best outfield arms in mlb 2021 best outfield arms in mlb 2021

Trout is about halfway through his career, maybe even further along than that. Martinez started cold and never recovered last season, and Meadows was never right after dealing with COVID-19 in July. 1 spot. Mays had 195 career outfield assists and he won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves. 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. Tatis, of course, was a sensation in just about every way as a rookie in 2019, and his throwing ability was no exception. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . He has never finished lower than third on the MLB pop time leaderboard since Statcast launched, and 2019 was his fastest season yet. But that represents the bulk of the 26-year-olds big league experience. 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. Ozuna, meanwhile, is back with the Braves after signing a four-year contract. The two-year, $14 million contract Hernandez signed with Boston ended up being one of the best bargains of the 2020-21 free-agent market. 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. Regardless of who the Rays plug into the pen, they continue to find success. Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. 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) He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. The 24-year-old hit .251 with 10 homers, 10 steals and 42 runs in 59 games for the Padres last year. That success has come despite myriad injuries and significant roster turnover. Youth. There are many questions surrounding Barry Bonds' arms, but none of them are about his ability to throw a baseball. "It was as if we were playing for the playoffs," one impressed staffer said. 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. Even in his time in the minors, his swing-and-miss rate jumped up a few percentage points. The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. He . You can't go wrong taking him in the top five, either. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. However, he was worth a staggering 4.5 WAR when he was on the field. In the 60-game season, Bellinger hit .239 and was moved down in the lineup to the No. Soto, in my opinion, has that. 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. He homered 12 times in a 10-game stretch at the end of June, but he missed most of July with a hamstring strain. Bonds had a strong throwing arm even before he began to bulk up. 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. The ultra-versatile Taylor was an All-Star for the first time in 2021, posting a 110 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 73 RBI, 92 runs scored and 13 steals in 148 games. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. Through Williams's age 21 year -- two seasons -- he had 203 walks, 54 homers and an OPS of 1.041 in 293 games. Despite his great arm, Gorbous only managed to play three seasons in the major leagues. He ultimately found his way back to Tampa Bay on a new one-year, $3 million deal that includes a 2022 club option. September 10, 2021 | 00:05:48. 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. Sits in the Top Ten of draft. 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. Hard-throwing top prospect Aaron Ashby has also made three spot starts, and he could make a major impact as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen down the stretch. 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. 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. That leaves the Cincinnati Reds as the pick. More MLB videos How Does Carlos Correa Fit on the Giants? 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. After a slow start, reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman is once posting elite numbers. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers/New York Yankees. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. 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. Here are this years top fantasy outfielders, broken down into tiers. 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. Even at age 36, Ichiro was consistently able to throw out runners trying to take an extra base. For Springer, that box is checked indelibly. Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? Despite only having played 15 seasons, Abreu is second on the active list for outfield assists with 132. Bill James had him as the 67th best right fielder in major league history and said he had. He looks ready for a huge breakout season, after another year of offensive maturation. The guy who seemed to be in complete control of his plate appearances in his dominant seasons suddenly looked incredibly confused. 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). Adj ER Saved - Our metric for catcher value in staff handling (similar to Catcher ERA but with important adjustments) 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). 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. 2. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. 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. O'Neill finished with a 150 OPS+ and 34 home runs while hitting alongside Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in the middle of the lineup. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants. 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. Starling Marte, Miami Marlins Standings. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. 5. Need more power? Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Speaker is the MLB record holder for most career outfield assists with 449. Julio Rodriguez was the team's best player while former top prospect arms Logan Gilbert and George Kirby shined in Seattle's rotation. Scouts noted that he has a plus arm in the. but if he regresses to 2017 or 2021 levels no one should complain. Kolten Wong -- Best Defensive Second Baseman (NL) Francisco Lindor -- Best Defensive Shortstop (AL/NL) Bob Melvin -- Best Manager (AL) Below are the 2021 winners, followed by voting results. He had just 18 swings and misses at in-zone pitches in the entire regular season. 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. A 2021 20th-round pick . Davis looking to get back on track this spring. Ichiro has the strongest and most powerful arm of any outfielder in the major leagues today. They've responded with an MLB-best 3.05 ERA. 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). 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. 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. Whitaker was ranked the #37 prospect by MLB. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's 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. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. 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 Los Angeles Dodgers lead the majors with a 2.90 starters' ERA, but injuries and off-the-field issues have thinned their rotation considerably. Below you'll find the consensus rankings that eight of our MLB writers were involved in. Barfield threw out an astounding 162 runners during his 12 year career. Along with the 89 games he played in the outfield, he also spent time at second base (46), shortstop (23) and third base (11). Barfield would consistently throw strikes from right field to home plate. The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. Meusel is another player on this list gaining recognition from Bill James as having the strongest outfield arm in the majors during his playing years (1920s). He has 19 homers in 63 postseason games, and only three players have more: Manny Ramirez (29), Bernie Williams (22) and Derek Jeter (20). Let's get right into it. His defensive metrics in center field (14 DRS, 12.1 UZR) helped him post a career-best 4.9 WAR season. Evans was considered to have one of the greatest throwing arms in baseball in the 1970s. 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. The writers involved are Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Dunbar, Ryan Kirksey, Nic Civale, Logan Kritzeck, and Matt Heckman. He was ranked the 40th-best free agent this offseason, per Giants Baseball Insider's rankings. We're focusing solely on 2021 production, so previous track record and future projections were not a factor. But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. Jackson had 183 outfield assists during his 13 year career. Scott Pianowski continues his tiered positional rankings by examining the outfield landscape for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . 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. Tabbed as the 58th-best outfield prospect nationally (D1Baseball). What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. Williams loved to talk hitting, and through the last years of his life, he developed friendships with the likes of Tony Gwynn. Share. 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. The eight-time Gold Glove winner even managed to throw out 11 base runners from left field at age 39. But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). Along with a .199 average and 213 strikeouts, he led the AL with 111 walks and had a solid .351 on-base percentage. Tier 2: Kyle Tucker, Luis Robert, Aaron Judge, George Springer, Marcell Ozuna, Starling Marte, Whit Merrifield. Red Sox. 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). Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Rather than ranking individual players, we set out to name the best multi-player units in baseball. 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. 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. His shoulder first began giving him problems in 2021. For a boost in the batting-average category, target McNeil, Verdugo or Brantley. The veteran has been a productive fantasy bat for several years, but his 2020 slash line (.322/.412/.515) was well above his performance from 2017-19 (.257/.363/.492). He has a 103 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and an NL-leading 32 doubles. 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 greatest player of this era turns 30 in 2021. Accuracy matters, too. Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants. 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. Its not as if my defense pick, Andrelton Simmons, has a poor arm. Bobby Abreu has had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in baseball in recent years. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . Major League Baseball is loaded with talent in 2021, and the outfield is where you'll find some of the game's biggest stars. Sun's out, guns out. He has taken to the outfield and his plus-plus arm shuts down running games. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Juan Soto hit .348/.525/.639 after the All-Star break. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). This is Just Baseball's staff consensus ranking of the top 15 corner outfielders in baseball. Andre Dawson had a cannon for an arm. T. Alex Verdugo, Kik Hernandez, and Hunter Renfroe were Boston's primary outfielders last season. Reels. 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. Even though Meusel played just 11 seasons, he still recorded 157 outfield assists. 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. Carl Furillo's right arm earned him the nickname, "The Reading Rifle". Honorable Mentions: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants. The safe bet is that he'll bounce back and do a ton of damage in the summer ahead. Base runners in the National League feared the arm of Roberto Clemente. 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. 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. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. "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. Part I: Hit toolPart II: Power toolPart III: Run toolPart IV: Fielding tool. -- Thomas Harrigan Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense) It simply looks at outfield arm strength. He's not just an MVP-caliber hitter; he has one of the strongest outfield arms in the league. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? Griffey's defensive abilities helped him win the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at age 20. 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. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. Despite playing only eight seasons, Jackson managed to rack up 49 assists. The regimented preparation that had worked for Yelich in the past was simply not available to him, and he may have suffered for it. 14. Braves manager Brian Snitker mentioned during the playoffs that he liked to hear Ozuna predicting to teammates in the dugout the pitch sequencing he was about to see -- and a lot of the time, Snitker said, Ozuna would be exactly right. Aaron Judge, Yankees In 2021, he was the No. Mancini is back after missing 2020 because of Stage 3 colon cancer. 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. The damage he did in the playoffs and World Series, against some of the best pitchers in the world, was absolutely staggering. His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). With free agency looming after the 2022 season, another performance like that would set him up for a huge payday next winter. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .322/.372/.594 with 10 home runs in 36 games since the All-Star break. The fourth tier features OF3 candidates of every type. 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. 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". 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. The lefty bat can play both first base and outfield, and has even filled in a third base. 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. Nearly every player on this list has been an All-Star, and all the rest have a chance to make their first Midsummer Classic this season. He had nine assists in 2022. . Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. 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. The league may have changed the rules on shifting . those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. Fantasy managers can still find some starting-caliber outfielders in this tier. He has also done a solid job handling the staff with a 3.87 ERA behind the plate. 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. No other infielder came close to matching his average arm strength on Statcast-measured throws. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Monday's games. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. His .366 career average is a major league record. The 26-year-old finished the season as a 6.0 WAR player, earning a spot among the Gold Glove finalists in center field on top of his excellent offensive numbers. Kaline was known for his perfect throwing from and his ability to catch and throw. The double play he executed, reaching down to glove a looper in front of him and throwing toward home, with Marcell Ozuna eventually called out for leaving too soon. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. 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. . Mookie Betts, Dodgers. It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. 4 overall prospect. Bez was responsible for five of the 31 tracked assists of at least 90 mph by infielders last season, the second most in MLB, and his average arm strength on max-effort throws (88.3 mph) was the third best among infielders. In his 10 years, Valentine did manage to win one Gold Glove and he recorded 85 assists. . He hit .310/.383/.458 with 42 extra-base hits and 47 steals in 52 attempts to lead the majors. The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. Even with all of those free passes and teams pitching around him, he still managed 20 doubles, 29 home runs and 95 RBI. 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. 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. The Frisco Classic is one of college baseball's premier early-season tournaments year-in and year-out, and this year's field is strong as usual, headlined by 2021 national champion Mississippi State and 2022 national runner-up Oklahoma. Honorable Mention:Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals. The precision is there (nine errors across nearly 1,140 innings last year), and so is the power and reaction time. Harper wraps up the first tier. 4. 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. Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. 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 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. 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. The top 10 right fielders, based on input from folks around baseball: From Sarah Langs of MLB.com, about Betts: "He ended the year with a 93.3% contact rate on in-zone pitches, which led all hitters with at least 250 swings at in-zone pitches. 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. Previous picks: Anthony Rendon (hit), Mike Trout (power), Byron Buxton (run), Simmons (defense), Ramn Laureano, CF, AsKey stat: 321-foot assist on Aug. 11, 2018. 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. 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. 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. Since the start of 2019, all of Duran's time in the outfield has been played exclusively at center, a position probably best suited for his elite speed and average to below-average arm. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. 20. The two-time Gold Glove winner had five seasons in which he had more than 10 assists. 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.