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

He is, by any measure, the best outfielder and player of his generation. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. His production bottomed out during the abridged 2020 campaign, but he bounced back in a big way this year. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. Baseball Savant. 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's already ranked pitchers and infielders, and he will follow these with the top 10 teams on Friday. 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. Honorable Mention:Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. Just like the regular-season rankings, players are ranked solely on the 2021 season. The corner outfield spots are going to be packed with talent in 2023. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All Jordan Wicks- from Kansas State at 6'2 and 220lbs he is 2-0 in 2021 and went 3-0 last year. 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. Realmuto paced all full-time catchers (min. News. Springer has been one of the most productive outfielders in the game over the past five years, and he has joined up with a Blue Jays team that averaged 5.03 runs per game in 2020. he Boston Red Sox outfield exceeded expectations in 2021. Furillo also has the distinction of having needed just one more hit in his career to have a .300 average, while he instead finished at .299. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Toronto Blue Jays. Below you'll find the consensus rankings that eight of our MLB writers were involved in. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. But with several intriguing free-agent outfielders available this winter, Chaim Bloom and Co. could look to add some depth at the position. 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. 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. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. Amazingly, his arm was not the best part of his game defensively. February 13, 2023. 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. Cobb is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in the history of the game. You could argue that so long as his arm is healthy, there's none more valuable. Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. His defensive abilities were rewarded as he received 10 Gold Gloves over the course of his career. But his range of skills at this stage of his baseball life is so extraordinary -- the defense, the baserunning -- that Bellinger is still a great player even when he's not swinging great. We are simply looking for which team has the most productive unit this season. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. In five-and-two-thirds career innings, Colavito only gave up one hit. Standings. In addition to his impressive offensive numbers, Cobb also thrilled fans with his arm. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. Walker was known for his abilities at the plate, but he also had a gun for an arm. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining . 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. 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. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. 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. Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. 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. However, he was worth a staggering 4.5 WAR when he was on the field. 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. 10. 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. Top Outfield Defense in the Minor Leagues: Kevin Kiermaier ( Tampa Bay Rays) Though Kiermaier wasn't the unanimous winner in this category, his defense earned universal praise across the scouting community. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. 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. 1 guy is pretty obvious, through the compilation of thought from folks around the industry. After playing in just over 63 percent of the New York Yankees' games during the three-year stretch prior to this season, Aaron Judge finally stayed healthy and turned in an MVP-caliber campaign. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. No position in fantasy baseball is deeper than the outfield. Mookie is one of the best defensive right-fielders of all time. With Merv Retterman on third base, Robinson knocked the ball more than 300 feet deep in center field. Minimum 800 innings 6. Carlos Correa (Twins): 95.0 mph 5. The wild card in this tier is Kelenic, MLB Pipelines No. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. 4 overall prospect. The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. Cobb's 392 outfield assists are second all-time. 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. Mantle earned one Gold Glove in his career and threw out 117 base runners from the outfield. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Despite his 2020 postseason heroics, Arozarena entered the 2021 season with rookie eligibility, and he wound up leading all rookies with 4.1 WAR. The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. 7. That success has come despite myriad injuries and significant roster turnover. Pete Crow-Armstrong named among top OF prospects in MLB 38M ago / by James Neveau Cubs hicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been turning heads with his skills both at the plate and on defense, and a new ranking lands him among the best outfield prospects in the game. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. 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 third tier is filled with enticing players, but its also rife with uncertainty. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. Reels. This year, he barely edges out Pittsburgh's Neil Walker, who checks in at minus-12-2, for the . 17. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams 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. 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. Here are the Cubs' 2023 Top 30 prospects. 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. He failed to maintain a red-hot start in his first season with the team, but he put together the best year of his career in 2021, hitting .309/.362/.576 for a 136 OPS+ with 38 doubles, 34 home runs and 100 RBI for a career-high 3.2 WAR. Need more power? Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield". The sport needs to have him back on the postseason stage in the next few years. How could a man who nicknamed his right arm "El Canon" not make this list? As a rookie, he hit .314/.377/.503 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 68 RBI to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting and rack up 4.2 WAR. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. 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. Past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order. In the short 2020 season, he had more walks (49) than strikeouts (43). 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) Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . He compiled 157 outfield assists in his 20 major league seasons. It's not all about arm strength, of course. Those are qualities the. The eight-time Gold Glove winner is one of the best defensive center fielders in major league history. MLB By Chris Novak on March 3, 2023. His career will always be under a microscope, but it's hard to call his 2021 performance anything but superstar-caliber. Accuracy is considered, but arm strength is the big piece of this. Mar 22, 2021. 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. 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. This situation happens when an outfielder can make a great throw to try to nail the runner that is heading home. Infielder Tyler Hardman also finds himself in the top 30, but unlike Fitts, he wasn't even ranked ahead of the 2022 season. 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. Jackson had 183 outfield assists during his 13 year career. 25 attempts). Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. My guess, after talking with folks who know him: Yelich was among the players affected by how dramatically the COVID-19 protocol changed processes. It's possible Ozuna will sign with an NL team and play left field most of the time. 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. 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. Scott Pianowski continues his tiered positional rankings by examining the outfield landscape for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson. Kaline was known for his perfect throwing from and his ability to catch and throw. Mookie. 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 . Guerrero has the second best arm of any player in baseball today. 8. those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. The greatest player of this era turns 30 in 2021. Oneil Cruz (Pirates): 97.9 mph 2. Most everyone reading this article is probably asking themselves who Glenn Gorbous is. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). He might just be entering his throwing prime, making this the perfect time to claim his golden arm for my superplayer. Few players have joined an organization under more challenging circumstances than Verdugo faced when he went to the Red Sox. Castellanos and Blackmon, meanwhile, faded dramatically after blazing starts. 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. 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. Trent Grisham, San Diego Padres After fielding the fly ball, Clemente unleashed a rocket that cause Retterman to retreat back to third base. Previous picks: Mookie Betts (hit), Joey Gallo (power), Christian Yelich (run), Harrison Bader (defense), Cody Bellinger, CF, DodgersKey stat: 101.1 mph max arm strength. Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays. During Wednesday night's game against the Athletics, Yankees outfield Aaron Hicks broke a Statcast record for the fastest ball thrown in recorded history with a 105.5 mph, 246 . Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? Below, we're focusing on fantasy baseball outfield sleepers. 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. Steven Hajjar- Michigan prospect sophomore that fanned 24 of 87 batters faced and 3-0 record in four game. For your basic .520/.647/1.160 slash line. 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. Will draft 15-20 pick. PART - Positioning, Balls hit in air, Range, and Throwing for Infielders; Range & Positioning on balls hit in air for Outfielders. 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 . (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.)". All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Along with a .199 average and 213 strikeouts, he led the AL with 111 walks and had a solid .351 on-base percentage. . 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.