The Best Current MLB Outfielders - Ranker 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Tout Wars 12-team mixed draft results In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. "He's a hitting outlier," Votto responded. Welcome to Bleacher Report's final positional rankings of the 2021 MLB season! With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. has him drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Ted Williams. those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. MLB Player Rankings for the Top 25 Outfielders of 2021 Season More MLB videos How Does Carlos Correa Fit on the Giants? The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). The greatest player of this era turns 30 in 2021. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. 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. Judges 12.5 AB/HR rate ranks fourth among players with 50-plus homers since the beginning of 2017. Walker was known for his abilities at the plate, but he also had a gun for an arm. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. No position in fantasy baseball is deeper than the outfield. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's The identity of the No. The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. Bobby Abreu has had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in baseball in recent years. He's played at that level, and sometime this season, he'll surpass 1,000 runs for his career, and move beyond 1,500 hits. Why the Twins' outfield defense could be baseball's best Previous picks: Jeff McNeil (hit), Gary Snchez (power), Tim Locastro (run), Victor Robles (defense), Javier Bez, SS, CubsKey stat: Five assists over 90 mph in 2019. Florida Baseball Recruiting: Gators commits clash, talk UF decision Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. 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. I texted Votto that I thought Williams would've loved to watch the Nationals' Juan Soto, who might be the closest replica to Williams, with his remarkable plate discipline and power. 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. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. Mantle earned one Gold Glove in his career and threw out 117 base runners from the outfield. Best outfield in each MLB division in 2020 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. 10. 1 spot. 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. . Top 20 Outfield Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball - RotoBaller The 24-year-old hit .251 with 10 homers, 10 steals and 42 runs in 59 games for the Padres last year. 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. 4 overall prospect. 2022 Staff Consensus Top-80 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. 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. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. He has a 103 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and an NL-leading 32 doubles. Dynamic Outfield Trio May Provide Nucleus For Seattle Mariners - Forbes SF Giants OF Michael Conforto expects to be 100% by Opening Day 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. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . At age 19, Kaline recorded 16 of his career 170 outfield assists. The league may have changed the rules on shifting . 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. He homered 12 times in a 10-game stretch at the end of June, but he missed most of July with a hamstring strain. even despite missing a good chunk of 2021 . Stars and depth help the Dodgers dominate both NL competition and Best Tools voting. 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. Runners were afraid to take the extra base when these outfielders had the ball in their hands. He's clearly taken pride in his plate discipline from an early age and been rewarded with performance and -- I would also guess -- supportive coaching. His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. The 27-year-old also has a perfect 99 reaction time rating, 86 arm strength, and 81 arm accuracy. Whitaker was ranked the #37 prospect by MLB. All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball, Alonso says Aston 'living a dream,' eyes podium. As we wait, Buster Olney continues his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season, based on input from industry evaluators. Realmuto paced all full-time catchers (min. However, he was also a 4.2 WAR player at the time of the trade. 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. From Jimenez's first season to his second, his wRC+ jumped from 116 to 141. Mookie is one of the best defensive right-fielders of all time. 6 spot. 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). 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. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. Chicago Cubs Top Prospects | Just Baseball 1 guy is pretty obvious, through the compilation of thought from folks around the industry. 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. Carl Furillo's right arm earned him the nickname, "The Reading Rifle". What will the Red Sox outfield look like without Jackie Bradley Jr 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. He led the National League in outfield assists twice in his career. Larry Walker is considered one of the best Rockies ever in the team's short existence. Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. Jesse Barfield had an incredibly strong and an incredibly accurate throwing arm. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. Sox On 35th's 2023 Pre-Season Top 30 White Sox Prospects: #1-15 What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. With club control through the 2025 season, he is a long-term building block for the O's. In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. Not just mine, but any site's rankings of outfielders will not be . 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. 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. The 10 greatest outfield arms in Texas Rangers' history - Nolan Writin' Need more power? Soto has created a mountain of crazy numbers already, but here's one of my favorites: When he led off an inning in 2020 -- when pitchers might've been most likely to challenge him -- Soto went 13-for-25, with four doubles, four homers, eight walks, one hit by pitch and one strikeout. Some of Mookie Betts' former teammates watched him go through the postseason last year and believed he really was out of sorts at the plate. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . 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? Despite his defensive limitations, he should be able to find a more lucrative deal this winter. 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. Will draft 15-20 pick. The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). 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. Mondesi has a tattoo of a cannon shooting out a baseball on his right arm. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. Wilmer Flores (358 PA, 102 OPS+, 15 HR, 44 RBI), LaMonte Wade Jr. (249 PA, 123 OPS+, 16 HR, 41 RBI) and Darin Ruf (230 PA, 151 OPS+, 14 HR, 33 RBI)have all been extremely productive in utility roles. You can't go wrong taking him in the top five, either. 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. There is no shortage of articles ranking MLB players by position, league, age, production or something else entirely. In five-and-two-thirds career innings, Colavito only gave up one hit. Bryson Worrell - Baseball - East Carolina University Athletics Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players 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. A former Gold Glove winner in left field, he is a roughly average defender in center field. As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. 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. Mays' throwing arm deserves more recognition as he was he had the second strongest arm of any outfielder in the 1960s. He is widely seen as defensively challenged and although he is just 30, his future is clearly going to be at DH. 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 26-year-old had 32 doubles, 20 home runs, 20 steals and 94 runs scored, and he was a Gold Glove finalist in left field. 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. Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? - Stadium . 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 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. Clemente is tied with Willie Mays for the the most Gold Gloves for an outfielder with 12. 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? Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox Scott Pianowski continues his tiered positional rankings by examining the outfield landscape for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. MLB players with the best arms This will likely be the most questioned name on this list. However, he was worth a staggering 4.5 WAR when he was on the field. 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. 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. But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. As in: This is the type of hitter I want to be; get out of my way.". 7. Carlos Correa (Twins): 95.0 mph 5. Teel is an excellent athlete with a strong arm, and has a good swing with excellent hand acceleration, but he had some bad BABIP luck last year and hit just .276/.402/.439, a drop from his strong . Milwaukee Brewers Top 30 prospects list 2023 preseason - mlb.com 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. 14. How Does Carlos Correa's Deal Impact Dansby Swanson's Market? Colavito is another player on this list who has a legendary arm. On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. Colavito's arm was so strong that both the Indians and Yankees let him pitch at one point. Anyone paying attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 knew Bryan Reynolds was capable of the type of season he put together in 2021. 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. Kyle Schwarber, Washington Nationals/Boston Red Sox. Runners will not even try to advance extra bases when the ball is in Ichiro's hands. Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Count on these outfielders to shine Keith Law's MLB Draft 2023 Rankings: Early list is loaded with college However, Mays is more well-known for "The Catch" than for his arm. For your basic .520/.647/1.160 slash line. 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. Spring training battles: The outfield - Royals Review 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. 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. The tattoo was earned, as Mondesi had one of the strongest arms in baseball in the 1990s. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. In an empty Fenway Park on Aug. 7, Verdugo had a big day -- two home runs, both over the Green Monster, for the left-handed-hitting Verdugo, and then he took a home run away from Travis Shaw in the ninth inning. Santander is locked into an everyday role with the Orioles, and he has produced 31 homers with 91 RBIs and an .807 OPS in 130 games over the past two years. After a slow start, reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman is once posting elite numbers. Cobb is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in the history of the game. Oneil Cruz (Pirates): 97.9 mph 2. I want my superplayer to own a cannon and have shown time and time again that he can be accurate with it. Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). The eight-time Gold Glove winner was finally inducted into Cooperstown in 2010. 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. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. 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. Buster Olney's top 10s for 2021: Ranking MLB's best outfielders - ESPN.com His shoulder first began giving him problems in . 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. In per-game DRS among all MLB. September 10, 2021 | 00:05:48. The 29-year-old proved that performance was sustainable over a full season this year, logging a 133 OPS+ while hitting .296/.346/.524 with 29 doubles, 32 home runs and 116 RBI. Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. The MLB Tonight panel breaks down the components of a good outfield arm. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. It is a shame that his career was cut short as the result of a hip injury. Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". best outfield arms in mlb 2021 This is the best team in baseball. The damage he did in the playoffs and World Series, against some of the best pitchers in the world, was absolutely staggering. But that seemed to be more about a rookie being overly aggressive than anything else. 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).