Meet Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom the Mets selected with their first pick. He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Infielders have less time to throw shorter distances. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. 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. (Catcher throwing arm data has been available for some time and may be found here.). The 25-year-old hit .306/.406/.613 for a gaudy 187 OPS+ that trailed only Aaron Judge among all players, tallying 29 doubles, 37 home runs, 97 RBI and 95 runs scored in 135 games for a 6.8-WAR season. Honestly, he doesn't take many pitches, period, as he sits in the first percentile in chase rate. Kaline was a master of putting himself in perfect position when a ball was hit in his direction where he would make the catch and fire the ball back into the infield in one, fluid motion. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff The 25-year-old posted a 128 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 steals in 29 attempts. Realmuto can top at the position. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Take Tommy Edman, who has moved back and forth between both spots. Long toss is the commonly mentioned method to strengthening a baseball . 5 TanteUschi Let them. "Jarrett is a speedy, defensive outfielder with a good arm and high baseball IQ," Swillum said. Phelps would only play poorly in parts of two seasons in the Bronx. In 2021, still at shortstop, that was down to 79.1 mph, largely believed to be related to a midseason elbow injury. When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. The Phillies will score in bunches, and Schwarber may have multi-position eligibility, depending on your league, which is not a bad fantasy asset to have at all as long as you can absorb the batting average. A full season alongside Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the San Diego Padres lineup would provide him with the best protection he's had at any point in his career, and with free agency fast approaching after the 2024 season he's playing for a huge payday. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Mar 12, 2021. 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. Not only is he still a very good hitter at the age of 38, but when Ichiro throws the ball from right field it still comes out of his hand like a laser beam. As MLB.com Tom's 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. 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. Hes also No. . Reynolds hit 27 HR and slashed .262/.345/.461 and yet scored 74 runs and knocked in only 62. In traditional 5x5 leagues, he can anchor any fantasy outfield you put him in. A prototypical right fielder with plus power and a strong throwing arm, Renfroe was productive once again playing for his fourth team in as many years. . Daulton Varsho - 4.6 fWAR. 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. Ad - content continues below. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. You don't currently have any notifications, Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com outfield. He struggled with the Padres, slashing .236/.388/.390 with only six homers and 16 RBI in 52 games, but he also took a trip to the NLCS. This will probably be the 26-year-old's last season with catcher eligibility, but in non-keeper leagues, he is a good asset. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Steamer projections have him at 43/109/104 for the upcoming season, and his ratios should see a small decline as well. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Five years later, Acua is a three-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year Award winner, and a World Series winner. 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. 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. The other draws include his 27 homers and 16 stolen bases, something only J.T. 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. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. What Gonzalez weirdly does well is make contact, as his K% is 20, and he deploys this skill in the enviable position of batting directly behind Jose Ramirez. With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. He still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. and bam, you're dead.". 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. Its that the demands of different positions are, well, different. What a strong throwing arm does, mostly, is make things happen faster. games / 5. 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. "He was a leader offensively and defensively for us. Sure but mostly on relays home from the outfield, or sometimes on double play attempts. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. Athletically built at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, the right-handed hitter barreled ball after ball with an average EV of 94.7 and top of 100.6 mph, while hitting the sweet spot at a 71 percent clip. MLB Advanced Media, LP. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. He once again tallied more walks (135) than strikeouts (96) while hitting .242/.401/.452 with 25 doubles, 27 home runs, 62 RBI and 93 runs scored. An intimidating physical presence standing 6'5" and weighing 235 pounds, Dave Parker only exacerbated things by walking around the field with a shotgun. 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. 23. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to attempt. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. It seems likely that one of Volpe or Peraza will shift over to third base or . outfield. Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. OF-95 mph. Advanced arm strength, over-the-top arm action. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. No longer an everyday playernor having as strong and accurate an arm as he had in his primeAbreu forces baserunners to show him respect and think twice before running on him. From 1956 until he retired in 1964, he only threw out 32, due largely in part to the injury. pitch. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Traded outfielder Michael A. Taylor to the Twins for pitchers Steven Cruz and Evan Zisk. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to 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. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Mike Trout is finally a 5-tool player. In 2019, for example, Austin Meadows was the No. Week 1- First Day. Arm strength is measured on "max effort" throws, or the average above a player's 90th percentile performance. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Yes, of course. Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the orderthis is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2022. Top Major League Outfield Arm: Bryce Harper ( Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield How to Identify It: Arm strength is a simple tool to evaluate in comparison to others. As Mookie Betts enters his age-30 season, there is some expected decline in a few areas (fly ball rate increased but led to a lower ground ball EV/BABIP). Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? 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. A seven-time All-Star who won only one Gold Glove award, Reggie Smith had one of the great throwing arms of the 1970's. If you want to get to the fun stuff -- the leaderboards, and fun questions about them -- feel free to skip to the part about Oneil Cruz. 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. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images, Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Mays fired the ball back into the infieldby his own admission, he had no idea where the ball was goingbut it stopped Al Rosen from advancing to second base and, more importantly, stopped Larry Doby from scoring, forcing him back to third base. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. 6 yr. ago. But at the end of the day, fantasy managers are drafting him for his elite speed and ability to steal bases, a skill that may get even better depending on how the new baserunning rules play out. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Harris, 2022's No. Yet when Meusel had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running the bases was a candidate to get picked off by one of his powerful throws. 25. 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. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. But in 1957, while playing for the Omaha Redbirds of the American Association, Gorbous made two ridiculous throws. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Not all was lost, though, as the 27-year-old showed off more of his speed, stealing 14 bases, which was only one less than his 2021 total. outfield. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. 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. Would anyone be surprised to see him reclaim the No. At. His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. produces a result. He is projected as a 15/15 outfielder and worth a look in the double-digit rounds. Another year, another pile of accolades for Mookie Betts who won his fifth Silver Slugger, sixth Gold Glove and made his sixth trip to the All-Star Game in the third season of a 12-year, $365 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Defense: Moves through the ball well, gets to the ball quick. His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Showcasing the Arm Younger players rarely have the opportunity to play in stadiums where statcast tracks their every move. attempt. That holds true when you realize hes still played some left side in the shift, and his hardest throw from there was this 75.1 mph throw in April. In 2022, thats down again, to 76 mph. The Venezuela native surged three levels in his age-18 season, showing off plus power and 70-grade speed on his way to becoming the No. With the addition of Xander Bogaerts, the return of Fernando Tatis, Jr., and the presence of Manny Machado, this is a real-life team you want multiple pieces of in fantasy. Some, obviously, but its not everything. While Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is best remembered for Carlton Fisk's dramatic, game-winning and series-extending home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, Evans was responsible for turning a double play in the top of the 11th inning that made Fisk's heroics possible. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. He hit 16 homers, his most since 2019, but he only stole 18 bases, a severe drop off from the 47 he snagged the year before. 2 prospect in baseball when the season began, he lived up to the hype and then some by hitting .284/.345/.509 with 25 doubles, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 84 runs scored and 25 steals in 132 games. thrown with. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. You can see video of the play here (the actual play starts around the 40 second mark). After accumulating 35 assists in his first two seasons, baserunners simply chose not to try and advance when Puckett had the ball in his hand. 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. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle He's barely a half-season into his career. His 195 career assists leave him tied with another member of our list who you may have heard of, Willie Mays. It gets you from Point A to Point B more quickly. It's useful for me because it allows me to see who the fans consider to be the best throwing outfielders. I think his weakness, so far as he has any, is in his throwing arm. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. Only in baseball can the son of a potato farmer who born and raised on Long Island become Boston's favorite son. Corey Julks. 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. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will That doesn't happen without Furillo's play. He hit 31 HR in 451 plate appearances with 78 RBI. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". Fantasy managers dream each spring of a full season of this production, and if he manages to get to 500 plate appearances, he could be a steal at his current ADP of 78. The 25-year-old set a new career high in 2022 in games played and still didn't crack 100, finishing at 98 with a variety of ailments and injuries derailing any sort of rhythm he could get. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. Hardly the same, is it? 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. lob after catching the third out of an inning). Still, his elite on-base skills continue to increase his value in fantasy leagues, especially considering that he bats leadoff in one of the most explosive lineups in baseball. Fantasy managers can draft him with confidence. The Coors effect isn't going to bring the 31-year-old back near his prime, but he should put up better numbers in 2023 and recently stated he would be ready to go for Spring Training. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. Had he only been able to stay healthy, we could be talking about the greatest player in the history of the gamebefore he got injured, there was no better player in the game. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. The first half of 2022 found him in a terrible lineup, so opposing pitchers walked him 95 times in 436 plate appearances. Up to you. pitch. With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. It's not natural. become a hit. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. 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. Exit Velocity & Barrels Leaderboard Current: Exit Velocity & Barrels A table displaying leaders in Statcast metrics such as Sweet Spot % (SwSp%), Barrels, Exit Velocity (EV), Batted Ball Distance (DST), Projected Home Run Distance (HR-DST), Launch Angle (LA) and Batted Ball Events (BBE) . Which is a great lead-in to our next question . He is one of the best pure hitters in the game today, and the six-year, $115 million extension he signed in June already looks like an absolute steal for the Astros. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw.". window.". in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. Outfielders with strong throwing arms not only result in outs, but they make the opposition think twice about even trying to run when they have the ball in their hands. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that Evans had six seasons of at least 10 assists, and the 157 he has for his career leaves him tied with Andre Dawson. Ronald Acuna Jr. appeared in 119 games last year, a significantly higher number than the original projection of a July return from his torn ACL injury. It's possible they leave him in the 2-slot, especially until Bryce Harper returns, in which case he will continue to score runs and increase his RBI total. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. pitch. on March 4, 2023. Once the No. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second