But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. At age 19, Kaline recorded 16 of his career 170 outfield assists. Barfield threw out an astounding 162 runners during his 12 year career. He struggled in 2020, with his slugging percentage (.312) matching his on-base percentage. The 30-year-old showed a less patient approach at the plate, which resulted in a middling .318 on-base percentage, but his power production is enough to earn him a spot here. fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft in right-handed . 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. The towering right fielder posted a 149 OPS+ with 39 home runs and a career-low 25.0 percent strikeout rate. 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. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, PadresKey stat: 91.8 mph average max-effort arm strength in 2019. As in: This is the type of hitter I want to be; get out of my way.". Mookie Betts, Dodgers. There are many questions surrounding Barry Bonds' arms, but none of them are about his ability to throw a baseball. A good spring could get the 29-year-old on the 40-man roster. Accuracy matters, too. It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. His career will always be under a microscope, but it's hard to call his 2021 performance anything but superstar-caliber. Among players with at least 200 plate appearances last season, the 23-year-old had the fourth-highest chase rate, the third-highest whiff rate and the sixth-highest strikeout rate, making him a high-risk, high-reward pick in the early rounds. 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. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. The corner outfield spots are going to be packed with talent in 2023. Take a look at this strikeout from his MLB debut season in 2021: At the moment Drew Rasmussen releases this fastball, Duran's hands are moving up and back, his leg is elevated, and he has a whole lot of movement to execute to catch up with the 98-mph pitch. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . The wild card in this tier is Kelenic, MLB Pipelines No. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. It's not like swinging hard and hitting a ball 115 mph. The 31-year-old remains one of baseballs most imposing sluggers, but he has appeared in just 41 regular season games over the past two years. I think we'll see him hunt early in counts against next season.". Mays' throwing arm deserves more recognition as he was he had the second strongest arm of any outfielder in the 1960s. Castellanos and Blackmon, meanwhile, faded dramatically after blazing starts. 3 overall player, followed by Trout, who continues to deliver at the plate year after year and remains among fantasys top five players despite his decline on the bases (one steal in 2020). This situation happens when an outfielder can make a great throw to try to nail the runner that is heading home. Pitchers are on the other end of Soto's will, as well. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . The eight-time Gold Glove winner even managed to throw out 11 base runners from left field at age 39. 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. even despite missing a good chunk of 2021 . Oneil Cruz (Pirates): 97.9 mph 2. The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. 2. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. 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. 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. 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. 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. "There's a nuance to disciplined hitting that needs to become a habit. Even with all of those free passes and teams pitching around him, he still managed 20 doubles, 29 home runs and 95 RBI. More MLB videos How Does Carlos Correa Fit on the Giants? Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants. $0.99 Buxton, Taylor and Gallo are such great, award-winning fielders that it's easy to forget about Kepler, who would be the best defensive outfielder on many teams. He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. 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. 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. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Monday's games. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. On the other hand, the league still hasn't had a chance to develop a counterattack against the right-handed-hitting masher. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. 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! His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. 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. I like that he didn't change teams, and he retains the buoyancy of the New York lineup and park . It has been suggested that the Indians have been cursed after trading Colavito, a fan favorite, to the Detroit Tigers in 1960. Despite his defensive limitations, he should be able to find a more lucrative deal this winter. 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. One of the tougher players to slot on this list, Buxton played in only 61 games while missing time with a hip strain and fractured hand. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield". The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. 1. 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. Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". 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. Even at age 36, Ichiro was consistently able to throw out runners trying to take an extra base. We are simply looking for which team has the most productive unit this season. With free agency looming after the 2022 season, another performance like that would set him up for a huge payday next winter. Dawson racked up 157 outfield assists in his 21 major league seasons. 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. 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. He tallied a career-high 42 doubles along with 35 home runs, 84 RBI and 101 runs scored in a 5.9 WAR season. The 29-year-old opted out of the final two years of his contract shortly after the World Series concluded. Yes, Gallo hit .160 with a 38.6 percent strikeout rate after the Rangers traded him to the Yankees. 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). A.J. 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. 3. And yes, by the end of the World Series, he did find his best swing, enough to put a punctuation mark on the Dodgers' championship with an eighth-inning home run in Game 6. 17. 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. Here are the players who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: 25. 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. In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson. In his first 303 games in the big leagues, he has a .380 OBP and an .859 OPS. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. Even though Meusel played just 11 seasons, he still recorded 157 outfield assists. In addition to the fact that he ran the fastest ever-recorded 40-meter time at the NFL combine (4.08 seconds), the two-sport star had one of the best arms in baseball history. 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. Which outfielder has the strongest arm 2021? His contract and track record mean more is expected of him, but he was still a top-15 outfielder. C Look no further than Realmuto, the class of defenders behind home plate and the quickest gun in the Major Leagues. Rodriguez was a top 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 international prospects list for 2019-20 when the signing period opened up in July of 2019. . . 2. Minimum 800 innings 6. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. 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. We're focusing solely on 2021 production, so previous track record and future projections were not a factor. For a boost in the batting-average category, target McNeil, Verdugo or Brantley. 22). 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. 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. 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. Despite playing only eight seasons, Jackson managed to rack up 49 assists. He hit .271 with a .349 on-base percentage, tallying 34 extra-base hits, 30 steals and 3.2 WAR, and he was also a Gold Glove finalist in center field. In 2021, he was the No. The two-time Gold Glove winner had five seasons in which he had more than 10 assists. 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. Gorbous is the answer to the trivia question: "Who has the longest throw in baseball history"? Ranking MLB's top 10 at each infield spot for 2021. . February 24, 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. In 2015, Marte had a 16-1 number (A-DP) as part of perhaps baseball's best fielding outfield. Colavito's arm was so strong that both the Indians and Yankees let him pitch at one point. This year, he barely edges out Pittsburgh's Neil Walker, who checks in at minus-12-2, for the . What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. 8. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has been one of the most productive players at the position since his first full season in 2018, and this season is no different. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? The sport needs to have him back on the postseason stage in the next few years. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. Brewers: The Crew has the Central's best outfield, led by Christian Yelich in right field and Lorenzo Cain in center. 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. He's not just an MVP-caliber hitter; he has one of the strongest outfield arms in the league. One important stipulation: Each player could only be selected for one of the five tools. Here are five options going much later in drafts than they should based on their . Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti.