once threw a ball from home plate and it landed 436 feet away, deep over the center field fence. 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 has 19 homers in 63 postseason games, and only three players have more: Manny Ramirez (29), Bernie Williams (22) and Derek Jeter (20). Hitting with discipline is something you elect to do. Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants. 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. You need to do it all to be an MVP these days. But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. At age 19, Kaline recorded 16 of his career 170 outfield assists. Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels definitely ranks in the top 10 outfielders, along with Mookie Betts and Charlie Blackmon. Bonds had a strong throwing arm even before he began to bulk up. Below, we're focusing on fantasy baseball outfield sleepers. He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. Brewers: The Crew has the Central's best outfield, led by Christian Yelich in right field and Lorenzo Cain in center. However, he was worth a staggering 4.5 WAR when he was on the field. He is widely seen as defensively challenged and although he is just 30, his future is clearly going to be at DH. 6 spot. 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. There has been industry speculation that he was still dealing with the aftereffect of the fractured right kneecap he suffered at the end of the 2019 season. I think we'll see him hunt early in counts against next season.". 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. Here are the players who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: 25. Clemente is tied with Willie Mays for the the most Gold Gloves for an outfielder with 12. Colavito is another player on this list who has a legendary arm. 4. As a matter of fact, the consensus top two outfielders Mike Trout and Mookie Betts also are considered the two best overall players in MLB. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? March 1, 2023. Top 10 MLB Outfielders for 2022 | Just Baseball Below you'll find the consensus rankings that eight of our MLB writers were involved in. He also had one of the strongest arms that baseball has ever seen. The goal is to decide which team has the best catchers, infielders, outfielders, bench, starting pitchers and relief pitchers. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. Whitaker was ranked the #37 prospect by MLB. Larry Walker is considered one of the best Rockies ever in the team's short existence. That's why the model. However, he was also a 4.2 WAR player at the time of the trade. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. There just isn't another divisional outfield duo that comes very close. 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, Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants. He . Those are absurd numbers to maintain for a full week, let alone half of a season. 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. 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. 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. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. Williams played in just one World Series, and at a time when he was nursing an elbow bruise, Williams hit .200, with five walks and one RBI in seven games. A big part of any draft kit are the rankings, and we're continuing our staff consensus rankings for 2021 with our fantasy baseball outfield rankings. Reynolds hit.302/.390/.522 with 35 doubles, 24 home runs, 90 RBI and 93 runs scored for a 146 OPS+ despite having little in the way of protection in a bad Pittsburgh lineup. 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 eight-time Gold Glove winner is one of the best defensive center fielders in major league history. He had just 18 swings and misses at in-zone pitches in the entire regular season. Best throwing arms in the 2022 postseason - mlb.com As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . With Merv Retterman on third base, Robinson knocked the ball more than 300 feet deep in center field.