2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Tout Wars 12-team mixed draft results Managers who dont grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players to choose from after that. The guy who seemed to be in complete control of his plate appearances in his dominant seasons suddenly looked incredibly confused. Bez was responsible for five of the 31 tracked assists of at least 90 mph by infielders last season, the second most in MLB, and his average arm strength on max-effort throws (88.3 mph) was the third best among infielders. Steven Hajjar- Michigan prospect sophomore that fanned 24 of 87 batters faced and 3-0 record in four game. Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays. SF Giants OF Michael Conforto expects to be 100% by Opening Day The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. But with several intriguing free-agent outfielders available this winter, Chaim Bloom and Co. could look to add some depth at the position. Once regarded as injury-prone, the 28-year-old has missed only 10 games over the past three years combined, averaging 36 homers, 107 RBIs, 105 runs and 16 steals per 162 games in that span. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. Mays had 195 career outfield assists and he won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves. The corner outfield spots are going to be packed with talent in 2023. Cobb is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in the history of the game. J.T. The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide, The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. There's still a chance we'll see him in the Majors before the end of April, however, so he's someone to keep in mind in the latter half of fantasy drafts. Clemente's arm was not only powerful but it also featured laser-like precision. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has been one of the most productive players at the position since his first full season in 2018, and this season is no different. 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). Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. How could a man who nicknamed his right arm "El Canon" not make this list? From Jimenez's first season to his second, his wRC+ jumped from 116 to 141. In 2019, it was all about arm strength for Laureano. In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series, Clemente showed off this arm on a fly ball hit by Frank Robinson. If Stanton stays on the field in 2021, his production could swing many fantasy leagues. Buck Showalter, Mets. He entered spring training far from assured of a spot on the Baltimore Orioles' Opening Day roster, but he won the starting center field job and went on to have the biggest breakout season of 2021. Dave Roberts, Dodgers. Meusel is another player on this list gaining recognition from Bill James as having the strongest outfield arm in the majors during his playing years (1920s). 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. The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. The 21-year-old had 23 homers and 20 steals in the Minors in 2019, but thats the only full Minor League season hes played, and the left adductor muscle strain he suffered in his fourth Cactus League game spoiled any chance he had of cracking the Mariners Opening Day roster. Look no further than Realmuto, the class of defenders behind home plate and the quickest gun in the Major Leagues. Despite missing almost all of September with a hairline fracture in his left thumb, Bez tied for third in Defensive Runs Saved (26) and placed second among all players in Outs Above Average (+19). he Boston Red Sox outfield exceeded expectations in 2021. Let's get right into it. 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. 1 spot. Free agency, trade talk, offseason news . Arozarena is coming off a postseason for the ages, on top of a strong finish in the regular season. Hernandez was signed as a super-utility . He had nine assists in 2022. . 3 overall player, followed by Trout, who continues to deliver at the plate year after year and remains among fantasys top five players despite his decline on the bases (one steal in 2020). He also led the field with an average pop time of just 1.88 seconds on throws from home to second, and recorded eight of the 10 fastest caught stealing throws across MLB. Kimbrel still has explosive stuff with a fastball that sits comfortably in the high-90s and a wipeout curveball that generated a staggering 59.3 percent whiff rate in 2021. Who Are the Best Outfield Arms in MLB? On top of his offensive production, he is also one of the game's best pitch framers, and the pitching staff has a 3.61 ERA when he's in the crouch. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. Dynamic Outfield Trio May Provide Nucleus For Seattle Mariners - Forbes Florida Baseball Recruiting: Gators commits clash, talk UF decision 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. But given his offensive production and impact at the top of the lineup, that's more than enough to make him an extremely valuable all-around player. Best Outfield Arm. Listen. After years of teasing his immense raw power potential in the minors and sporadically in the big leagues, Tyler O'Neill finally put together his long-awaited breakout season. 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. His swing rate on all pitches dipped to 35% (in '20), which ranked 141st among 142 qualified hitters. Over the past two seasons, he has a .393 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 140. March 1, 2023. Kyle Schwarber, Washington Nationals/Boston Red Sox. Griffey's defensive abilities helped him win the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Gloves at age 20. The 33-year-old figures to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market this winter. MLB fans were up in arms on Friday afternoon because of an absurd shift used during a Spring Training game. The 30-year-old is hitting .268/.333/.482 for a 105 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. In Trout's only three games in the postseason, as the Angels were swept by the Royals in a 2014 division series, he went 1-for-12 with a solo home run and three walks. Dawson racked up 157 outfield assists in his 21 major league seasons. His shoulder first began giving him problems in 2021. Potential Outfield Trade Targets For The New York Yankees - Forbes The 26-year-old finished the season as a 6.0 WAR player, earning a spot among the Gold Glove finalists in center field on top of his excellent offensive numbers. But Ozuna is valued for his bat, for his advanced understanding of how pitchers will try to work against him. As a 28-year-old rookie, Garcia posted a 101 OPS+ with 31 home runs, 90 RBI and 16 steals, and he was a surprise All-Star for the rebuilding Rangers. The eight-time Gold Glove winner was finally inducted into Cooperstown in 2010. Previous picks: Anthony Rendon (hit), Mike Trout (power), Byron Buxton (run), Simmons (defense), Ramn Laureano, CF, AsKey stat: 321-foot assist on Aug. 11, 2018. The best arms tend to have lower rates because they get run on less, though Clemente is barely in the top 70 all time and IIRC Vlad doesn't even crack the top 200 Though I guess my point agrees with you, he wasn't great but he wasn't awful 2 Buzzed27 San Francisco Giants 5 yr. ago Not sure what you're talking about exactly. It's worth remembering that during the 2018-19 seasons, Pham had an on-base percentage of .368 and scored 179 runs in 282 games. Buxton, Myers, Pham, Laureano, Moore and Carlson could be double-digit homer and steal guys. Among players with at least 200 plate appearances last season, the 23-year-old had the fourth-highest chase rate, the third-highest whiff rate and the sixth-highest strikeout rate, making him a high-risk, high-reward pick in the early rounds. The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen has chewed through an MLB-leading 533.1 innings this season. Realmuto paced all full-time catchers (min. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. He is considered to be one of if not the best center fielders of all-time. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. The ultra-versatile Taylor was an All-Star for the first time in 2021, posting a 110 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 73 RBI, 92 runs scored and 13 steals in 148 games. All three of those guys could finish in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting, but the staff goes deeper than that trio. Runners will not even try to advance extra bases when the ball is in Ichiro's hands. His career OPS is 1.000, exactly. Why the Twins' outfield defense could be baseball's best Ha-Seong Kim (Padres): 95.2 mph 4. He batted just .169 against right-handed pitchers, with a .345 slugging percentage. Rob Neyer ranked him as our best right fielder in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups (pre-Bautista). He also had one of the strongest arms that baseball has ever seen. He is an OBP machine, a mini-Votto. Which outfielder has the strongest arm 2021? Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. 8. According to Bill James' Baseball Abstract, Valentine had the best arm in baseball in the 1970's. Regardless of who the Rays plug into the pen, they continue to find success. His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. After missing much of the 2019 season and all of last year with a gruesome injury, Haniger finally returned to action, posting a 122 OPS+ with 39 home runs and 100 RBI for the upstart Mariners. One of the most exciting defensive plays in baseball occurs when there is going to be a play at the plate. A big part of any draft kit are the rankings, and we're continuing our staff consensus rankings for 2021 with our fantasy baseball outfield rankings. An intercostal strain limited Winker to only one game after Aug. 15. Despite his defensive limitations, he should be able to find a more lucrative deal this winter. Martinez, Charlie Blackmon, Teoscar Hernndez, Austin Meadows, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He ultimately found his way back to Tampa Bay on a new one-year, $3 million deal that includes a 2022 club option. He struggling terribly against off-speed pitches -- in 2018, Yelich batted .302 against breaking balls; last year, .191. His production bottomed out during the abridged 2020 campaign, but he bounced back in a big way this year. Best throwing arms in the 2022 postseason - mlb.com 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. Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox 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. His 26 home runs trail only Salvador Perez among all backstops. 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. The top 10 right fielders, based on input from folks around baseball: From Sarah Langs of MLB.com, about Betts: "He ended the year with a 93.3% contact rate on in-zone pitches, which led all hitters with at least 250 swings at in-zone pitches. The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . 2y Buster Olney. Mays' throwing arm deserves more recognition as he was he had the second strongest arm of any outfielder in the 1960s. Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2022: Best sleepers, breakouts, busts from This prevented the Orioles from scoring that inning and the Pirates would go on to win the World Series. "He's a hitting outlier," Votto responded. Tier 4: Jeff McNeil, Byron Buxton, Wil Myers, Alex Verdugo, Joey Gallo, Jorge Soler, Tommy Pham, Kyle Lewis, Ramn Laureano, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Brantley, Ian Happ, Dylan Moore, Eddie Rosario, Ryan Mountcastle, Dylan Carlson. Breaking down top Mariners prospects with MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo On the other hand, the league still hasn't had a chance to develop a counterattack against the right-handed-hitting masher. This is Just Baseball's staff consensus ranking of the top 15 corner outfielders in baseball. He was hitting .283/.394/.596 with 19 doubles, 24 home runs and 17 steals through 82 games at the time of the injury, good for a 3.6 WAR season. How Does Carlos Correa's Deal Impact Dansby Swanson's Market? 9. 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? The top 10 center fielders, based on input from folks under the MLB umbrella: Another historical comp for Trout, unfortunately, is the link that is developing with Ted Williams: their paucity of postseason opportunity. He led the National League in outfield assists twice in his career. The 27-year-old batted .308 last season, with a .534 slugging percentage. This situation happens when an outfielder can make a great throw to try to nail the runner that is heading home. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining . 15 throws) with an average arm strength of 88.4 mph on max-effort throws -- a.k.a. Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023 | Just Baseball Move over, Aaron Hicks! A look at the best outfield arms in MLB history His strong defensive play definitely helped make up for the fact that he had a low OPS. The future of Florida's pitching staff is incredibly bright. It must be noted here that Tatis did have an issue with throwing miscues that drove down his overall defensive value. In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. 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. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. MLB Best Tools 2021: Managers, Scouts & Executives Vote On Baseball's The two-year, $14 million contract Hernandez signed with Boston ended up being one of the best bargains of the 2020-21 free-agent market. Each player was included in the rankings at the position where he played the most innings. Below you'll find the consensus rankings that eight of our MLB writers were involved in. The 28-year-old hit .305/.394/.556 for a 140 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 24 home runs and 71 RBI in 485 plate appearances, earning his first All-Star selection. Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players Having to play the field regularly could hinder his production, but the fact that he led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBIs while hitting .338/.431/.636 last season cant be ignored. Sun's out, guns out. 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.