An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. He has also done a solid job handling the staff with a 3.87 ERA behind the plate. (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.)". He led the National League in outfield assists twice in his career. Mike Trout was born on Aug. 7, 1991, and every so often, it's worth a few moments to consider the start to his career, to remind yourself that you are watching a historic peer of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All With Merv Retterman on third base, Robinson knocked the ball more than 300 feet deep in center field. . 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. 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. Whitaker was ranked the #37 prospect by MLB. Despite his 2020 postseason heroics, Arozarena entered the 2021 season with rookie eligibility, and he wound up leading all rookies with 4.1 WAR. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. Robles struggled in 2020, but he had 17 homers, 28 steals, 65 RBIs and 86 runs in '19 and has no competition for playing time this season. "He's a hitting outlier," Votto responded. fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft in right-handed . Other choices were more complicated, particularly by the question of who might be more suited to be ranked among the designated hitters. 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. Now the #20 prospect in the Yankees' organization, Hardman posted a 109 wRC+ across High-A and Double-A last season with 22 HRs in 111 games, but his over 30% K% is alarming for his projectability long-term. 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. But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. His nickname is Laser Ramn, so you already knew hed have to make this list. Myles Straw, Houston Astros/Cleveland Guardians. Baseball Savant. Bez was responsible for five of the 31 tracked assists of at least 90 mph by infielders last season, the second most in MLB, and his average arm strength on max-effort throws (88.3 mph) was the third best among infielders. What is particularly impressive about Mantiply, though, is that literally every single . Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs, Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets; Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners; Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees; Victor Robles, Washington Nationals; Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. A 2021 20th-round pick . He's clearly taken pride in his plate discipline from an early age and been rewarded with performance and -- I would also guess -- supportive coaching. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. Outfielder Jump Leaderboard Current: Outfielder Jump 2022 Minimum Attempts (Q) Update Download CSV Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. Regardless of who the Rays plug into the pen, they continue to find success. But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. Before he retired in the middle the 2010 season, Junior was the active leader in outfield assists with 154. On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . 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). But that represents the bulk of the 26-year-olds big league experience. The 28-year-old hit .305/.394/.556 for a 140 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 24 home runs and 71 RBI in 485 plate appearances, earning his first All-Star selection. The San Francisco Giants have had 16 different players tally at least 100 plate appearances this season, and that group does not count prized deadline pickup Kris Bryant. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Frelick also climbed three levels in his first full season, and the 2021 first . 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. 6 spot. 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. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. 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). While the debate has raged on for years regarding if Jackson actually participated in fixing the World Series, there is little debate that he is one of the greatest players of all-time. Tom Glavine 1987-2002, 2008 (63.6 WAR) Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. Martinez started cold and never recovered last season, and Meadows was never right after dealing with COVID-19 in July. "There are so many factors that go into it, and I don't want to speak for Soto, but there are certainly some habits you have to develop and reinforce when you are young. NHL trade deadline: Winners and losers, including the Bruins, Devils and Bruce Boudreau? Even though Meusel played just 11 seasons, he still recorded 157 outfield assists. Mancini is back after missing 2020 because of Stage 3 colon cancer. 25 attempts). But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. In order to qualify for the leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team games / 5. 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. Furillo once threw pitcher Mel Queen out by two feet on a ball that was hit to right field and that everyone believed to be a single. The Mariners sent pitchers Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, Anthony Swarzak and outfielder Jay Bruce to Seattle for infielder Robinson Cano and pitcher Edwin Diaz. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28, 2023 Pick. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. but if he regresses to 2017 or 2021 levels no one should complain. Giants Sign Carlos Correa to 13-Year, $350 Million Deal Dansby Swanson's Market Is Heating Up As a rail-thin rookie, Bonds managed to accumulate 10 assists. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. Those are absurd numbers to maintain for a full week, let alone half of a season. In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. Backup catcher Curt Casali (180 PA, 97 OPS+, 5 HR, 23 RBI) has also been solid at the plate, and the pitching staff has a fantastic 2.63 ERA with him in the crouch. Pitchers are on the other end of Soto's will, as well. 7. As in: This is the type of hitter I want to be; get out of my way.". Minimum 800 innings 6. What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. In Trout's only three games in the postseason, as the Angels were swept by the Royals in a 2014 division series, he went 1-for-12 with a solo home run and three walks. You might not realize just how strong his arm is, though, because the focus tends to be on his hitting first, then his running, then his defense. MLB By Chris Novak on March 3, 2023. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. The towering right fielder posted a 149 OPS+ with 39 home runs and a career-low 25.0 percent strikeout rate. Honorable Mention: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants. Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has 19 homers in 63 postseason games, and only three players have more: Manny Ramirez (29), Bernie Williams (22) and Derek Jeter (20). Nothing less should be expected from a man who was nicknamed "Muscles". 14. He also has a career-high 16 steals in 18 attempts and provides Gold Glove-caliber defense. But given his offensive production and impact at the top of the lineup, that's more than enough to make him an extremely valuable all-around player. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. In addition to a standard strength-training regimen for upper body and arm strength, outfielders can perform daily throwing drills, such as one-knee throwing and long tosses, to build their. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). Even in his time in the minors, his swing-and-miss rate jumped up a few percentage points. Craig Counsell, Brewers. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. 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. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. He hit .328/.376/.624 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 homers, 92 RBI, 108 runs and 36 steals across three . Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). He threw a ball 445 feet and 10 inches in 1957 while he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A team. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. With the Astros first pick the 2021 draft, they took a prospect who fell right in their laps. 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. those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. Still two years away from arbitration, he will be a cornerstone player for the cost-conscious Rays. He was ranked the 40th-best free agent this offseason, per Giants Baseball Insider's rankings. The 29-year-old opted out of the final two years of his contract shortly after the World Series concluded. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. He hit .281 with an .800 OPS after the All-Star break, and he capped off the season by winning his first Gold Glove. He went three rounds without hitting a home run, and had one extra-base hit in the seven-game National League Championship Series against the Braves. The aisle of youth had two of the best young arms in Cuba but Raisel Iglesias and Yoan Lopez now represent two of the best Cuban arms in the Majors. 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. 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. Scouts noted that he has a plus arm in the. There has been industry speculation that he was still dealing with the aftereffect of the fractured right kneecap he suffered at the end of the 2019 season. Despite only having played 15 seasons, Abreu is second on the active list for outfield assists with 132. Adj ER Saved - Our metric for catcher value in staff handling (similar to Catcher ERA but with important adjustments) His swing rate on all pitches dipped to 35% (in '20), which ranked 141st among 142 qualified hitters. Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. 6 player in the Razzball Player Rater, despite playing just 130 games; give him Vladimir Guerrero's 161 games and he would've topped him for the No. His career will always be under a microscope, but it's hard to call his 2021 performance anything but superstar-caliber. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues. The quick reaction and retreat and leap before taking extra bases away from Brandon Lowe in Game 4 of the World Series. There's no doubting that the Chicago Cubs farm system is vastly improved from where it was in 2021. Then theres Stanton, who might be the biggest boom-or-bust pick in fantasy. 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. Jackson is known most for his alleged participation in the Black Sox Scandal and the fact that he was banned from baseball by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis following the 1920 season. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . 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. That's why the model. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. The Tampa Bay Rays began the offseason by declining their$4.5 million club option on catcher Mike Zunino, who logged a 50 OPS+ and minus-0.2 WAR in 118 games with the team in 2019 and 2020. His .366 career average is a major league record. 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.