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

Few players have joined an organization under more challenging circumstances than Verdugo faced when he went to the Red Sox. Let's get right into it. Utley's UZR/150 has been at least 8.0 in nine of his 10 seasons as a regular in the big leagues. Even with all of those free passes and teams pitching around him, he still managed 20 doubles, 29 home runs and 95 RBI. His career will always be under a microscope, but it's hard to call his 2021 performance anything but superstar-caliber. 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. The fourth tier features OF3 candidates of every type. 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. 2023 MLB Top 30 Prospects; Rankings; Players; Draft; Store; . The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. 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) Dawson racked up 157 outfield assists in his 21 major league seasons. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. 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. Jackie Bradley Jr., free agent Anyone paying attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 knew Bryan Reynolds was capable of the type of season he put together in 2021. February 26, 2023. The goal is to decide which team has the best catchers, infielders, outfielders, bench, starting pitchers and relief pitchers. 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. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. It's not like swinging hard and hitting a ball 115 mph. 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. Thursday, it's outfielders -- the top 10 left fielders, center fielders and right fielders. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. 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. His strong defensive play definitely helped make up for the fact that he had a low OPS. He was also a terrific defender in right field (11 DRS), and he proved capable of handling center field in a pinch. 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. He hit .310/.383/.458 with 42 extra-base hits and 47 steals in 52 attempts to lead the majors. Griffey's defensive abilities helped him win the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at age 20. 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. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining . 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. During nine full MLB seasons, Mike Trout has won three MVP awards, made nine All-Star teams and posted 75 WAR, per FanGraphs (Betts is the next-closest during that span with 40.2). 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. 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. He's hit .300 or better in five of the last seven seasons, and in the two he didn't, he batted .299 (in 2017) and was injury-ravaged in the other (2016). Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. ESPN's Buster Olney leads the discussion of the latest news and notes around baseball with the game's top analysts. Not just mine, but any site's rankings of outfielders will not be . Yelich was the 2018 NL MVP and runner-up in the MVP voting last year. Past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order. Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. 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. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). Barfield would consistently throw strikes from right field to home plate. Despite his defensive limitations, he should be able to find a more lucrative deal this winter. But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. This year, he barely edges out Pittsburgh's Neil Walker, who checks in at minus-12-2, for the . 8. even despite missing a good chunk of 2021 . In the short 2020 season, he had more walks (49) than strikeouts (43). 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 lefty bat can play both first base and outfield, and has even filled in a third base. He is widely seen as defensively challenged and although he is just 30, his future is clearly going to be at DH. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. 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. Buxton debuted for the Twins in 2015, and since then has become one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. 8. 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. I want my superplayer to own a cannon and have shown time and time again that he can be accurate with it. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Toronto Blue Jays. Fantasy managers can still find some starting-caliber outfielders in this tier. Didi Gregorius (free agent): 94.7 mph 7. $0.99 The sport needs to have him back on the postseason stage in the next few years. His contract and track record mean more is expected of him, but he was still a top-15 outfielder. 14. The writers involved are Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Dunbar, Ryan Kirksey, Nic Civale, Logan Kritzeck, and Matt Heckman. He threw a ball 445 feet and 10 inches in 1957 while he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A team. Mantle's pure strength can be seen was demonstrated by the fact that he hit some of the longest home runs in baseball history. 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). 7. 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. These guys. After bouncing around the infield over his first five seasons, Bez settled in as the Cubs starting shortstop last year and was one of the best defensive players in all of baseball. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. 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. The regimented preparation that had worked for Yelich in the past was simply not available to him, and he may have suffered for it. The safe bet is that he'll bounce back and do a ton of damage in the summer ahead. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Williams loved to talk hitting, and through the last years of his life, he developed friendships with the likes of Tony Gwynn. 15 throws) with an average arm strength of 88.4 mph on max-effort throws -- a.k.a. The question that resonated at the end of October is about the best position player on the planet -- Betts, or Mike Trout? His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. The biggest surprise has been Austin Riley, who looked like the weak link after posting an 84 OPS+ in 503 plate appearances over his first two seasons. 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. Let's marvel at the all-around game that is Mookie Betts. Unfortunately for Valentine, he was only able to play 10 seasons in the majors. Regardless of who the Rays plug into the pen, they continue to find success. 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. He looks ready for a huge breakout season, after another year of offensive maturation. Trout is about halfway through his career, maybe even further along than that. This is a pretty straight forward category. In his first 303 games in the big leagues, he has a .380 OBP and an .859 OPS. Mookie Betts, Dodgers. Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". When he's locked in and at his best, they reported, he's consistently pulling the ball, driving it, and this is not what Betts was doing. How could a man who nicknamed his right arm "El Canon" not make this list? Despite playing only eight seasons, Jackson managed to rack up 49 assists. The Mariners sent pitchers Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, Anthony Swarzak and outfielder Jay Bruce to Seattle for infielder Robinson Cano and pitcher Edwin Diaz. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. 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. 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 struggled in 2020, with his slugging percentage (.312) matching his on-base percentage. 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). It's worth remembering that during the 2018-19 seasons, Pham had an on-base percentage of .368 and scored 179 runs in 282 games. With the Astros first pick the 2021 draft, they took a prospect who fell right in their laps. MLB By Chris Novak on March 3, 2023. He has a 103 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and an NL-leading 32 doubles. Accuracy matters, too. . 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. Mar 22, 2021. 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. Tatis, of course, was a sensation in just about every way as a rookie in 2019, and his throwing ability was no exception. He immediately impressed both his manager and scouts with his impressive throwing arm. But for now, it's not wholly clear whether the universal DH will be adopted for the 2021 season, despite the fact that both MLB and the Players Association want it. Buster Olney's top 10s for 2021: Ranking MLB's . The quick reaction and retreat and leap before taking extra bases away from Brandon Lowe in Game 4 of the World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. For reference, Bradley Zimmer has one of the best throwing arms on the big league roster and has always had a strong arm, considered to be plus (60) and maybe even double-plus (70). However, he was worth a staggering 4.5 WAR when he was on the field. RP - Joe Mantiply, ARI (2.5 BB%) Devin Wiles. Along with the 89 games he played in the outfield, he also spent time at second base (46), shortstop (23) and third base (11). The 28-year-old hit .291 with 35 homers, 97 RBIs, 106 runs and an .899 OPS the last time we saw him. Once regarded as injury-prone, the 28-year-old has missed only 10 games over the past three years combined, averaging 36 homers, 107 RBIs, 105 runs and 16 steals per 162 games in that span. Before he retired in the middle the 2010 season, Junior was the active leader in outfield assists with 154. 20. Guerrero has the second best arm of any player in baseball today. 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. According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. 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. 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). Pitchers are on the other end of Soto's will, as well. Buck Showalter, Mets. 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. Castellanos and Blackmon, meanwhile, faded dramatically after blazing starts. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. . Follow @RickWeinerBR Just Missed the Cut 1 of 42 Barry Bonds Shin-Soo Choo Mike Hershberger Andruw Jones. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. Myles Straw, Houston Astros/Cleveland Guardians. Harper wraps up the first tier. 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. Aaron Judge, Yankees The former Red Sox great and six-time Gold Glove winner is known for his arm. At age 19, Kaline recorded 16 of his career 170 outfield assists. With three more home runs from Albies, the 2021 Braves will become only the second team in MLB history to have all four primary infielders tally 25 home runs, per ESPN Stats & Information's Jared Berson, joining the 2008 Florida Marlins. 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. Other choices were more complicated, particularly by the question of who might be more suited to be ranked among the designated hitters. A former Gold Glove winner in left field, he is a roughly average defender in center field. What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. 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 middling defense (-6 DRS, -4.8 UZR/150) and the time he missed kept him from ranking any higher. The MLB Tonight panel breaks down the components of a good outfield arm. 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. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Shortstops with the highest max arm strength, 2022 1. Bellinger could be a great pick for any tool -- hit, power, speed, glove or arm. 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. A 2021 20th-round pick . . He hit .328/.376/.624 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 homers, 92 RBI, 108 runs and 36 steals across three . The third tier is filled with enticing players, but its also rife with uncertainty. With free agency looming after the 2022 season, another performance like that would set him up for a huge payday next winter. Baseball Savant. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants. NHL trade deadline: Winners and losers, including the Bruins, Devils and Bruce Boudreau? Acuna was squarely among the NL MVP front-runners when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on July 10. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. he Boston Red Sox outfield exceeded expectations in 2021. -- Thomas Harrigan Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense) The 27-year-old already has career-highs in OPS+ (109), hits (126), doubles (29), home runs (25) and RBI (75). Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, PadresKey stat: 91.8 mph average max-effort arm strength in 2019. 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. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. 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. The 29-year-old opted out of the final two years of his contract shortly after the World Series concluded. 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, Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues. 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. Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers/New York Yankees. 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. 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. Part I: Hit toolPart II: Power toolPart III: Run toolPart IV: Fielding tool. 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. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. 9. 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. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. 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