"feet per second in a player's fastest one-second MLB Advanced Media, LP. From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. One of the great centerfielders of all-time, Duke Snider would land higher on this list if not for suffering an injury to his arm that robbed him of much of the power behind his throws. That holds true when you realize hes still played some left side in the shift, and his hardest throw from there was this 75.1 mph throw in April. and bam, you're dead.". Baltimore Orioles. If anyone needs a change of scenery in order to maximize his talent, Bryan Reynolds is that guy. Ugly defensive metrics (-15 DRS, -17.7 UZR/150) and the fact that he was essentially a platoon player (57 PA vs. LHP) kept Pederson from ranking any higher, but he was a terrific bargain on a one-year, $6 million deal. The definitive power rankings on the strength of the outfield, where we (no, I don't play anymore but old habits die hard) talk to ourselves and it's totally accepted as the norm. Arm: RH. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Other concerns include the fact that Judge will be 31 years old for the majority of the season and played in a career-high 157 games last year. The 25-year-old posted a 128 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 steals in 29 attempts. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. For as powerful as Winfield's arm was, it wasn't the most accurate, as Yankees manager Billy Martin opined after the seagull incident: "They say he hit the gull on purpose, They wouldn't say that if they'd seen the throws he'd been making all year. Taylor Ward's breakout in his fifth MLB season was interrupted by a nagging hamstring injury that cut into his ability to be a consistent fantasy asset. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Kaline finished his career with 170 career assists. As MLB.com Toms Tango has detailed, when looking at players who have played multiple positions, outfielders consistently throw about 3 mph higher than themselves at shortstop and third, 7 mph higher than at second, and 10 mph than they are at first base. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. That doesn't happen without Furillo's play. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that . Oscar Gonzalez does not take walks. He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. "[Those throws are] something that I do all natural," Acua said at the time. Kaline was a master of putting himself in perfect position when a ball was hit in his direction where he would make the catch and fire the ball back into the infield in one, fluid motion. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. He could pop double-digit homers, but all fantasy managers need to care about is that he keeps running well (23-for-26 SB in 2022) and with impunity. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. attempt. In 2022, the 28-year-old ranked in the 98th percentile in outfielder jump and 97th percentile in arm strength, filling out the mold for a complete defensive outfielder. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Hendersons throw was clocked at 85.2 mph, and took 0.87 of a second to reach first base. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? 7) Al. Current: Ted Kluszewski, who was the Reds' hitting coach when Geronimo arrived and helped Geronimo enjoy a moderate level of success at the plate, explained how impressive his throwing arm was: "(Geronimo) is like a center in basketballhe intimidates you. it's a tough call between Clemente and Whiten.". Current: leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. Steven Kwan was hard for fantasy managers to believe in last season, but he ended up being the 16th-ranked outfielder in 5x5 leagues when it was all said and done. Beyond the gaudy numbers, he was the one consistent in a Yankees lineup that dealt with injuries and under performance, and he did it all while also playing a career-high 632.2 innings in center field. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Here are the players who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: Ronald Acua Jr., ATLMark Canha, NYMDylan Carlson, STLOscar Gonzalez, CLENick Gordon, MINTrent Grisham, SDLourdes Gurriel Jr., TORAustin Hays, BALTeoscar Hernndez, TORJake McCarthy, ARIChas McCormick, HOUChristopher Morel, CHCLars Nootbaar, STLJurickson Profar, SDLuis Robert, CWSAnthony Santander, BALMyles Straw, CLESeiya Suzuki, CHCMichael A. Taylor, KCTyrone Taylor, MILLane Thomas, WASTrayce Thompson, SD/LADAlex Verdugo, BOSMike Yastrzemski, SFChristian Yelich, MIL. Those who did generally failed in their attempt to take an extra base, and Puckett finished his career gunning down 142 men on base. Ad - content continues below. His homers fell from 31 to 27 as a result, but he increased his runs and RBI by 11 each, and he stole 25 bases to boot. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will It was not his best all-around season by any stretch of the imagination, due in large part to the significant time he spent watching from the sidelines, but it was still good enough for a top-five ranking on this list. Here are Justin Leger's top 20 outfielders for the upcoming season. ), But the counterbalance to that is looking at a handful of infielders who have played on both sides of the bag just this season. In 2019, for example, Austin Meadows was the No. At the end of his breakout season, Justin Dirden felt fatigued. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. Where do you draft the superstar who will only play half the season at most? 8 prospect in the game. There is a lot to love about O'Neill in fantasy formats, but there is a lot to question as well. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. Default = Experts with most recent updates. Theres a lot of lobs and non-competitive throws. Yankees fans like Frank Costanza had reason to be irate that the Bronx Bombers traded Jay Buhner to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Phelps back in 1988. In eight years of Statcast tracking, only two first baseman throws have come in above 91 mph, and each of them -- both from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., one shown below -- were on relays. Players in the National League knew that Clemente could throw anyone out from anywhere in the ballpark, yet 266 of them feebly tried to advance on his powerful right arm, also known as "El Howitzer.". The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. Julio Rodriguez led the 2022 youth movement throughout MLB, skipping Triple-A to win Rookie of the Year with 29 of 30 first-place votes and electrifying the crowd at the HR Derby in July. The Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners this offseason, which should be a similar situation to the one he just left regarding young talent. No player had a stronger arm in the 1990's than Vladimir Guerrero. This year, thats all the way up to 90.7 mph, which is about 75th percentile among outfielders. If you want to get to the fun stuff -- the leaderboards, and fun questions about them -- feel free to skip to the part about Oneil Cruz. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the His Statcast suggests a propensity to strike out but every other metric is promising for Ward to be a solid roster add, especially in leagues with five outfielders. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. So the answer here might really be more than one answer, in that infielders who spend times on both sides of second base seem to throw harder from the left side, and Story might best be served as a second baseman going forward. In order to qualify for the How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash. Proving ineffective, the Blue Jays featured one of the worst defensive outfields in the majors last season, ranking 18th in Outs Above Average (-3) and 21st in Defensive Runs Saved (-6),. Van Slyke unleashed a throw to Pirates catcher Mike LaValliere that arrived in time to nail Oquendo, who was blocked from the plate by LaValliere's left leg long enough for the catcher to apply the tag. OF-95 mph. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. No longer an everyday playernor having as strong and accurate an arm as he had in his primeAbreu forces baserunners to show him respect and think twice before running on him. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Tris Speaker recorded no less than 12 assists from the outfield in 20 of the 22 years that he played, including three seasons with 30 or more and 12 seasons with at least 20, giving him a record that will likely never be broken449 career assists for an outfielder. Judge is the guy if fantasy managers want to shore up their slugging early. Click a bubble to see all the player's throws. A three-time All-Star, Andy Van Slyke was one of the more underrated players in baseball during his career. Guerrero currently ranks fifth on the active list for outfield assists. Arm Strength. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Steven Kwan put together a 5.5-WAR debut season with an old school game built on contact ability, speed and defense. By Geoff Pontes. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Yet when Meusel had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running the bases was a candidate to get picked off by one of his powerful throws. 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. Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players The bad news for Nick Castellanos was a 46-point drop in his batting average in 2022. Given that there is no rulebook definition of "a throw where the player is trying hard," and many non-competitive lobs are captured, we have elected to take the average of the top portion of a player's throws. Only in baseball can the son of a potato farmer who born and raised on Long Island become Boston's favorite son. Ken Griffey Jr. is one player you look at and bemoan "Had he only been able to stay healthy". Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. We dont have Statcast from the early days of his career, of course, but we do have articles from way back in 2014 titled Trout working hard to improve arm strength. In 2019, the L.A. Times detailed the work hed put into improving that relative weakness. He had the hardest-hit ball of the evening, but he also showed off his arm, uncorking a pair of throws -- each tracked at over 95 mph. He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. Along with his stellar offensive numbers, Tucker also won his first career Gold Glove while posting stellar defensive metrics (13 DRS, 4.6 UZR/150) in right field. In 1978, Cromartie and Valentine led the league in outfield assists with 24 apiece. Fantasy managers can draft him with confidence. 1 prospect in baseball with the Red Sox in 2017, Benintendi never quite lived up to expectations in Boston, but he has set himself up for a nice free agency payday after a strong 2022 season. 5 TanteUschi He has power to all fields, bats in the middle of a World Champion lineup, and will protect your ratios in traditional 5x5 leagues and those with advanced categories. This Eaton is a speedy infielder who seems more useful in the outfield, where he can leverage his range and strong arm into GIF-worthy plays. window.". primarily for the Cleveland Indians. Up to you. He once again tallied more walks (135) than strikeouts (96). How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. Who can?". In fact, if we look at the 16 fielders who had enough throws to qualify at both second base and shortstop this year, plus Story, and look at their comparisons on both sides of the bag every single one had a harder average throw from the left side than the right side, by an average of 5.3 mph. It was maddening to watch him throw a ball, only because his motion was so fluid that it appeared that he wasn't even tryingyet the ball exploded out of his hand and routinely reached it's destination on the fly. What a strong throwing arm does, mostly, is make things happen faster. Let them. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. Palm Beach, Fla - It's early, but with each passing day Jordan Walker 's case to break camp with the Cardinals major league team gets stronger. He is not projected to be quite as much of a disaster in 2023 - his HR total should creep back above 20 instead of 13 - but a 20/70/70/5 guy with a .260 batting average and low OBP isn't someone you have to reach for in a draft. He played one year of baseball for the school, but it was during a football game that his left arm was injured to the point that doctors gave serious consideration to amputating it. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. Kyle Schwarber strikes out at such a large clip (29.9 K%) that it is easy to miss his dominance in other fantasy categories. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? The tools are all there: Robert has good speed, reduced his strikeout rate in 2022, and his expected slash numbers will be helpful to fantasy squads. Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw. If he returns to 2021 form, he can be a five-category contributor, but he comes with plenty of risk in 2023. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. lob after catching the third out of an inning). For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will The 25-year-old outfielder hit everything in sight at Double-A Corpus Christi, slashing .324/.411/.616 with 20 home runs in 93 games . He missed 52 games due to injury, and his BABIP was a career-low (by a lot) .227. He led the league with 17 assists in 1982, and has 166 for his career. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. His OBP was the second-lowest of his career at .323, but his xwOBA was .375, so hopefully, some improvement is in the cards for 2023. velocity and launch angle. produces a result. It's a risky proposition, but the payoff could be incredible. Going back to 2015, he has two of the three hardest throws ever tracked by an infielder. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will The Arkansas commit is an explosive athlete that burned a 6.62 in the 60-yard dash, then showcased a sizzler of an arm, 90 mph across the infield and 95 . -- came in above 72 mph. The 28-year-old has recorded no less than 11 assists in each of his seven seasons, and not only is his throwing arm powerful, but it's deadly accurate, as we can see in the video. An All-Star for just the second time in his career, he slotted perfectly in the No. While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. But all-in-all, the players on this list had an incredible combination of all those skills, making them more likely to throw straight for the base that the play was at rather then hitting the cutoff man. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. Clemente has more outfield assists than anyone who played after 1930 (I believe this was the year where they made the rule that you were allowed to run instead of speed-walk on the basepaths). Rankings Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023. It's understandable that fantasy managers who drafted him thinking they secured a 30/30 guy were disappointed at the end of the season. He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. Playing for the Cleveland Indians minor league team in the Pacific Coast League in 1956, Colavito threw a ball from home plate 436 feet, watching it land well beyond the centerfield wall. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit 22). Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. That out of the way, lets ask some of the fun questions. His 195 career assists leave him tied with another member of our list who you may have heard of, Willie Mays. More often than not, your eyes will not be deceived by what is displayed on a throw. (He has 14 harder throws from the right side, though obviously in far more opportunities. Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the orderthis is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2022. His strikeout rate crept above 30% for the first time since his rookie year. The 26-year-old and his new found power led the Astros system with 31 HR in 130 games, all coming in Triple-A. Had he only been able to stay healthy, we could be talking about the greatest player in the history of the gamebefore he got injured, there was no better player in the game. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. The Diamondbacks traded Varsho to the Blue Jays in the offseason; Rogers Centre should support another 25-HR, 15-SB season and he could see a bump in runs and RBI with the better lineup around him. In traditional 5x5 leagues, he can anchor any fantasy outfield you put him in. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have The past two seasons, Phillips has amassed 21 outs above average while patrolling center and right field (seventh-most among outfielders last season with 11). It is difficult to predict what effect the new running rules will have on his SB total, but fantasy managers can safely count on 10-15 in this area. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. Just make sure you have enough IL slots. pitch. on March 4, 2023. "He was a leader offensively and defensively for us. There is a lot of value to be had here. If strikeouts count against you in your league, then you might want to stay clear of Adolis Garcia. A lot of things went wrong for Giancarlo Stanton in 2022. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? 1 spot on this list for years to come. His fastball was thrown so hard that he broke a catcher's arm with it, and when nobody else would catch him, they moved him to the outfield. The fact that Dave Roberts might deploy him enough at 2B to give him that eligibility is just icing. (And even that one, a force out at home plate, came back in 2015.). His EV and HardHit% certainly showed no signs of slowing down, and he remains an on-base machine batting at the top of a fearsome lineup. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images, Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Paul Goldschmidt, for example, is an MVP candidate this year, and a borderline Hall of Famer. Pittsburgh Pirates coach Rich Donnelly explains: ""He eggs you on. So is that because the elbow isnt allowing harder throws -- not that its mattered much, as hes been excellent defensively -- or because his new position doesnt demand it? He once again tallied more walks (135) than strikeouts (96) while hitting .242/.401/.452 with 25 doubles, 27 home runs, 62 RBI and 93 runs scored. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in become a hit. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Exit Velocity & Barrels. This will probably be the 26-year-old's last season with catcher eligibility, but in non-keeper leagues, he is a good asset. At the end of the day, he is still Mike Trout, for better or worse. window.". produces a result. The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. The four-category stud is worth a first-round pick. Therein lies the problem, of course. A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. Corey Julks. The Cardinals seem to regularly find an unheralded rookie who emerges as a key contributor, and in 2022 it was Donovan who started the year as the team's No. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. M.J. Melendez debuted and appeared in 129 games in 2022, showing off his patience and power to the tune of 18 HR and a 12.4% BB rate. Would anyone be surprised to see him reclaim the No. He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. He is an OF5 being drafted in the OF4 range because of the cliff the position drops off of in drafts. Heres all of 2022s Braves. BY Justin Leger -. pitch. become a hit. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. With the addition of Xander Bogaerts, the return of Fernando Tatis, Jr., and the presence of Manny Machado, this is a real-life team you want multiple pieces of in fantasy. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in The 21-year-old earned an All-Star selection, won Silver Slugger honors, finished seventh in AL MVP voting, and easily took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Let's freeze the play to show you exactly what we mean: If you check out the pop time leaderboards, the gap between absolute best and dead last is just 0.28 seconds. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Strength is only one aspect of what makes a great throwing arm. He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. Greene played well in center field, finishing in the 71st percentile in Outs Above Average, 67th percentile in arm strength and 75th percentile in outfielder jump, according to Statcast. Christian Yelich played in 154 games in 2022, his highest total since his last year in Miami in 2017. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Given that there is no rulebook definition of "a throw where the player is trying hard," and many non-competitive lobs are captured, we have elected to take the average of the top portion of a player's throws. Daulton Varsho - 4.6 fWAR. An All-Star for the second time, he posted a 144 OPS+ and led the Giants with 23 home runs, and that earned him a qualifying offer which he accepted. games / 5. On Sept. 27, 1988, in front of less than 9,000 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, the Pirates had a 3-2 lead over the Cardinals heading into the ninth inning. The 2015 first-round pick hit .281/.360/.473 for a 135 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 23 home runs, 65 RBI and 3.7 WAR in 135 games, and he now looks like a core piece of the lineup alongside Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Obviously. He just hasn't thrown enough to qualify yet from those spots, and when he does, he'll look like he has a considerably better arm than Goldschmidt which he does. On August 4, 1983, while warming up in the outfield with one of the Toronto Blue Jays' ball boys in the middle of the fifth inning, Winfield's throw hit a passing seagull, killing the bird and found Winfield arrested for cruelty to animals. From his Rookie of the Year season in 1977 through 1983, Dawson averaged nearly 10 assists a season, racking up 69 over those seven years, including a career high 17 in 1978. It's possible they leave him in the 2-slot, especially until Bryce Harper returns, in which case he will continue to score runs and increase his RBI total. An All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the first time, Happ hit .271/.342/.440 for a 119 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 72 runs scored and 4.4 WAR in 158 games. All rights reserved. Kwan is in the 100th percentile of K% after striking out only 60 times in 638 plate appearances. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. The volume just hasn't been there to truly be a fantasy stud. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. Which is a great lead-in to our next question . On Saturday . Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. These should correct to be nearer to his baseline, in which case fantasy managers are drafting a 30/20 guy with high on-base skills who bats smack in the middle of what is, essentially, an All-Star team. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. Tyler O'Neill experienced a litany of injuries in 2022 that inhibited the power he demonstrated in 2021. When you walk around calling yourself "El Caon" (translation: the cannon) and you tell Maryann Hudson of the LA Times, "I don't know why they keep running on methey know I'm going to throw them out"only a month into your rookie seasonyou'd better be able to back that up in the field. With a seasoned Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in front of him, Santander will fill your power categories in the tenth round or so. Outfielder Jump. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. 1 / 20. Baseball may never see another player as smooth at the "catch-and-throw" than Al Kaline. But thats hardly true for position players, where you might sometimes be throwing at your maximum effort (heres Julio Rodrguez with a 99.6 mph cannon to nail a runner at third base) and sometimes you are absolutely not (heres Rodrguez with a 21.6 mph [!] He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. The talent is enormous but now, at age 33, the injury concerns continue to grow as well. The No. It's time to put a bow on the 2022 MLB season with Bleacher Report's final positional rankings. After accumulating 35 assists in his first two seasons, baserunners simply chose not to try and advance when Puckett had the ball in his hand. Mar 22, 2021. In 2022, thats down again, to 76 mph. However, the 25-year-old smashed 30 HR with 107 RBI, 71 runs, and 25 stolen bases in 2022 en route to another World Series win for the Astros. one base to another, like Home To First. Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries.