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? Luis Mieses OF (Prev. 1 spot on this list for years to come. and 32 degrees. Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. Frelick also climbed three levels in his first full season, and the 2021 first . The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. The speedy Reynolds headed full steam towards third as Jackson played the ball on the warning track. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. 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. 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%. At the age of 21, he didn't take many walks and struggled with strikeouts, but these numbers should improve based on his profile in the minors. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from MLB Advanced Media, LP. Tyler O'Neill experienced a litany of injuries in 2022 that inhibited the power he demonstrated in 2021. Oscar Gonzalez does not take walks. 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. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Would anyone be surprised to see him reclaim the No. 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. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. In 2021, before he was injured, that went up to 88.2 mph. 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. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. Ken Griffey Jr. is one player you look at and bemoan "Had he only been able to stay healthy". Making a case for him to go 1.1 in 2023 drafts isn't difficult. Therein lies the problem, of course. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? On the other hand, those 40 HR and .347 ISO probably won some leagues last year for patient managers who could ride out the injuries. . produces a result. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. and bam, you're dead.". 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. 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. Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as 25 attempts). Key West (2-0): The Conchs ended 2022 with a 22-7 record and were able to play with many of the . The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in The No. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Yordan lvarez actually played more games at designated hitter (77) than he did in the outfield (56), but since there are not enough everyday DHs for us to do a top 25 list for that position, he's being included here alongside the rest of the league's best outfielders. Five years later, Acua is a three-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year Award winner, and a World Series winner. He hit 11 homers, stole 18 bases, and slashed .283/.312/.403 in 153 games. 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. Owner of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards, Griffey made impossible plays not only possible, but look nowhere near as difficult as they actually were. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). 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. With 305 total bases he was one of just 12 players to break the 300 mark during the 2022 season, joining Aaron Judge (391) as the only outfielders on that exclusive list. Christian Yelich played in 154 games in 2022, his highest total since his last year in Miami in 2017. A two-time gold glove winner, Mondesi's career high for assists didn't come until 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays, when he threw out 18 baserunners from right field. 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 Buhner merely went on to hit more than 300 home runs and become one of the most beloved Mariners of all-time. There is a lot of value to be had here. Yet every year on draft day, there he sits in the ninth or tenth round, and every year we all imagine what an absolute steal that would be if he were to play 140+ games. 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. In early September, he tried to throw out Jose Altuve, who was tagging up on a sacrifice fly. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. 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. At the time his throw slapped into first baseman Ryan Mountcastle's glove, Longoria's throw was still 15 feet away from his own first baseman, Wilmer Flores. Ramon Laureano, Oakland Athletics. Run: 7.10 runner in the 60. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. Infielders have less time to throw shorter distances. 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. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. He was very muscular for an outfielder Plus he also had one of the best outfield arms of anybody. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, opponents learned very quickly that the explosive throws he had a reputation for making in Japan were very much a reality, and they generally wouldn't even think about running when Ichiro had the ball in his hand. If strikeouts count against you in your league, then you might want to stay clear of Adolis Garcia. He once again tallied more walks (135) than strikeouts (96). 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. Only in baseball can the son of a potato farmer who born and raised on Long Island become Boston's favorite son. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. He doesn't make a lot of loud contact at the plate . 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. 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. 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. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man.". One of his most remarkable assists came in the top of the third inning of a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers on August 27, 1951. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Kaline finished his career with 170 career assists. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. Outfielder Jump. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. That doesn't happen without Furillo's play. As for Vlad, well he only had 13,000 innings. Week 1 - Days 2and 3. With a seasoned Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in front of him, Santander will fill your power categories in the tenth round or so. He played in 142 games in 2022, batting first in the lineup in all of them. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. He's also had nearly 2,000 tracked throws since Statcast came online in 2015, and exactly one of them -- one! Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. He logged a 104 OPS+ with 52 extra-base hits, 34 steals and 3.8 WAR in 156 games, and he still has three seasons of club control remaining for an Orioles team on the rise. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. His throwing arm, whether in use from a dead stop, a running start or from his knees, was a powerful weapon that kept baserunners honest. 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 high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. 13-ranked prospect. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. In 1978, Cromartie and Valentine led the league in outfield assists with 24 apiece. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. 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. The "Free Kyle Tucker" movement didn't garner the momentum fantasy managers were hoping for as he continued to bat in the sixth spot way too often. 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. 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 open event saw prospects from across the state of Mississippi perform in front of several college coaches, and the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff. He still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. For Rodrguez, thats 43 throws. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to 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. Here we go. Mike Trout unleashed a throw from center field Monday night at Dodger Stadium that looked more . Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. Up to you. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. Paul Goldschmidt, for example, is an MVP candidate this year, and a borderline Hall of Famer. 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. Ruth carried his strong pitching arm into the outfield, where he threw out 204 runners over the course of his career. Andre Dawson epitomized the tern "five tool player" for more than a decade before 12 knee surgeries and age began to take their toll. (For this, well just look at throws on fielded balls, not outfield relays or double play pivots.). Hard to see a difference with the naked eye, right? Who would have guessed an under-the-radar rookie who didn't crack Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list and ranked as the No. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Remembered more for hitting four home runs in one game than anything else, Mark Whiten's throwing arm was a weapon that he often tried to hide. The other draws include his 27 homers and 16 stolen bases, something only J.T. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. 7) Al. ", In discussing the effects of PED's on players with Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press, Barfield noted the biggest problem that taking PED's has on an outfielder: "They can't get the arm up over the top because of how the muscles are built up. Outs Above Average Leaderboard Current: Outs Above Average Outs Above Average (OAA) is the cumulative effect of all individual plays a fielder has been credited or debited with, making it a range-based metric of fielding skill that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in . That out of the way, lets ask some of the fun questions. Hes also, so far as Statcast is concerned, the owner of the strongest throwing arm in baseball this season -- or at least thats what being atop the newly released arm strength leaderboards for position players, available publicly for the first time, would imply. In 2022, thats down again, to 76 mph. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. 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. All rights reserved. pitch. 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. The Cubs surprisingly held onto him at the trade deadline despite significant interest, and he now enters a contract year looking to build off his breakout performance. 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. Perhaps most important of all, he played in a career-high 151 games, proving he can stay healthy for a full season after injuries had significantly limited him in 2019 (69 games) and 2021 (92 games). Glen Gorbous might actually have the greatest throwing arm in the history of the world, but because his incredible feats were primarily accomplished outside of game action, he finds himself closer to the bottom of the list. At the end of his breakout season, Justin Dirden felt fatigued. Interval Throwing Program for Outfield / PositionPlayers. Its an important one, too. 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. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle 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. 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. . How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. His 10.6 WAR led all of baseball, as did his ridiculous 211 OPS+ meaning he was more than twice as productive as the average hitter. 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. His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. The deal to acquire him from the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2020 season in exchange for prospect Matthew Liberatore looks like a major win. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have Rankings Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023.