But what goes unappreciated is the arm strength of baseball's workhorsesthe infielders. 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. Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). 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. outfield. Only in baseball can the son of a potato farmer who born and raised on Long Island become Boston's favorite son. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit If you want to understand how it all works stay right here. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. Suppose he continues to bat atop the Cleveland order and takes advantage of the new baserunning rules. Fantasy managers can count on significant strikeouts and not many walks, but he is at or above the 90th percentile in five power-hitting categories that can be a salve for those burns. The immortal Vin Scully put it best: "Clemente could field the ball in New York, and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.". 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. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. White Sox first baseman Jos Abreu has about the same number of tracked throws as Rodrguez does. 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. Tris Speaker, one of Cobb's contemporaries, had this to say about Cobb in 1917: "As an outfielder Ty Cobb is unusually good. 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. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. 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. 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. Baseball is largely played in terms of feet and seconds, and they all add up quickly. Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. 2022 Stats: 117 G, .261 BA/.374 OBP/.394 SLG, 19 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 8 SB. As Reynolds was rounding third, Jackson unleashed a throw that not only reached Royals catcher Bob Boone on the fly, but in plenty of time to stop Reynolds from scoring the winning run. He finished his career with one Gold Glove award and 117 assists, largely in part to the fact that nobody was crazy enough to try running on him after awhile. 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. . Upon his arrival in Detroit, Colavito's arm was so good that it pushed another member of this list, Al Kaline, to center field for the 1960 season. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 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. Raul Mondesi did just that, compiling 112 assists over his 13-year playing career, including 53 between 1994 and 1997 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the injury-prone label fading after back-to-back healthy seasons, teams can feel a bit more comfortable signing him to a long-term deal this winter, and he hits the open market for the first time as one of the highest profile players in the history of MLB free agency. 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. velocity and launch angle. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. 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. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. 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. 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. Before last season, the fantasy community almost unanimously labeled him a second-year bust, but the 29-year-old responded by improving his slash line across the board. 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. with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. and 32 degrees. play. Hardly the same, is it? 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. He's also had nearly 2,000 tracked throws since Statcast came online in 2015, and exactly one of them -- one! In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. He doesn't make a lot of loud contact at the plate . He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. Andre Dawson epitomized the tern "five tool player" for more than a decade before 12 knee surgeries and age began to take their toll. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. It gets you from Point A to Point B more quickly. 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. From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. 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. You know what you're getting. Owner of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards, Griffey made impossible plays not only possible, but look nowhere near as difficult as they actually were. 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. thrown with. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Pete Rose once attempted to put Valentine's arm in perspective: "They say that I can't throw like Ellis Valentine or run like Tim Raines or hit with power like Mike Schmidt. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Van Slyke would finish his career with five Gold Gloves and 107 assists. After injuries limited him to just 78 games in his first season with the Blue Jays, Springer bounced back with a 131 OPS+ in 133 games while earning his fourth career All-Star selection. He hit .320 with a .387 on-base percentage in 93 games with the Royals before he was traded to the Yankees at the deadline, and while he battled injury down the stretch, his combination of contact ability and defense still made him a 3.2-WAR player in 2022. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. I think his weakness, so far as he has any, is in his throwing arm. 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. 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. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. Meanwhile, Boston's Bobby Dalbec currently shows up with a 74.8 average as a first baseman, but he's got plenty of throws north of 80 mph as a third baseman (and, once, a shortstop). a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. Every one, that is, except Story. With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. . Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position. 7) Al. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. The 28-year-old is capable of making a greater impact in half a season than most players can in a full 162 games, and he racked up 4.0 WAR and 44 extra-base hits in 92 games this year while earning his first All-Star selection. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Zerby, a sophomore outfielder, hit .365 with 8 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff 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. He batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. His 10 hardest throws of the season are as an outfielder, and his 20 hardest throws are at positions other than second base. 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. ", 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. 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. 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. A diving catch or someone reaching over the wall to rob someone of a home run might get the crowd going, but nothing makes you stand up and say "wow" more than a big throw from an outfielder to nail a runner trying to advance a base. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. ), Slice and dice them as you like. MLB Power Rankings: Vladimir Guerrero and the 12 Deadliest Outfield Arms Josh Benjamin January 30, 2011 If there's one weapon every baseball team has, it's an outfielder with a cannon for. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. At the end of his breakout season, Justin Dirden felt fatigued. 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . 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. 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. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second It's useful for me because it allows me to see who the fans consider to be the best throwing outfielders. He missed 52 games due to injury, and his BABIP was a career-low (by a lot) .227. Hendersons throw was clocked at 85.2 mph, and took 0.87 of a second to reach first base. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. He was very muscular for an outfielder Plus he also had one of the best outfield arms of anybody. Paul Goldschmidt, for example, is an MVP candidate this year, and a borderline Hall of Famer. Some of them might just have weak arms, which is why they're at first base in the first place. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Tyler O'Neill experienced a litany of injuries in 2022 that inhibited the power he demonstrated in 2021. Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. Carroll's upside is in the 30/30 range, and he should have no trouble sticking as the everyday centerfielder with his plus-defense. Baseball Savant. His throwing arm used to be a relative weakness. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out Longoria, who at nearly 37 years old has the weakest qualified third base arm (75 mph), got his off at 76.6 mph and it took his throw 0.97 of a second to get to first. He is a pure contact hitter who gets on base and isn't afraid to run (19-for-24 in SB attempts). Yes. Seven times in his 23-year-career Yaz won a Gold Glove, and seven times he led outfielders in assists, including a career-high 19 in 1964. In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. Arm strength is measured on "max effort" throws, or the average above a player's 90th percentile performance. 5 TanteUschi 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. While "The Catch" is unquestionably one of the great plays in the history of the game, the part of the play that is often overlooked is the throw that Willie Mays made immediately following it. MLB Advanced Media, LP. 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. 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). Ranking third here is not a knock, just shows the depth at third base. But it is best to exercise some caution and ensure you have outfield depth if you plan to roster him. 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. I Suzuki 2. 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. Judge is the guy if fantasy managers want to shore up their slugging early. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? Hes also No. + Allen Williams, LHP/OF, Cleveland Central, 2019 To further test our theory, we took three players from the '60s and '70s who were known to have great arms and looked at their A-DP numbers. From 2000 through 2004, Edmonds tallied at least 10 assists a season, and he finished with 131 for his career. He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Christian Yelich played in 154 games in 2022, his highest total since his last year in Miami in 2017. 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. Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. In 2019, for example, Austin Meadows was the No. produces a result. 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. velocity and launch angle. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to and bam, you're dead.". (He has 14 harder throws from the right side, though obviously in far more opportunities. produces a result. Michael Harris II played 43 games in Double-A last year before getting called up to the majors and proceeded to hit 19 HR, steal 20 bases, and slash .297/.339/.514 on his way to winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. Outfielders can get a running start, preparing for a long throw. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement The bad news for Nick Castellanos was a 46-point drop in his batting average in 2022. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. 1 among shortstops over the last three years, ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. Cruz has five of the six hardest shortstop throws this year, and eight of the top 13. Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet Warm-down throws 1 set only / Rest the next day. 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. 9. Exit Velocity & Barrels. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. Not only was it probably the better part of 300 feet, it was dead on line and in the air the whole way.". Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle He was big guy, very strong, very muscular. The 26-year-old and his new found power led the Astros system with 31 HR in 130 games, all coming in Triple-A. 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. 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.". It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man.". One of the greatest players that the game has ever seen, Ty Cobb needs no introduction. At his current ADP of 129, he is an absolute steal, even taking into account that he won't play 150 games. (And even that one, a force out at home plate, came back in 2015.). How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . Its not that his arm suddenly got weaker on the right side of the infield, of course. He hit 31 HR in 451 plate appearances with 78 RBI. 14. Byron Buxton staying healthy is the carrot dangling in front of fantasy managers every offseason. He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. 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. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. Critics may say that Judge often gets his assists from in-close because Yankee Stadium's right field is so small. 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. Solid . the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. With the score tied at three and Harold Reynolds on first, Seattle catcher Scott Bradley hit a double to left.