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. player has saved over his peers. The 30-year-old posted a 126 OPS+ with 29 home runs and 72 RBI, and he had 11 outfield assists in a career-high 2.7-WAR season. 3. In his age-29 season, he played 155 games, led the NL in home runs with 46, scored 100 runs, drove in 94, and stole 10 bases. 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. He played parts of three seasons in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, recording 10 assists in 70 games. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. Aaron Judge put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history in 2022, setting the AL record with 62 home runs while making a legitimate run at the Triple Crown by hitting .311/.425/.686 with 131 RBI and 133 runs scored. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. outfield. On the other hand, those 40 HR and .347 ISO probably won some leagues last year for patient managers who could ride out the injuries. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Let's dive into the top 25 outfielders of the 2022 season. There is a lot to love about O'Neill in fantasy formats, but there is a lot to question as well. 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. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was At the end of his breakout season, Justin Dirden felt fatigued. 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. 5) Wait, is Mike Trout actually improving at yet another thing? "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. Ken Griffey Jr. is one player you look at and bemoan "Had he only been able to stay healthy". 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. In order to qualify for the 1 among shortstops over the last three years, ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. Cruz has five of the six hardest shortstop throws this year, and eight of the top 13. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. Andre Dawson epitomized the tern "five tool player" for more than a decade before 12 knee surgeries and age began to take their toll. The speedy Reynolds headed full steam towards third as Jackson played the ball on the warning track. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. The best hitter on the Pittsburgh roster by a landslide in 2022, Reynolds led the team in OPS+ (126), hits (142), extra-base hits (50), home runs (27), RBI (62), runs scored (74) and total bases (250). attempt. However, his .336 BABIP is unsustainable and will take a bite out of his batting average when it corrects. 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. But its also clear that it doesn't work for other positions. He batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Fantasy managers can expect a course correction in 2023, somewhere in the vicinity of 30+ HR, 110+ RBI, and an elite .400+ OBP. 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. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. Average times are calculated with the following ranges. USA TODAY Sports photo. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Ramon Laureano, Oakland Athletics. velocity and launch angle. Corbin Carroll mashed his way through the minor league system and arrived in Arizona for his debut in 2022. Schwarber batted leadoff for the vast majority of the season, but the acquisition of Trea Turner will most likely move him down in the order. He filled up the stat sheet with 22 doubles, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs scored and 14 steals while playing his usual solid defender in center field in a 4.0-WAR campaign. Interval Throwing Program for Outfield / PositionPlayers. His baseball career almost ended in 1905 when he enrolled at Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. He's barely a half-season into his career. With runners on the corners and one out, Cardinals shortstop Luis Alicea hit a shot hurtling towards Van Slyke in center fieldone that was certainly deep enough to allow Jose Oquendo to tag up from third base. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team The reason he may fall out of the 1.1 slot on draft day is simply fantasy managers anticipating the regression that is likely to come. 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. For example, lets take two somewhat similar plays. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man.". Its that the demands of different positions are, well, different. Defense: Moves through the ball well, gets to the ball quick. 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. The steals are why he goes so early in drafts because it is certainly not his patience at the plate. it's a tough call between Clemente and Whiten.". Were talking raw speed here, not accuracy. Junior had 154 assists for his career, a number that would have been significantly higher were it not for the rash of injuries that he dealt with. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. Signed to a four-year, $78 million deal as part of the Mets' spending spree last offseason, Marte hit .292/.347/.468 with 45 extra-base hits, 18 steals and 3.8 WAR in 118 games. And a tenth of a second really doesn't sound like very much. Lin features another true 70-grade arm that plays at that level in games and fits well in right field. Remember though that depth of. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet 2 sets / Rest 10 min between sets Warm-down throws Throw on . 7) Al. Heres all of 2022s Braves. Which is a great lead-in to our next question 4) Do second basemen have weaker arms than shortstops because they dont need to throw as far? (He has 14 harder throws from the right side, though obviously in far more opportunities. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. Heading into the season, Juan Soto is the leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, which feels ridiculous to say about a guy who still ended with a WAR of 5.2. Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. Playing for the Cleveland Indians minor league team in the Pacific Coast League in 1956, Colavito threw a ball from home plate 436 feet, watching it land well beyond the centerfield wall. 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. With 305 total bases he was one of just 12 players to break the 300 mark during the 2022 season, joining Aaron Judge (391) as the only outfielders on that exclusive list. ), Slice and dice them as you like. Vaughn has underestimated power and maintains a good batting average. He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. 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. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. Here are the players who just missed the cut, listed alphabetically: Ronald Acua Jr., ATLMark Canha, NYMDylan Carlson, STLOscar Gonzalez, CLENick Gordon, MINTrent Grisham, SDLourdes Gurriel Jr., TORAustin Hays, BALTeoscar Hernndez, TORJake McCarthy, ARIChas McCormick, HOUChristopher Morel, CHCLars Nootbaar, STLJurickson Profar, SDLuis Robert, CWSAnthony Santander, BALMyles Straw, CLESeiya Suzuki, CHCMichael A. Taylor, KCTyrone Taylor, MILLane Thomas, WASTrayce Thompson, SD/LADAlex Verdugo, BOSMike Yastrzemski, SFChristian Yelich, MIL. You can see video of the play here (the actual play starts around the 40 second mark). How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out But it is best to exercise some caution and ensure you have outfield depth if you plan to roster him. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have Power, speed Turner has it in bunches and has delivered such throughout his career, but he's not alone. A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. become a hit. (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. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man. Furillo picked up the ball and fired a strike to Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, beating Queen to the bag by two feet. 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. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. Hardly the same, is it? play. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Fantasy managers can deal with those considering he is above the 90th percentile in Avg EV, Max EV, HardHit%, barrel%, outs above avg, and sprint speed. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second MLB Advanced Media, LP. Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. The Arkansas commit is an explosive athlete that burned a 6.62 in the 60-yard dash, then showcased a sizzler of an arm, 90 mph across the infield and 95 . 1) Oneil Cruz has to be the hardest-throwing shortstop, right? 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. If you can stomach the idea of spending a high-round draft pick on an injury risk with a high ceiling, Robert could be a steal. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield It only took two years for the American League to learn that you can't run on Kirby Puckett, a 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove award winner. His throwing arm used to be a relative weakness. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. outfield. The tools are all there: Robert has good speed, reduced his strikeout rate in 2022, and his expected slash numbers will be helpful to fantasy squads. So is that because the elbow isnt allowing harder throws -- not that its mattered much, as hes been excellent defensively -- or because his new position doesnt demand it? 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. 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. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Most of a pitchers fastballs are thrown at or near the same velocity, so you average them all together and call it a day -- its not like Max Scherzer is throwing some four-seamers at 95 mph, and others at 72 mph. Zerby, a sophomore outfielder, hit .365 with 8 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases. 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. The charges would later be dropped. 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. Ad - content continues below. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Traded shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to the Red Sox for pitcher Josh Taylor. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. From 1998 through 2002, Bobby Abreu racked up 59 assists patrolling right field for the Philadelphia Phillies. . 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. Or he could clog your IL for two-thirds of the season. Since the demands of each position grouping are different, the averages and qualifiers are different as well. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the as Active Spin. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. His first two throws fell just short. Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. Theres a lot of lobs and non-competitive throws. 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. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. Julio Rodriguez led the 2022 youth movement throughout MLB, skipping Triple-A to win Rookie of the Year with 29 of 30 first-place votes and electrifying the crowd at the HR Derby in July. Mar 12, 2021. His 126 career assists include six consecutive seasons of 10 or more, from 1999 through 2004. 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. BY Justin Leger -. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . At. ), But the counterbalance to that is looking at a handful of infielders who have played on both sides of the bag just this season. Partly because of time missed due to injury, largely because of his reputation, people generally don't try to run when Ankiel has the ball in his hand, which would help to explain how someone with that strong of an arm has never reached double-digit assists in any season as an outfielder. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, opponents learned very quickly that the explosive throws he had a reputation for making in Japan were very much a reality, and they generally wouldn't even think about running when Ichiro had the ball in his hand. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. Some players have power, whereas Yordan Alvarez has POWER. window.". 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. 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. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. Potentially ever, though we certainly cant go back through history here to see how hard Shawon Dunston or whatever shortstop of your choice might have thrown. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. 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). 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. on March 4, 2023. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Over a 17-year career that was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies, Walker picked up 154 assists, including eight seasons with 10 or more. Early 2023 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings: Top 30 offers an abundance of power-speed bats, but also risk You may think a top 30 only scratches the surface, but outfield thins quickly His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. What a strong throwing arm does, mostly, is make things happen faster. Remembered more for his involvement in the Black Sox Scandal and alleged throwing of the 1919 World Series, Jackson routinely picked off baserunners from the outfield, racking up 183 career assists, including 90 in a three-year span from 1911 through 1913. But Callison also threw out 175 over the course of his career, including a four-year stretch from 1962 through 1965 when he racked up 90 assists, leading the league each season. and 32 degrees. . 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. 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. In 1985 alone, Barfield doubled up eight runners, to go with his 133 . Current: He once again tallied more walks (135) than strikeouts (96). But thats hardly true for position players, where you might sometimes be throwing at your maximum effort (heres Julio Rodrguez with a 99.6 mph cannon to nail a runner at third base) and sometimes you are absolutely not (heres Rodrguez with a 21.6 mph [!] Outs Above Average Leaderboard Current: Outs Above Average Outs Above Average (OAA) is the cumulative effect of all individual plays a fielder has been credited or debited with, making it a range-based metric of fielding skill that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? Yes, of course. Let's freeze the play to show you exactly what we mean: If you check out the pop time leaderboards, the gap between absolute best and dead last is just 0.28 seconds. With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. His 6.4 WAR marked the sixth time in nine MLB seasons that he's been a 6-WAR player, and he finished fifth in NL MVP voting, one spot behind teammate Freddie Freeman. 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. 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. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didn't result in an assist. Yes. In eight years of Statcast tracking, only two first baseman throws have come in above 91 mph, and each of them -- both from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., one shown below -- were on relays. 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. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. While the play itself was quite amazing, Dodgers starter Ralph Branca would end up taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning before the Pirates would collect two hits off of him. There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. 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. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. pitch. He'll lope after a ball to see if he can get you to run, picks it up . the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Who can?". 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. velocity and launch angle. As an outfielder, Sheffield racked up 108 assists for his career, including a career high 17 in 2001 when he patrolled left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Its an important one, too. 20. Suppose he continues to bat atop the Cleveland order and takes advantage of the new baserunning rules. Etc., etc., etc. A .230/.305/.388 career hitter in 534 plate appearances entering the 2022 season, Ward was one of the year's biggest surprises. His strikeout rate crept above 30% for the first time since his rookie year. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the So the answer here might really be more than one answer, in that infielders who spend times on both sides of second base seem to throw harder from the left side, and Story might best be served as a second baseman going forward. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. All rights reserved. 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. From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. Take Tommy Edman, who has moved back and forth between both spots. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. Then again, Hendersons throw got there about 11% faster. 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. 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. MLB average for right fielders is about 49 percent. The 29-year-old posted a 113 OPS+ with 66 extra-base hits, 101 RBI and 25 steals, while making modest improvements to his walk rate (5.1 to 6.1 percent) and strikeout rate (31.2 to 27.9 percent) in a 3.5-WAR campaign. Week 1 - Days 2and 3. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be Exit Velocity & Barrels. 6 yr. ago. 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 . Defensively, he is a great player. His slash line was an other-worldly .311/.425/.686 with an xwOBA of .463 and wRC+ of 207. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw.". The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was