Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. Sits in the Top Ten of draft. 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. Honorable Mentions: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants. In addition to his impressive offensive numbers, Cobb also thrilled fans with his arm. 8 prospect in the game. Cobb is also remembered for his feisty attitude and his aggressive playing style. If Stanton stays on the field in 2021, his production could swing many fantasy leagues. It's not all about arm strength, of course. Buxton, Myers, Pham, Laureano, Moore and Carlson could be double-digit homer and steal guys. Bonds had a strong throwing arm even before he began to bulk up. 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. Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). 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. Translation: Realmuto dominates the catcher throwing department. 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. As a 28-year-old rookie, Garcia posted a 101 OPS+ with 31 home runs, 90 RBI and 16 steals, and he was a surprise All-Star for the rebuilding Rangers. Luis Robert is one of the best prospects in baseball and he's set to take over in center. Speaker also holds the unique record for most unassisted double plays by an outfielder with six. Jackson had 183 outfield assists during his 13 year career. His career OPS is 1.000, exactly. He hit .310/.383/.458 with 42 extra-base hits and 47 steals in 52 attempts to lead the majors. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. He hit the walk-off home run in the NL Wild Card Game and had a three-homer game in Game 5 of the NLCS. He homered 12 times in a 10-game stretch at the end of June, but he missed most of July with a hamstring strain. "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. 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. Starling Marte, Miami Marlins The 27-year-old also has a perfect 99 reaction time rating, 86 arm strength, and 81 arm accuracy. 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. Crow-Armstrong soaking in first Spring Training with Cubs. Or his game-saving throw from center field to the plate against the Red Sox in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. His nickname is Laser Ramn, so you already knew hed have to make this list. 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. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. 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. Through Williams's age 21 year -- two seasons -- he had 203 walks, 54 homers and an OPS of 1.041 in 293 games. For your basic .520/.647/1.160 slash line. Even with all of those free passes and teams pitching around him, he still managed 20 doubles, 29 home runs and 95 RBI. On the other hand, the league still hasn't had a chance to develop a counterattack against the right-handed-hitting masher. 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. After fielding the fly ball, Clemente unleashed a rocket that cause Retterman to retreat back to third base. His .366 career average is a major league record. He . The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. 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. He hit .281 with an .800 OPS after the All-Star break, and he capped off the season by winning his first Gold Glove. Let's get right into it. Brewers: The Crew has the Central's best outfield, led by Christian Yelich in right field and Lorenzo Cain in center. Here are the Cubs' 2023 Top 30 prospects. His strong defensive play definitely helped make up for the fact that he had a low OPS. Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers/New York Yankees. Nate Eaton is making a case for sticking on . Whether it's unleashing the ball from deep in the outfield, across the infield or behind the plate, it can make the seemingly impossible happen. 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. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. Judges 12.5 AB/HR rate ranks fourth among players with 50-plus homers since the beginning of 2017. 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. 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. RP - Joe Mantiply, ARI (2.5 BB%) Devin Wiles. The two-time Gold Glove winner had five seasons in which he had more than 10 assists. 7. Standings. 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. He also had one of the strongest arms that baseball has ever seen. The tattoo was earned, as Mondesi had one of the strongest arms in baseball in the 1990s. However, Mays is more well-known for "The Catch" than for his arm. 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. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. PART - Positioning, Balls hit in air, Range, and Throwing for Infielders; Range & Positioning on balls hit in air for Outfielders. 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? Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays. 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. Still two years away from arbitration, he will be a cornerstone player for the cost-conscious Rays. What is particularly impressive about Mantiply, though, is that literally every single . 8. 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. 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. 1 spot. Tier 4: Jeff McNeil, Byron Buxton, Wil Myers, Alex Verdugo, Joey Gallo, Jorge Soler, Tommy Pham, Kyle Lewis, Ramn Laureano, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Brantley, Ian Happ, Dylan Moore, Eddie Rosario, Ryan Mountcastle, Dylan Carlson. 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. (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.)". His shoulder first began giving him problems in 2021. The Mariners sent pitchers Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, Anthony Swarzak and outfielder Jay Bruce to Seattle for infielder Robinson Cano and pitcher Edwin Diaz. 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. Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players 20. Simply speaking, Mantiply has become the epitome of control. Colavito's arm was so strong that both the Indians and Yankees let him pitch at one point. 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. No position in fantasy baseball is deeper than the outfield. 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. 4. The corner outfield spots are going to be packed with talent in 2023. 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. 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. In his first 303 games in the big leagues, he has a .380 OBP and an .859 OPS. Those are absurd numbers to maintain for a full week, let alone half of a season. His swing rate on all pitches dipped to 35% (in '20), which ranked 141st among 142 qualified hitters. Youth. All told, he hit .333 with 17 homers and a 1.158 OPS over 43 games in 2020. 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. But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. Anyone paying attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 knew Bryan Reynolds was capable of the type of season he put together in 2021. 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. Realmuto, C, PhilliesKey stat: 46.7 percent caught stealing rate in 2019. Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. Buck Showalter, Mets. Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. Mookie is one of the best defensive right-fielders of all time. Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. Buxton debuted for the Twins in 2015, and since then has become one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. 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. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. The guy who seemed to be in complete control of his plate appearances in his dominant seasons suddenly looked incredibly confused. 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. 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. 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. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. 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. 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) 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. 15 throws) with an average arm strength of 88.4 mph on max-effort throws -- a.k.a. 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. 10. Other choices were more complicated, particularly by the question of who might be more suited to be ranked among the designated hitters. Kyle Schwarber, Washington Nationals/Boston Red Sox. An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. Walker won seven Gold Gloves and ended his career with 154 outfield assists. LIVE Transfer Talk: Bayern still keen on Kane despite new Choupo-Moting contract, Previewing the 2023 college baseball season: Teams and players to watch, key storylines, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live', Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list, Ranking MLB's top 10 at each infield spot for 2021, Baseball's best arms: Ranking MLB's top 10 starters & relievers for 2021, Buster Olney's top 10s for 2021: Ranking MLB's best teams, Free agency, trade talk, offseason news , Author of "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty". To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Williams loved to talk hitting, and through the last years of his life, he developed friendships with the likes of Tony Gwynn. fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft in right-handed . Catch up on the 2021 MLB Player Rankings series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen,. Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. We're focusing solely on 2021 production, so previous track record and future projections were not a factor. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. Baseball Savant. 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 . February 26, 2023. Tom Glavine 1987-2002, 2008 (63.6 WAR) Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. Mookie. Mondesi has a tattoo of a cannon shooting out a baseball on his right arm. Red Sox. 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. Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. The former Red Sox great and six-time Gold Glove winner is known for his arm. 2. 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. Acuna was squarely among the NL MVP front-runners when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on July 10. Honorable Mention:Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals. Throughout the history of baseball, there have been some outfielders that have had cannons for arms. 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. Kaline was known for his perfect throwing from and his ability to catch and throw. They've responded with an MLB-best 3.05 ERA. Guerrero currently ranks fifth on the active list for outfield assists. . Hitting with discipline is something you elect to do. Barfield threw out an astounding 162 runners during his 12 year career. Look no further than Realmuto, the class of defenders behind home plate and the quickest gun in the Major Leagues. 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 23-year-old is expected to return sometime during the first half of next season. Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". Kelenic had a rough rookie year for. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . 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. 2023 MLB Top 30 Prospects; Rankings; Players; Draft; Store; . Between a breakout 2021 campaign and 2022, the journeyman reliever dropped his strong 9.6% walk rate to a miniscule 2.5%, good for best in the league. Andre Dawson had a cannon for an arm. Non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs at the start of last offseason, Schwarber signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Nationals. In 2015, Marte had a 16-1 number (A-DP) as part of perhaps baseball's best fielding outfield. 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. It is a shame that his career was cut short as the result of a hip injury. You could argue that so long as his arm is healthy, there's none more valuable. In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. Ozuna, meanwhile, is back with the Braves after signing a four-year contract. Outfielder Jump Leaderboard Current: Outfielder Jump 2022 Minimum Attempts (Q) Update Download CSV Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. 6 spot. 8. 14. 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. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. Stars and depth help the Dodgers dominate both NL competition and Best Tools voting. He also played a solid defensive center field in a 5.7 WAR season.