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). The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. We're going to try something a little different. His strong defensive play definitely helped make up for the fact that he had a low OPS. Carlos Correa (Twins): 95.0 mph 5. 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. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft in right-handed . A good spring could get the 29-year-old on the 40-man roster. Breaking down top Mariners prospects with MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo 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. Mervis' busy spring preparing him for Majors. Honorable Mention:Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals. My guess, after talking with folks who know him: Yelich was among the players affected by how dramatically the COVID-19 protocol changed processes. In per-game DRS among all MLB. MLB Power Rankings: The 25 Best Outfield Arms in MLB History 14. It is a shame that his career was cut short as the result of a hip injury. Share. He's played at that level, and sometime this season, he'll surpass 1,000 runs for his career, and move beyond 1,500 hits. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. 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. Tier 5: Anthony Santander, Victor Robles, Clint Frazier, Max Kepler, Kyle Schwarber, Jesse Winker, Trey Mancini, Andrew McCutchen, Jarred Kelenic, AJ Pollock, Andrew Benintendi, Mark Canha, Chris Taylor, Nick Solak, Mitch Haniger, Aaron Hicks, Brandon Nimmo, Lorenzo Cain, Joc Pederson, Garrett Hampson. Stars and depth help the Dodgers dominate both NL competition and Best Tools voting. Sox On 35th's 2023 Pre-Season Top 30 White Sox Prospects: #1-15 For your basic .520/.647/1.160 slash line. The third tier is filled with enticing players, but its also rife with uncertainty. Mondesi has a tattoo of a cannon shooting out a baseball on his right arm. Barfield would consistently throw strikes from right field to home plate. Rather than ranking individual players, we set out to name the best multi-player units in baseball. A 2021 20th-round pick . Jordan Wicks- from Kansas State at 6'2 and 220lbs he is 2-0 in 2021 and went 3-0 last year. As the anchor of the Dodgers' package for Betts, Verdugo was the centerpiece in perhaps the most unpopular Boston baseball deal since Babe Ruth was shipped off to the Yankees, and he joined the Red Sox with a well-publicized reputation as a less-than-ideal teammate. Realmuto, C, PhilliesKey stat: 46.7 percent caught stealing rate in 2019. There are currently 13 relief pitchers on the injured list for the Rays, including standout closer Nick Anderson and hard-throwing setup man Pete Fairbanks. The MLB Tonight panel breaks . That Betts is the best right fielder in the game is assumed. 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. 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. The guy who seemed to be in complete control of his plate appearances in his dominant seasons suddenly looked incredibly confused. 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. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. 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. While one of Ramirez's most memorable moments in the field occurred when he walked into the Green Monster mid-game, it should also been noted that Ramirez has also showcased his arm in front of that very same wall. For a boost in the batting-average category, target McNeil, Verdugo or Brantley. It's not like swinging hard and hitting a ball 115 mph. The Giants acquired him at the trade deadline, and he is poised to cash in as a free agent this offseason. 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. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining . For Springer, that box is checked indelibly. Mookie Betts, Dodgers. After a terrific finish to the 2019 season with the Chicago Cubs, Nick Castellanos signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds in free agency. Kyle Schwarber, Washington Nationals/Boston Red Sox. No position in fantasy baseball is deeper than the outfield. 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. He homered 12 times in a 10-game stretch at the end of June, but he missed most of July with a hamstring strain. He played more games in the outfield (93) than he did at his natural position of third base (55), and he posted a 124 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 25 home runs and 73 RBI in a 3.3 WAR season. 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. Kaline was known for his perfect throwing from and his ability to catch and throw. That's primal, natural. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? 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. MLB Free Agents 2021-22: Ranking the top 10 outfielders | RSN 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. Tier 4: Jeff McNeil, Byron Buxton, Wil Myers, Alex Verdugo, Joey Gallo, Jorge Soler, Tommy Pham, Kyle Lewis, Ramn Laureano, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Brantley, Ian Happ, Dylan Moore, Eddie Rosario, Ryan Mountcastle, Dylan Carlson. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Toronto Blue Jays. Having to play the field regularly could hinder his production, but the fact that he led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBIs while hitting .338/.431/.636 last season cant be ignored. 10. Those are qualities the. This prevented the Orioles from scoring that inning and the Pirates would go on to win the World Series. 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. 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. 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. Walker won seven Gold Gloves and ended his career with 154 outfield assists. The top 10 right fielders, based on input from folks around baseball: From Sarah Langs of MLB.com, about Betts: "He ended the year with a 93.3% contact rate on in-zone pitches, which led all hitters with at least 250 swings at in-zone pitches. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. Below, we're focusing on fantasy baseball outfield sleepers. After missing much of the 2019 season and all of last year with a gruesome injury, Haniger finally returned to action, posting a 122 OPS+ with 39 home runs and 100 RBI for the upstart Mariners. He had such a good showing last year that as some rival executives kick around the idea of a possible Toronto match in a Francisco Lindor trade, they think Gurriel could anchor the package of players going from the Jays to Cleveland. Like with many of the other top outfielders on this list, runners knew not to try for extra bases when the ball was anywhere near Barfield's hands. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. Even with all of those free passes and teams pitching around him, he still managed 20 doubles, 29 home runs and 95 RBI. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs/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. 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. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Monday's games. MLB players with the best arms 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. 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. Part I: Hit toolPart II: Power toolPart III: Run toolPart IV: Fielding tool. Quinn said, "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. Kimbrel still has explosive stuff with a fastball that sits comfortably in the high-90s and a wipeout curveball that generated a staggering 59.3 percent whiff rate in 2021. How Does Carlos Correa's Deal Impact Dansby Swanson's Market? 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. What will the Red Sox outfield look like without Jackie Bradley Jr Andre Dawson had a cannon for an arm. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. 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. He could seemingly throw out any runner trying to pick up an extra base. He had just 18 swings and misses at in-zone pitches in the entire regular season. The corner outfield spots are going to be packed with talent in 2023. Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. Dawson racked up 157 outfield assists in his 21 major league seasons. There's no doubting that the Chicago Cubs farm system is vastly improved from where it was in 2021. Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox There's still a chance we'll see him in the Majors before the end of April, however, so he's someone to keep in mind in the latter half of fantasy drafts. 0:00 / 11:29 MLB Best Outfield Throws || MLB 2021 Season (Supercut) Punchouts 18.6K subscribers 96K views 1 year ago Some of the best throws from the 2021 MLB season! Guerrero has the second best arm of any player in baseball today. Anyone paying attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 knew Bryan Reynolds was capable of the type of season he put together in 2021. He struggling terribly against off-speed pitches -- in 2018, Yelich batted .302 against breaking balls; last year, .191. Tabbed as the 58th-best outfield prospect nationally (D1Baseball). Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. The quick reaction and retreat and leap before taking extra bases away from Brandon Lowe in Game 4 of the World Series. 8. In the 60-game season, Bellinger hit .239 and was moved down in the lineup to the No. Didi Gregorius (free agent): 94.7 mph 7. Mar 22, 2021. What follows is a ranking of the Top 10 left fielders in baseball. Starling Marte made a unique bit of history in 2021, becoming the first player in MLB history with at least 20 stolen bases in both leagues in the same season. A big part of any draft kit are the rankings, and we're continuing our staff consensus rankings for 2021 with our fantasy baseball outfield rankings. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's MLB Tonight: Outfield Arm. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Texas Rangers outfield arms: The Outliers Some of these players were considered to have the best throwing arms on the Texas Rangers, but statistically, they failed to crack the top 10.. 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. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues. It simply looks at outfield arm strength. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .322/.372/.594 with 10 home runs in 36 games since the All-Star break. Fantasy baseball 2021 outfield rankings - MLB.com On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. 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. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. 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. Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. 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 might just be entering his throwing prime, making this the perfect time to claim his golden arm for my superplayer. The ultra-versatile Taylor was an All-Star for the first time in 2021, posting a 110 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 73 RBI, 92 runs scored and 13 steals in 148 games. Hernandez was signed as a super-utility . O'Neill won a Gold Glove last season, but he hit only .173 with a 70 OPS+ and 0.9 WAR in 50 games, tallying just 12 extra-base hits in 157 plate appearances. Throughout the history of baseball, there have been some outfielders that have had cannons for arms. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. . Astros Top Five Outfield Prospects For 2022 - The Crawfish Boxes Then theres Stanton, who might be the biggest boom-or-bust pick in fantasy. Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). 22). In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. Buxton, Myers, Pham, Laureano, Moore and Carlson could be double-digit homer and steal guys. A former Gold Glove winner in left field, he is a roughly average defender in center field. Free shipping for many products! Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. PART - Positioning, Balls hit in air, Range, and Throwing for Infielders; Range & Positioning on balls hit in air for Outfielders. 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. J.T. even despite missing a good chunk of 2021 . The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. 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. Thursday, it's outfielders -- the top 10 left fielders, center fielders and right fielders. Rodriguez was a top 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 international prospects list for 2019-20 when the signing period opened up in July of 2019. . The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. He also improved dramatically on defense, recording +2 Outs Above Average after finishing at -13 in just 53 games in the field in 2019, so his glove is no longer a reason to keep him out of the lineup. Despite his defensive limitations, he should be able to find a more lucrative deal this winter. He is, by any measure, the best outfielder and player of his generation. He was hitting .283/.394/.596 with 19 doubles, 24 home runs and 17 steals through 82 games at the time of the injury, good for a 3.6 WAR season. Bobby Abreu has had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in baseball in recent years. The eight-time Gold Glove winner was finally inducted into Cooperstown in 2010. 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. He also has a career-high 16 steals in 18 attempts and provides Gold Glove-caliber defense. Here are this years top fantasy outfielders, broken down into tiers. Managers who dont grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players to choose from after that. ESPN's Paul Hembekides sent this along: "I think his issues in 2020 stem from a lack of confidence -- he just stopped swinging. Runners will not even try to advance extra bases when the ball is in Ichiro's hands. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. In the short 2020 season, he had more walks (49) than strikeouts (43). Colavito's arm was so strong that both the Indians and Yankees let him pitch at one point. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. Ichiro has the strongest and most powerful arm of any outfielder in the major leagues today. "It was as if we were playing for the playoffs," one impressed staffer said. The Best Current MLB Outfielders - Ranker Despite only having played 15 seasons, Abreu is second on the active list for outfield assists with 132. Speaker also holds the unique record for most unassisted double plays by an outfielder with six. those in the top 10 percent of a players sample. From Jimenez's first season to his second, his wRC+ jumped from 116 to 141. The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. Its not as if my defense pick, Andrelton Simmons, has a poor arm. The towering right fielder posted a 149 OPS+ with 39 home runs and a career-low 25.0 percent strikeout rate. The 10 greatest outfield arms in Texas Rangers' history - Nolan Writin' His defensive abilities were rewarded as he received 10 Gold Gloves over the course of his career. His shoulder first began giving him problems in 2021. There just isn't another divisional outfield duo that comes very close. Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eddie Rosario, free agent; Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox; Robbie Grossman, Detroit Tigers; Clint Frazier, New York Yankees. Clemente is tied with Willie Mays for the the most Gold Gloves for an outfielder with 12. There are many questions surrounding Barry Bonds' arms, but none of them are about his ability to throw a baseball. Regardless of who the Rays plug into the pen, they continue to find success. 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. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. With the Astros first pick the 2021 draft, they took a prospect who fell right in their laps. Stadium MLB insider Russell Dorsey breaks down who the top five outfield arms in MLB are. Bellinger could be a great pick for any tool -- hit, power, speed, glove or arm. This is the 14th highest total of all-time. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. The home run he stole from Freddie Freeman in the NLCS, his leap perfectly timed. 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. 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). The corner outfield duo of Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker both rank among the MLB leaders in a number of offensive categories: Joining them isTyler Naquin, who earned a spot on the MLB roster on a minor league contract and is earning $1.5 million on a one-year deal. 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. At 321 feet, it was the longest on-the-fly throw for an outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015). Giants Sign Carlos Correa to 13-Year, $350 Million Deal Dansby Swanson's Market Is Heating Up Fielding Bible You can't go wrong taking him in the top five, either. 8. MLB Best Outfield Throws || MLB 2021 Season (Supercut) Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield". Ranking the best outfield arms in the majors right now He has also done a solid job handling the staff with a 3.87 ERA behind the plate. 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