He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. Baseball is largely played in terms of feet and seconds, and they all add up quickly. 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. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Statcast Outfielder Jump Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Speaker refused, worked like a maniac to rehab the arm, and not only went on to become a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest center fielders to ever play the game, but to have one of the best throwing arms that the game has ever seen. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. 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. 5 Best Outfield Throwing Arms in the Majors - Sportscasting Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield Current: His Statcast suggests a propensity to strike out but every other metric is promising for Ward to be a solid roster add, especially in leagues with five outfielders. Anthony Santander answered the fantasy world's questions regarding his power by hitting 33 HR with 89 RBI and 78 runs in a Baltimore lineup that should be much improved in 2023. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? Every one, that is, except Story. Yes. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. Statcast Arm Strength Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield. Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players Solid . A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit On Saturday . Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. velocity and launch angle. Once the No. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as After all the hype over Cruzs 97.8 mph dart in July that stands as the fastest throw on an infield assist Statcast has tracked, hed better be atop a list like this, and he is, by a pretty large 4 mph gap over Cincinnati's Jos Barrero. Mar 12, 2021. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 40 shortstops He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. At his current ADP of 129, he is an absolute steal, even taking into account that he won't play 150 games. Where do you draft the superstar who will only play half the season at most? Defensively, he is a great player. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Statcast Outs Above Average Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com 23. Arm: RH. Some, though, might just not have had the opportunity elsewhere to show it. Trout might be the best player to ever live when all is said and done, but for years, he was never really a five-tool player because his throwing arm wasnt really a strength. BY Justin Leger -. 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. Steven Kwan put together a 5.5-WAR debut season with an old school game built on contact ability, speed and defense. [My arm strength] is just something natural.". Brandon Nimmo was a 5-WAR player for the first time in his career in 2022, just in time to test the free agency waters. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Interval Throwing Program for Outfield / PositionPlayers. 2021 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders ADP Analysis Current: How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. Just make sure you have enough IL slots. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. In regards to the two plays in the video, former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus had this to say about the second one: "I didn't think there was a play, to be perfectly honest. Expect him to be one of the faces of baseball for the next decade-plus and a strong contender for the No. Baseball Savant. Back in 2017, a then-19-year-old Ronald Acua Jr. appeared in Miami at the Futures Game. Buxton played in only 92 games last year, 61 in 2021, 87 in 2019, and 28 in 2018. But it is best to exercise some caution and ensure you have outfield depth if you plan to roster him. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. as Active Spin. He has power to all fields, bats in the middle of a World Champion lineup, and will protect your ratios in traditional 5x5 leagues and those with advanced categories. MLB Advanced Media, LP. His arm was so impressive that Expos manager Dick Williams is said to have compared it to Roberto Clemente's, a bold statement to say the least. He still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. 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. From 1998 through 2002, Bobby Abreu racked up 59 assists patrolling right field for the Philadelphia Phillies. 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. 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. Power, speed Turner has it in bunches and has delivered such throughout his career, but he's not alone. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. (Previous individual throws are still valid -- Aaron Hicks touching 105.5 mph back in 2016 is still the hardest throw on record -- but season averages are not available for those years just because fewer throws were tracked. Being a former pitcher who routinely hit the upper 90's will certainly leave you with a powerful throwing arm, but some of the throws that Rick Ankiel has made from the outfield have been ridiculous. Its not that his arm suddenly got weaker on the right side of the infield, of course. The 30-year-old slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 HR, 77 RBI, and 71 runs scored. Known primarily for his throwing arm, Glenn Wilson threw out 38 runners between 1985 and 1986, leading the league in assists each season. 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. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 2023 Spring Preview: Mt. Vernon Baseball | Ozarks Sports Zone Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. 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. 25. The 27-year-old struck out 156 times in 586 at-bats while drawing only 46 free passes; if you believe it, these were improved numbers from 2021. USA TODAY Sports photo. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out Hard to see a difference with the naked eye, right? The Orioles seem dedicated to giving their prospects every opportunity to succeed, which boosts Mullins's value in the runs category. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. 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. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. One of baseball's legendary figures and the greatest switch hitter who ever lived, Mickey Mantle's defense and rocket of an arm are often overshadowed by his offensive numbers. Just look at the 2022 averages on competitive throws from those positions. Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. 20. 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. window.". All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. The respect that his arm commands explains why he has only 97 career assists, a relatively low number for a man with such a powerful weapon at his disposal. 15. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that Dave Winfield's throwing arm was so powerful that simply warming up in the outfield was a dangerous proposition. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. How quickly a player can get the ball from glove to hand and on its way can sometimes make up for a deficiency in arm strength. 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. Outfield Throwing Program - Outfield Throwing Program Use a gathering With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. Road to the Show Q&A - MLB 12 Wiki Guide - IGN The 26-year-old and his new found power led the Astros system with 31 HR in 130 games, all coming in Triple-A. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. Ranking third here is not a knock, just shows the depth at third base. He played parts of three seasons in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, recording 10 assists in 70 games. It's a risky proposition, but the payoff could be incredible. with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Traded shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to the Red Sox for pitcher Josh Taylor. Mike Trout is finally a 5-tool player. 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. 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. However, the 25-year-old smashed 30 HR with 107 RBI, 71 runs, and 25 stolen bases in 2022 en route to another World Series win for the Astros. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Seiya Suzuki arrived to MLB and kicked off his career in the States with a bang, hitting four HR and getting on base at a .398 clip. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. Proving ineffective, the Blue Jays featured one of the worst defensive outfields in the majors last season, ranking 18th in Outs Above Average (-3) and 21st in Defensive Runs Saved (-6),. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. The talent is enormous but now, at age 33, the injury concerns continue to grow as well. Cannons and Popguns Rating Outfield Arms - The Hardball Times Signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. 2. level 2. Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". It's worth watching in Spring Training, and if he routinely bats behind Jose Ramirez, drop him in your rankings a bit as the counting stats will be affected. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second "He has gained a lot of strength since his sophomore year. Outfielders can get a running start, preparing for a long throw. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. For as powerful as his arm was, it was also prone to be erratic, and Parker committed his fair share of throwing errors, which is why he doesn't rank higher on our list. Signed to a four-year, $79 million deal during the offseason, Schwarber slugged an NL-leading 46 home runs in his first season with the Phillies. A mainstay in Boston for nearly 20 years, Dwight Evans is the owner of eight Gold Glove awards and one of the best throwing arms of the 70's and 80's. 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. A six-time Gold Glove winner and the 1997 National League MVP, Larry Walker was yet another smooth fielding right fielder with a cannon for an arm who has played the game. For example, lets take two somewhat similar plays. One of the greatest players that the game has ever seen, Ty Cobb needs no introduction. MLB breakout candidates: One player from all 30 teams who could make a Along with his stellar offensive numbers, Tucker also won his first career Gold Glove while posting stellar defensive metrics (13 DRS, 4.6 UZR/150) in right field. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be That out of the way, lets ask some of the fun questions. When you call Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth your teammates, you tend to get overlooked. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. and 32 degrees. pitch. Sure but mostly on relays home from the outfield, or sometimes on double play attempts. MLB's Top 15 Infield Arms of All Time - Bleacher Report 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. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet 2 sets / Rest 10 min between sets Warm-down throws Throw on . 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. It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as play. One such metric is the number of outfield assists a player has recorded in their career. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from Meusel finished his career with 157 assists, including a three-year period from 1921 through 1923 where he racked up 69. In 2021, before he was injured, that went up to 88.2 mph. Fantasy managers can expect a course correction in 2023, somewhere in the vicinity of 30+ HR, 110+ RBI, and an elite .400+ OBP. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. 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. In traditional 5x5 leagues, Garcia can provide value from the fifth round on. Ugly defensive metrics (-15 DRS, -17.7 UZR/150) and the fact that he was essentially a platoon player (57 PA vs. LHP) kept Pederson from ranking any higher, but he was a terrific bargain on a one-year, $6 million deal. On Aug. 21, Giants veteran Evan Longoria had to do the exact same thing, to make a throw of 100 feet from third to first. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. Statcast Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Baseball may never see another player as smooth at the "catch-and-throw" than Al Kaline. Fantasy baseball 2021 outfield rankings - MLB.com Ranking the best outfield arms in the majors right now raw numbers and as a measurement against average. With the score tied at three and Harold Reynolds on first, Seattle catcher Scott Bradley hit a double to left. Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, Corey . 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. Statcast Outfielder Jump Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Outfielder Jump Leaderboard Current: Outfielder Jump 2022 Minimum Attempts (Q) Update Download CSV Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didn't result in an assist. thrown with. In 2022, the 28-year-old ranked in the 98th percentile in outfielder jump and 97th percentile in arm strength, filling out the mold for a complete defensive outfielder. The past two seasons, Phillips has amassed 21 outs above average while patrolling center and right field (seventh-most among outfielders last season with 11). 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. Arm Strength (ARM) | Glossary | MLB.com 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). He might be an empty batting average/OBP player, though, so don't expect much more than 15 HR if you pick him. (For this, well just look at throws on fielded balls, not outfield relays or double play pivots.). What a strong throwing arm does, mostly, is make things happen faster. He was very muscular for an outfielder Plus he also had one of the best outfield arms of anybody. All rights reserved. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. 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. Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. window.". exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. 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. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. 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. A below average fielder who threw out 107 runners over the course of his career, Jose Guillen made what some consider to be the best throw in the history of baseball - click here to check it out. Week 1 - Days 2and 3. Baltimore Orioles. Despite his age and limited upper-minors experience, he didn't miss a beat in the majors, hitting .297/.339/.514 with 27 doubles, 19 home runs, 64 RBI, 75 runs scored and 20 steals in 22 attempts over 114 games. 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. He is an OF5 being drafted in the OF4 range because of the cliff the position drops off of in drafts. In 2020, his average on competitive throws was 86.6 mph, an almost exactly-average number. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 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. OF-95 mph. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. 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. Reports also surfaced that he had turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from Washington, and soon, the HR Derby winner headed to San Diego with expectations as big as the contract he turned down. How Fast Do Major League Infielders Throw? - Baseball Scouter Tyler O'Neill experienced a litany of injuries in 2022 that inhibited the power he demonstrated in 2021. 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. 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. and bam, you're dead.". time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. At the end of his breakout season, Justin Dirden felt fatigued. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle 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. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the MLB Advanced Media, LP. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. That was by far the best throw I've ever seen in 10 or 11 seasons. He is in the top 10 percent in maxEV and xBA, and the new SB rules could benefit someone with his speed. Corey Julks. USA TODAY Sports photo. Some forget that before he was saving baseball with his bat, Babe Ruth was a heck of a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. 2 spot in the lineup between NL batting title winner Jeff McNeil and the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. If anyone needs a change of scenery in order to maximize his talent, Bryan Reynolds is that guy. In 2021, still at shortstop, that was down to 79.1 mph, largely believed to be related to a midseason elbow injury. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. 8 prospect in the game. And a tenth of a second really doesn't sound like very much. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. 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. The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. Current: Vaughn has underestimated power and maintains a good batting average. Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw.". Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. 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. The best outfield arm of the 80's, Barfield led the league in outfield assists five times, including three years straight from 1985 through 1987. Honestly, he doesn't take many pitches, period, as he sits in the first percentile in chase rate. MLB Power Rankings: The 25 Best Outfield Arms in MLB History 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. Not any more. When he makes contact, Arozarena's elite maxEV will allow good things to happen. The 21-year-old earned an All-Star selection, won Silver Slugger honors, finished seventh in AL MVP voting, and easily took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award. produces a result. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 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. His OBP was the second-lowest of his career at .323, but his xwOBA was .375, so hopefully, some improvement is in the cards for 2023. Here we go. 14. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. The Cardinals seem to regularly find an unheralded rookie who emerges as a key contributor, and in 2022 it was Donovan who started the year as the team's No. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. He batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. He is above the 90th percentile in all of the power categories and sprint speed, and when he is on the field, he is a dynamic player who contributes mightily to fantasy teams. A good example of this is Cubs rookie Christopher Morel, who has a 96.5 mph competitive average as an outfielder -- maxing out at 102.3 mph -- and a 90.4 mph competitive average as a second baseman, maxing out at 90.9 mph. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that Unless you're in a quirky league where defense counts, Melendez fills a scarce position with decent skills. Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. In stints with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, Smith threw out 127 runners from the outfield, spending significant time in both center field and right field. Its the chicken-and-the-egg question of our times. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be