Then during a throwing competition where competitors were given a six-step running start, Gorbous launched a ball 445 feet and 10 inches from the right field corner to left field, setting a world record that stands to this day. He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. Other bad news includes a Statcast page that is almost entirely blue, meaning he was ineffective in almost every meaningful statistical category during his first season in Philadelphia. For as powerful as his arm was, it was also prone to be erratic, and Parker committed his fair share of throwing errors, which is why he doesn't rank higher on our list. Mike Trout unleashed a throw from center field Monday night at Dodger Stadium that looked more . Baltimore Orioles. Top Major League Outfield Arm: Bryce Harper ( Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield How to Identify It: Arm strength is a simple tool to evaluate in comparison to others. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield. Default = Experts with most recent updates. outfield. Pop Time to 2B: 1.6 sec to 2.5 sec Pop Time to 3B: 1.2 sec to 2.5 sec Exchange: .4 sec to 1.3 sec Click a bubble to see all the player's throws. Signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. For example, lets take two somewhat similar plays. It gets you from Point A to Point B more quickly. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. Rankings Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023. Some, though, might just not have had the opportunity elsewhere to show it. 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. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. window.". The 29-year-old hit .274/.367/.433 with 30 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI and 102 runs scored as the table-setter atop the Mets' lineup, and he once again played a roughly league-average center field. A shotgun concealed as his right arm, Parker fired baseballs at a ridiculous velocity, resulting in his leading the league with 26 assists in 1977 and finishing his career with 143 assists. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. Melendez is not a good defensive catcher, but he should play enough to retain eligibility there. Signed to a four-year, $78 million deal as part of the Mets' spending spree last offseason, Marte hit .292/.347/.468 with 45 extra-base hits, 18 steals and 3.8 WAR in 118 games. 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. The biggest downside is that he most likely does not have OF eligibility in your league, so make sure your UTIL slot is free for him. 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. 1 spot in 2023? . Expect him to be one of the faces of baseball for the next decade-plus and a strong contender for the No. In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. Being a former pitcher who routinely hit the upper 90's will certainly leave you with a powerful throwing arm, but some of the throws that Rick Ankiel has made from the outfield have been ridiculous. Owner of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards, Griffey made impossible plays not only possible, but look nowhere near as difficult as they actually were. This will probably be the 26-year-old's last season with catcher eligibility, but in non-keeper leagues, he is a good asset. Its that the demands of different positions are, well, different. Here we go. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team More often than not, your eyes will not be deceived by what is displayed on a throw. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. On Sept. 14, Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson had to make a 100-ft throw from third to first. Carroll's upside is in the 30/30 range, and he should have no trouble sticking as the everyday centerfielder with his plus-defense. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. However, his 30+ HR, 100+ runs, and solid advanced metrics will contribute across the board, and he is worthy of a late first-round pick. It only continues to get better, as about half of these prospects below have a good shot to earn consistent playing time this upcoming season. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. 14. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. Outfielders can get a running start, preparing for a long throw. The umpire called the runner safe, but it was a bad callClemente's throw beat him to the bag, and it wasn't close. As an outfielder, Sheffield racked up 108 assists for his career, including a career high 17 in 2001 when he patrolled left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that 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. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. In 2021, before he was injured, that went up to 88.2 mph. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash. A lot of his fantasy worth is tied up in whether or not he continues to bat at the top of the lineup. ), Slice and dice them as you like. One answer to that is in the context of his new position; 76 mph is one of the weakest marks of any regular second baseman. He was one of only two qualified hitters with a strikeout rate below 10 percent, and he also won Gold Glove honors thanks to his brilliant defensive metrics (21 DRS, 8.4 UZR/150) in left field. Between natural talent and growing up with his uncleformer New York Mets ace Dwight Goodenteaching him how to pitch, Gary Sheffield was destined to have a cannon for an arm. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. 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. 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 [!] Buhner merely went on to hit more than 300 home runs and become one of the most beloved Mariners of all-time. The strength of the club lies in its outfield with seniors Ethan Beal and Benjamin Jurenko back. His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. The immortal Vin Scully put it best: "Clemente could field the ball in New York, and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.". Hard to believe he was that agile. When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. His first two throws fell just short. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Mike Trout is finally a 5-tool player. Outfielder Jump. He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. Baseball Savant. His ratios were down across the board, but he improved his K% and BB% and suffered from some bad luck with BABIP. While Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is best remembered for Carlton Fisk's dramatic, game-winning and series-extending home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, Evans was responsible for turning a double play in the top of the 11th inning that made Fisk's heroics possible. Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst, who both played and managed against Roberto Clemente, gave Whiten's throwing arm the ultimate compliment: "As far as arm strength goes . Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All Some forget that before he was saving baseball with his bat, Babe Ruth was a heck of a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Suppose he continues to bat atop the Cleveland order and takes advantage of the new baserunning rules. as Active Spin. thrown with. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be Schwarber batted leadoff for the vast majority of the season, but the acquisition of Trea Turner will most likely move him down in the order. After Ichiro, Francoeur has the best throwing arm in baseball today. Early 2023 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings: Top 30 offers an abundance of power-speed bats, but also risk You may think a top 30 only scratches the surface, but outfield thins quickly But in 1957, while playing for the Omaha Redbirds of the American Association, Gorbous made two ridiculous throws. Compare that, for example, to the 211 such throws from shortstops, or the nearly 2,500 from right fielders (which almost certainly underestimates the truth in the early years). A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit This year, thats all the way up to 90.7 mph, which is about 75th percentile among outfielders. Run: 7.10 runner in the 60. 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. The Phillies will score in bunches, and Schwarber may have multi-position eligibility, depending on your league, which is not a bad fantasy asset to have at all as long as you can absorb the batting average. Van Slyke would finish his career with five Gold Gloves and 107 assists. What is not of concern are the 81 games he gets to play at Yankee Stadium this year and each one after until 2031, thanks to his 9-year, $360 million free-agent contract. Hardly the same, is it? Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. He is currently going in the 180s and has enough RBI upside to take a flier on him at that ADP. Steamer projections have him at 43/109/104 for the upcoming season, and his ratios should see a small decline as well. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second The Orioles seem dedicated to giving their prospects every opportunity to succeed, which boosts Mullins's value in the runs category. attempt. Steamer projections have him hitting another 40 and maybe crossing the century mark on runs and RBI if anyone aside from Shohei Ohtani shows up to play in L.A. A good example of this is Cubs rookie Christopher Morel, who has a 96.5 mph competitive average as an outfielder -- maxing out at 102.3 mph -- and a 90.4 mph competitive average as a second baseman, maxing out at 90.9 mph. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. games / 5. newly released arm strength leaderboards for position players, when Hawk-Eye was installed in all 30 stadiums, look at their comparisons on both sides of the bag. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. . In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series (the throw can be seen in the video around the 1:20 mark), Clemente unleashed a throw from deep in the right field corner towards third base, trying to nail the runner. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Mullins didn't quite match the out-of-nowhere 30/30 season he put together in 2021, but he was still one of the game's better everyday center fielders. Still, his elite on-base skills continue to increase his value in fantasy leagues, especially considering that he bats leadoff in one of the most explosive lineups in baseball. Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. Showcasing the Arm Younger players rarely have the opportunity to play in stadiums where statcast tracks their every move. Which is a great lead-in to our next question 4) Do second basemen have weaker arms than shortstops because they dont need to throw as far? 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. 1 spot on this list for years to come. His average arm strength on max-effort throws was 97.9 mph, making him the top right fielder -- the position with the strongest arms, with a league average of 90.5 mph. At. His arm strength is middling, but he makes good throws nonetheless. Corbin Carroll mashed his way through the minor league system and arrived in Arizona for his debut in 2022. He is an OF5 being drafted in the OF4 range because of the cliff the position drops off of in drafts. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. He doesn't make a lot of loud contact at the plate . It's been said that the Indians have been cursed ever since they traded Colavito to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, getting Harvey Kuenn in return. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. In traditional 5x5 leagues, he can anchor any fantasy outfield you put him in. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Sure but mostly on relays home from the outfield, or sometimes on double play attempts. Colavito recorded double digit assists in eight of the 14 seasons in which he playedfive of which he played in 79 games or less due to injury. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. 2022 Stats: 117 G, .261 BA/.374 OBP/.394 SLG, 19 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 8 SB. Defense: Moves through the ball well, gets to the ball quick. One of the most well-rounded players in the sport, Kyle Tucker continued his rise as a bona fide superstar for the Houston Astros in 2022. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. Only a starter in four of the 11 seasons he played, Whiten ended his career with 77 assists, an impressive number when you figure that he was often a pinch-hitter or late-inning replacement. A below average fielder who threw out 107 runners over the course of his career, Jose Guillen made what some consider to be the best throw in the history of baseball - click here to check it out. Over a 17-year career that was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies, Walker picked up 154 assists, including eight seasons with 10 or more. There is a lot to love about O'Neill in fantasy formats, but there is a lot to question as well. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. 9. Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. Its the chicken-and-the-egg question of our times. 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. A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Based on three separate categories (Release, Strength and Accuracy) here are the owners of the top outfield in 2005 according to the fans: Top-Ranked Outfield Arms, Fans' Scouting Report 1. In 2020, Story averaged 82.3 mph as a Rockies shortstop -- a good-not-great number, slightly below average for shortstops. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was outfield. The 30-year-old posted a 126 OPS+ with 29 home runs and 72 RBI, and he had 11 outfield assists in a career-high 2.7-WAR season. Let them. Therein lies the problem, of course. 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. Not all was lost, though, as the 27-year-old showed off more of his speed, stealing 14 bases, which was only one less than his 2021 total. A shortstop and pitcher in high school, Sheffield played both positions on the left side of the infield until 1994his seventh in the majorswhen he moved to the outfield. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from An 18-time All-Star and the last man to win the American League Triple Crown, a feat he achieved in 1967, Carl Yastrzemski played excellent defense in left field and had a strong, accurate throwing arm. Few rookies in recent memory have had a greater impact on the culture of their team than Julio Rodrguez, who played a pivotal role in helping the Seattle Mariners reach the postseason for the first time since Ichiro Suzuki's rookie season in 2001. Harris, 2022's No. His 126 career assists include six consecutive seasons of 10 or more, from 1999 through 2004. and 32 degrees. The 30-year-old slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 HR, 77 RBI, and 71 runs scored. His 195 career assists leave him tied with another member of our list who you may have heard of, Willie Mays. He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. pitch. Frelick also climbed three levels in his first full season, and the 2021 first . It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle 2 spot in the lineup between NL batting title winner Jeff McNeil and the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. 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. Bob Quinn, former president of the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox, had this to say when asked about Bob Meusel: "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. 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. Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. Fantasy managers can deal with those considering he is above the 90th percentile in Avg EV, Max EV, HardHit%, barrel%, outs above avg, and sprint speed. Signed to a four-year, $79 million deal during the offseason, Schwarber slugged an NL-leading 46 home runs in his first season with the Phillies. A full season alongside Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the San Diego Padres lineup would provide him with the best protection he's had at any point in his career, and with free agency fast approaching after the 2024 season he's playing for a huge payday. Pirates starting pitcher Mel Queen hit a fly ball into the gap between right and center. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. So, here are the leaders in ARM over the past three years: Alfonso Soriano - +25.6 runs Jeff Francoeur - +23.4 runs Ichiro Suzuki - +12.5 runs Nick Markakis - +10.8 runs Michael Cuddyer - +10.4. play. Proportional frame w/ well developed strength and athleticism. The 25-year-old set a new career high in 2022 in games played and still didn't crack 100, finishing at 98 with a variety of ailments and injuries derailing any sort of rhythm he could get. George Springer continues to appear on the What Could Be All-Star Team after playing 133 games in 2022 while dealing with elbow and knee injuries that left him with many "DTD" tags. MLB Advanced Media, LP. 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. 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. In 2019, for example, Austin Meadows was the No. He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. A lot of 2023 draft boards will have Aaron Judge at the top of them, and there is no doubt he belongs there after his record-setting 2022. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. When healthy, he was productive atop the Toronto lineup, smacking 25 HR, scoring 89 runs, driving in 76, and even stole 14 bases for good measure. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. His xwOBA and xSLG are both near the 90th percentile, and he hit particularly well at Camden Yards in spite of the extended left field fence. Daulton Varsho - 4.6 fWAR. An All-Star for just the second time in his career, he slotted perfectly in the No. He famously broke the A.L. With 5.3 WAR, he joined Jason Heyward (6.4, 2010) and Dusty Baker (5.1, 1972) as the only rookie outfielders in Atlanta Braves history with a 5-WAR season, and he edged out teammate Spencer Strider for NL Rookie of the Year honors. Which is a great lead-in to our next question . 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. Since there are three times as many outfielders as there are other positions on the diamond, it made sense to add an honorable mention list of 25 guys onto our top 25 list. Whether he was lost in the Aaron Judge hoopla or continues to squander an incredible career on a terrible team (hint: it's the latter), Trout went about his business as he always has. Kwan is in the 100th percentile of K% after striking out only 60 times in 638 plate appearances. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff His 10 hardest throws of the season are as an outfielder, and his 20 hardest throws are at positions other than second base. . And first basemen, who hardly ever need to throw hard -- only 10 tracked throws all season above 85 mph -- get the average of their top 1%. Baseball is largely played in terms of feet and seconds, and they all add up quickly. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. A three-time All-Star, Andy Van Slyke was one of the more underrated players in baseball during his career. The respect that his arm commands explains why he has only 97 career assists, a relatively low number for a man with such a powerful weapon at his disposal. Harris should be a 20/20 guy for the foreseeable future, and he is surrounded in the lineup by guys who will boost his counting stats. Those who did generally failed in their attempt to take an extra base, and Puckett finished his career gunning down 142 men on base. Arm: RH. MLB Advanced Media, LP. thrown with. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. Headlined by three MVPs, our list of the best corner outfielders is a who's who of top-tier talent in Major League Baseball. Heading into the season, Juan Soto is the leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, which feels ridiculous to say about a guy who still ended with a WAR of 5.2. A lifelong Dodger, Carl Furillo was a master at playing the tricky right field corner of Ebbets Field, becoming adept at fielding balls off of the 40-foot-high wall that loomed over him. The 27-year-old struck out 156 times in 586 at-bats while drawing only 46 free passes; if you believe it, these were improved numbers from 2021. Tris Speaker, one of Cobb's contemporaries, had this to say about Cobb in 1917: "As an outfielder Ty Cobb is unusually good. White Sox first baseman Jos Abreu has about the same number of tracked throws as Rodrguez does. as Active Spin. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. The reason he may fall out of the 1.1 slot on draft day is simply fantasy managers anticipating the regression that is likely to come. Corey Julks. Outfielders with strong throwing arms not only result in outs, but they make the opposition think twice about even trying to run when they have the ball in their hands. And he was smart as well as stronghe never threw to the wrong base and kept the double play in order, which, to a pitcher, is BIG.". 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. 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 . A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit 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),. 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. 15. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. Indeed, the 25-year-old came back in late April, immediately began stealing bases, and rewarded fantasy managers who used a high draft pick on him. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". 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. 2. Opponents quickly learned that they couldn't run on Geronimo and they stopped trying, which explains his 81 career assists, one of the lower totals of those on our list. He hit 16 homers, his most since 2019, but he only stole 18 bases, a severe drop off from the 47 he snagged the year before. Acquired from the Houston Astros as part of the trade that bought Joe Morgan to the Cincinnati Reds, Cesar Geronimo patrolled center field for the Big Red Machine with aplomb, taking home four Gold Glove awards.