1 prospect in baseball with the Red Sox in 2017, Benintendi never quite lived up to expectations in Boston, but he has set himself up for a nice free agency payday after a strong 2022 season. Key West (2-0): The Conchs ended 2022 with a 22-7 record and were able to play with many of the . 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. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. 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). For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Week 1- First Day. 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. In traditional 5x5 leagues, Garcia can provide value from the fifth round on. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 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. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. 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. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man.". He is in the top 10 percent in maxEV and xBA, and the new SB rules could benefit someone with his speed. Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. 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. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. 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. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a as Active Spin. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an The first half of 2022 found him in a terrible lineup, so opposing pitchers walked him 95 times in 436 plate appearances. I thought he (Van Slyke) had no chance, to be honest with you," said Pirates manager Jim Leyland after the game. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. 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. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. 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. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second 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. One such metric is the number of outfield assists a player has recorded in their career. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. It's baffling why baserunners still try and advance on Jeff Francoeur. One answer to that is in the context of his new position; 76 mph is one of the weakest marks of any regular second baseman. 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). Another outfield prospect the Cardinals traded away before he broke out, Garca had a 31-homer rookie season in 2021, but he was a more well-rounded offensive player this season. Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. velocity and launch angle. Youd be surprised at how complicated it gets. 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. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. 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. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in The 25-year-old outfielder hit everything in sight at Double-A Corpus Christi, slashing .324/.411/.616 with 20 home runs in 93 games . Once the No. When Michael Harris II made his MLB debut on May 28, 2022, he was just a few months past his 21st birthday and had played just 43 games at the Double-A level, jumping over Triple-A entirely. But all-in-all, the players on this list had an incredible combination of all those skills, making them more likely to throw straight for the base that the play was at rather then hitting the cutoff man. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. It's a risky proposition, but the payoff could be incredible. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. So, here are the leaders in ARM over the past three years: Alfonso Soriano - +25.6 runs Jeff Francoeur - +23.4 runs Ichiro Suzuki - +12.5 runs Nick Markakis - +10.8 runs Michael Cuddyer - +10.4. 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. With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Mullins didn't quite match the out-of-nowhere 30/30 season he put together in 2021, but he was still one of the game's better everyday center fielders. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Arguably the greatest athlete in the history of the game, Bo Jackson made impossible plays on a routine basis and his cannon of a right arm kept runners at bay. 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. 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. Solid . . He famously broke the A.L. All rights reserved. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the He is an OF5 being drafted in the OF4 range because of the cliff the position drops off of in drafts. 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. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to 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. + Allen Williams, LHP/OF, Cleveland Central, 2019 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. 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. 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. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year heading into the 2022 season, Arozarena enjoyed his second straight 20/20 season, hitting .263/.327/.445 for a 124 OPS+ with 41 doubles, 20 home runs, 89 RBI and 32 steals. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. 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. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. 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. The stolen bases are most likely gone forever, but he could pair nicely with a speed guy from Round 1. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. 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. Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. Just look at the 2022 averages on competitive throws from those positions. To get past that, the averages work like this. He is currently going in the 180s and has enough RBI upside to take a flier on him at that ADP. Let them. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst, who both played and managed against Roberto Clemente, gave Whiten's throwing arm the ultimate compliment: "As far as arm strength goes . It's understandable that fantasy managers who drafted him thinking they secured a 30/30 guy were disappointed at the end of the season. He also led the majors with 200 strikeouts and was a below average defender (-14 DRS, -13.7 UZR/150), but he still finished with a 130 OPS+ and 2.2 WAR in 155 games as an impact bat atop the Philadelphia lineup. Sure but mostly on relays home from the outfield, or sometimes on double play attempts. Default = Experts with most recent updates. ), Slice and dice them as you like. Yordan lvarez actually played more games at designated hitter (77) than he did in the outfield (56), but since there are not enough everyday DHs for us to do a top 25 list for that position, he's being included here alongside the rest of the league's best outfielders. 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. 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. Furillo picked up the ball and fired a strike to Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, beating Queen to the bag by two feet. Byron Buxton staying healthy is the carrot dangling in front of fantasy managers every offseason. In a down season by his own lofty standards, Juan Soto was still one of the most productive offensive players in the game. Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. 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. play. Outfielder Jump. The 30-year-old posted a 136 OPS+ with 40 doubles, 35 home runs, 82 RBI and an NL-leading 117 runs scored in 142 games. . 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. Ranking third here is not a knock, just shows the depth at third base. . . It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. one base to another, like Home To First. What is not of concern are the 81 games he gets to play at Yankee Stadium this year and each one after until 2031, thanks to his 9-year, $360 million free-agent contract. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed The shortstop position has become one of the deepest and most talented positions in fantasy baseball over the last decade. His baseball career almost ended in 1905 when he enrolled at Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. Carroll's upside is in the 30/30 range, and he should have no trouble sticking as the everyday centerfielder with his plus-defense. 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. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. His xwOBA and xSLG are both near the 90th percentile, and he hit particularly well at Camden Yards in spite of the extended left field fence. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight The other draws include his 27 homers and 16 stolen bases, something only J.T. 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. Kyle Schwarber strikes out at such a large clip (29.9 K%) that it is easy to miss his dominance in other fantasy categories. No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. The immortal Vin Scully put it best: "Clemente could field the ball in New York, and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.". -- came in above 72 mph. These numbers and his BA/OBP should go up, assuming his BABIP recorrects somewhat closer to his .314 number. The talent is enormous but now, at age 33, the injury concerns continue to grow as well. Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. That's the case with Bob Meusel, who was actually a slightly below-average fielder for his time. Proportional frame w/ well developed strength and athleticism. 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. 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. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet Warm-down throws 1 set only / Rest the next day. Run: 7.10 runner in the 60. He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team Baltimore Orioles. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. 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. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will velocity and launch angle. Suppose he continues to bat atop the Cleveland order and takes advantage of the new baserunning rules. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. It only continues to get better, as about half of these prospects below have a good shot to earn consistent playing time this upcoming season. MLB.com lists Ramon Laureano (average 94.8, top 100.1) and Cody Bellinger (101.1 top) as two outfielders with some of the best arms in the league. 3. Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. 25. Baseball is largely played in terms of feet and seconds, and they all add up quickly. thrown with. 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. Not only was it probably the better part of 300 feet, it was dead on line and in the air the whole way.". 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. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the He doesn't make a lot of loud contact at the plate . "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". 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. It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will 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. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. 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. 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. He batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Opponents quickly learned that they couldn't run on Geronimo and they stopped trying, which explains his 81 career assists, one of the lower totals of those on our list. Between natural talent and growing up with his uncleformer New York Mets ace Dwight Goodenteaching him how to pitch, Gary Sheffield was destined to have a cannon for an arm. player has saved over his peers. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Other bad news includes a Statcast page that is almost entirely blue, meaning he was ineffective in almost every meaningful statistical category during his first season in Philadelphia. Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. His slash line was an other-worldly .311/.425/.686 with an xwOBA of .463 and wRC+ of 207. The four-category stud is worth a first-round pick. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man. 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. Oscar Gonzalez does not take walks. and bam, you're dead.". 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. 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. Flexibility, mechanics and total-body strength are key factors coaches and trainers stress in order to increase arm strength. On Saturday . as Active Spin. 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. But theres also this, that Story has 195 tracked throws of at least 80 mph in his career -- he even topped 90 a few times early on -- but its happened only once since the 2021 All-Star break. Here are Justin Leger's top 20 outfielders for the upcoming season.