best outfield arms in mlb 2021

To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. If you don't have coaching that can support that, then the player needs to be very stubborn with his thinking, which, in my opinion, requires a strong independence. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. The eight-time Gold Glove winner even managed to throw out 11 base runners from left field at age 39. 12 Reds Prospects To Watch Beyond The Top 30 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. Top 60 All-Time Greatest Jays: #6 Jesse Barfield Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. So how do you rank a player who didn't have his first 2020 plate appearance until Aug. 30, but may have been the first- or second-best player in October, depending where you want to stack Corey Seager? Here are five options going much later in drafts than they should based on their . 2. Stadium MLB insider Russell Dorsey breaks down who the top five outfield arms in MLB are. Runners were afraid to take the extra base when these outfielders had the ball in their hands. It's possible that Merrifield will move back to the infield if Nicky Lopez struggles in his effort to establish himself as the Royals' second baseman. Youth. Bryson Worrell - Baseball - East Carolina University Athletics 9. Whether it's unleashing the ball from deep in the outfield, across the infield or behind the plate, it can make the seemingly impossible happen. Davis looking to get back on track this spring. The eight-time Gold Glove winner is one of the best defensive center fielders in major league history. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, PadresKey stat: 91.8 mph average max-effort arm strength in 2019. Mar 22, 2021. The regimented preparation that had worked for Yelich in the past was simply not available to him, and he may have suffered for it. Honorable Mention: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants. Fielding Bible He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. M-SABR All Stars: MLB's 2022 All-BB% Team - M-SABR 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). Luis Robert is one of the best prospects in baseball and he's set to take over in center. Yelich was the 2018 NL MVP and runner-up in the MVP voting last year. The precision is there (nine errors across nearly 1,140 innings last year), and so is the power and reaction time. On the back of plus-plus speed, Kiermaier shows off tremendous instincts for the position. He compiled 157 outfield assists in his 20 major league seasons. It is a shame that his career was cut short as the result of a hip injury. These guys. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. With big-name, big-money free agents, there is usually a question of how the player will respond in big games, big moments. Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. Walker was known for his abilities at the plate, but he also had a gun for an arm. How to Build Up an Outfielder's Arm Strength - Chron Standings. The 26-year-old made notable strides at the plate in 2020, posting the best chase rate (14.1%, second lowest in MLB), walk rate (15.6%), hard-hit rate (43.2%) and barrel rate (12.5%) of his career. Sits in the Top Ten of draft. 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. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. A standout defender throughout his time in the big leagues, Bader stepped his offensive game up this year, hitting .267/.324/.460 for a 116 OPS+ with 21 doubles and 16 home runs. 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. 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. Juan Soto hit .348/.525/.639 after the All-Star break. 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. MLB players with the best arms The 28-year-old hit .291 with 35 homers, 97 RBIs, 106 runs and an .899 OPS the last time we saw him. He hit the walk-off home run in the NL Wild Card Game and had a three-homer game in Game 5 of the NLCS. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's 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. Hernandez was signed as a super-utility . $0.99 Of the 60 games Ozuna played last season, only 21 were in the outfield, so if you wanted to make the argument that he should be ranked among designated hitters, well, you'd have a good case. Mays is in the discussion for the greatest player of all-time. Rather than ranking individual players, we set out to name the best multi-player units in baseball. Speaker was mentioned in Bill James' Baseball Abstract of having the best arm of anyone who played between 1910-1919. But the Rays also added some competition for the starting role in former top prospect Francisco Mejia, whom they acquiredin the Blake Snell blockbuster. Runners were hesitant to try to take an extra base when the ball was hit to right in Coors Field between 1995 and 2003. 17. 10. That seems almost impossible. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, 505 PA, .235/.309/.504, 56 XBH (31 HR), 76 RBI, 75 R, 4.3 WAR. Larry Walker is considered one of the best Rockies ever in the team's short existence. The question that resonated at the end of October is about the best position player on the planet -- Betts, or Mike Trout? Those being Eric Cross, Chris Clegg, Mick Ciallela, Justin Johnson, Jorge Montanez, David Mendelson . 5. MLB Tonight: Outfield Arm | 09/10/2021 | MLB.com Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Throughout the history of baseball, there have been some outfielders that have had cannons for arms. Ozuna, meanwhile, is back with the Braves after signing a four-year contract. ESPN's Paul Hembekides sent this along: "I think his issues in 2020 stem from a lack of confidence -- he just stopped swinging. Listen. 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The 26-year-old had 32 doubles, 20 home runs, 20 steals and 94 runs scored, and he was a Gold Glove finalist in left field. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. Shortstops with the highest max arm strength, 2022 1. Infielder Tyler Hardman also finds himself in the top 30, but unlike Fitts, he wasn't even ranked ahead of the 2022 season. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. 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. Thursday, it's outfielders -- the top 10 left fielders, center fielders and right fielders. Tier 3: Randy Arozarena, Trent Grisham, Michael Conforto, Giancarlo Stanton, Nick Castellanos, J.D. Vote for who you think are the best MLB outfielders currently playing in the league today . Breaking Down the Best MLB Units in 2021: Cs, INFs, OFs, Bench, SPs and A hyped prospect since he was selected fifth overall in the 2015 draft, his breakout season went a long way toward replacing George Springer's lost production. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. C The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. The Athletics' Outfield Dilemma - MLB Trade Rumors Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2022: Best sleepers, breakouts, busts from Realmuto paced all full-time catchers (min. And it would be a crime not to grab Bellinger in this five-tools exercise somewhere. His OPS+ is 176 -- a standard surpassed by only four players: Babe Ruth (206), Ted Williams (191), Barry Bonds (182) and Lou Gehrig (179). They've responded with an MLB-best 3.05 ERA. The goal is to decide which team has the best catchers, infielders, outfielders, bench, starting pitchers and relief pitchers. Best Outfield Arm. The identity of the No. On the other hand, the league still hasn't had a chance to develop a counterattack against the right-handed-hitting masher. How could a man who nicknamed his right arm "El Canon" not make this list? Mantle earned one Gold Glove in his career and threw out 117 base runners from the outfield. Some of Mookie Betts' former teammates watched him go through the postseason last year and believed he really was out of sorts at the plate. Minimum 800 innings 6. 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. Despite his 2020 postseason heroics, Arozarena entered the 2021 season with rookie eligibility, and he wound up leading all rookies with 4.1 WAR. 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. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Toronto Blue Jays. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield". . 20. Williams loved to talk hitting, and through the last years of his life, he developed friendships with the likes of Tony Gwynn. Martinez started cold and never recovered last season, and Meadows was never right after dealing with COVID-19 in July. 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. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. Soto has created a mountain of crazy numbers already, but here's one of my favorites: When he led off an inning in 2020 -- when pitchers might've been most likely to challenge him -- Soto went 13-for-25, with four doubles, four homers, eight walks, one hit by pitch and one strikeout. A former Gold Glove winner in left field, he is a roughly average defender in center field. 6 spot. While a member of the Indians minor league team in San Diego, he once threw a ball from home plate and it landed 436 feet away, deep over the center field fence. His strong defensive play definitely helped make up for the fact that he had a low OPS. As in: This is the type of hitter I want to be; get out of my way.". Aaron Judge, Yankees Even though Meusel played just 11 seasons, he still recorded 157 outfield assists. Carlos Correa (Twins): 95.0 mph 5. I think we'll see him hunt early in counts against next season.". I can promise you with 100 percent certainty that my fantasy baseball outfield rankings for 2021 will not be 100 percent right. The double play he executed, reaching down to glove a looper in front of him and throwing toward home, with Marcell Ozuna eventually called out for leaving too soon. Tier 2: Kyle Tucker, Luis Robert, Aaron Judge, George Springer, Marcell Ozuna, Starling Marte, Whit Merrifield. But his range of skills at this stage of his baseball life is so extraordinary -- the defense, the baserunning -- that Bellinger is still a great player even when he's not swinging great. Buxton, Taylor and Gallo are such great, award-winning fielders that it's easy to forget about Kepler, who would be the best defensive outfielder on many teams. His .366 career average is a major league record. The left-handed outfielder had a rock solid 2022 season, holding a .281 batting average with 12 home runs while leading the South Atlantic League with 34 doubles joining Project Birmingham. 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. That's why the model. Harper wraps up the first tier. Reels. 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. An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. There's no doubting that the Chicago Cubs farm system is vastly improved from where it was in 2021. Even in his time in the minors, his swing-and-miss rate jumped up a few percentage points. MLB fans were up in arms on Friday afternoon because of an absurd shift used during a Spring Training game. Few players have joined an organization under more challenging circumstances than Verdugo faced when he went to the Red Sox. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. 8. His career OPS is 1.000, exactly. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. 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. He had just 18 swings and misses at in-zone pitches in the entire regular season. The 31-year-old remains one of baseballs most imposing sluggers, but he has appeared in just 41 regular season games over the past two years. The greatest player of this era turns 30 in 2021. The club also traded away Diego Castillo at the deadline in exchange for JT Chargois and Austin Shenton. 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. 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. He was ranked the 40th-best free agent this offseason, per Giants Baseball Insider's rankings. The towering right fielder posted a 149 OPS+ with 39 home runs and a career-low 25.0 percent strikeout rate. 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He's hit .300 or better in five of the last seven seasons, and in the two he didn't, he batted .299 (in 2017) and was injury-ravaged in the other (2016). In the third season of a five-year, $60 million contract, Pollock enjoyed his best season in a Dodgers uniform, hitting .297/.355/.536 for a 137 OPS+ with 27 doubles, 21 home runs and 69 RBI. Sun's out, guns out. Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). Homegrown players Steven Duggar and Austin Slater have also seen semi-regular time in the outfield, though Duggar was recently optioned to Triple-A now that Bryant can provide corner outfield depth as well. When he's locked in and at his best, they reported, he's consistently pulling the ball, driving it, and this is not what Betts was doing. In 2015, Marte had a 16-1 number (A-DP) as part of perhaps baseball's best fielding outfield. Before he retired in the middle the 2010 season, Junior was the active leader in outfield assists with 154. Bill James had him as the 67th best right fielder in major league history and said he had. "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. Ramirez is fourth among active outfielders with 129 career assists. This year, he barely edges out Pittsburgh's Neil Walker, who checks in at minus-12-2, for the . The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. The lefty bat can play both first base and outfield, and has even filled in a third base. Teel is an excellent athlete with a strong arm, and has a good swing with excellent hand acceleration, but he had some bad BABIP luck last year and hit just .276/.402/.439, a drop from his strong . Ichiro has the strongest and most powerful arm of any outfielder in the major leagues today. March 1, 2023 5:25 pm ET. Breaking down top Mariners prospects with MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. Scouts have long graded position players on five tools that are central to success in the game: hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing. he Boston Red Sox outfield exceeded expectations in 2021. Of course, that required trading several core players, but given the fact that Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez were all rentals at last year's deadline, the Cubs made out phenomenally. Brewers: The Crew has the Central's best outfield, led by Christian Yelich in right field and Lorenzo Cain in center. 22). Which outfielder has the strongest arm 2021? Geraldo Perdomo (D-backs): 96.7 mph 3. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). Ken Griffey Jr. may have been the greatest player in baseball history had injuries not plagued him during his career. His contact rate was easily the worst of his career, and his swing rate was way down. 8. 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.