"feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Current: How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Not only does he not hit for average or steal bases, but his average and supporting cast are so weak that it hampers his ability to drive in runs despite his massive power. A player I don't like is Michael Brantley. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit velocity and launch angle. Starling Marte made a unique bit of history in 2021, becoming the first player in MLB history with at least 20 stolen bases in both leagues in the same season. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Tier 5 is filled with bounce-back candidates and high-risk/ high reward players. While his .286 on-base percentage and 31.2 percent strikeout rate leave something to be desired, he was a stellar defender (16 DRS, 11.8 UZR/150) to go along with his power production in a 3.8 WAR season. 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. T Hunter 6. window.". This is not to say Santander is a bad player. Similar to Springer, Aaron Judge's value all comes down to health. 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. He hit .264/.367/.487 with 29 doubles, 23 home runs and 10 steals, which, coupled with his usual standout defense in right field, was enough for him to finish fourth in WAR on a stacked Dodgers roster. 15. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. There's not much to go one, but he's shown a clear ability to hit for power and steal bases at the big league level, the starter kit for a valuable fantasy player. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Martinez, Charlie Blackmon, Teoscar Hernndez, Austin Meadows, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. If you've got one of the first five picks in your 2021 Fantasy baseball draft, there's roughly an 80% chance you're taking an outfielder with your first pick. MLB Advanced Media, LP. He had a disappointing season last year, but his xBA was in line with his breakout 2019 season, where he hit 36 home runs and 98 RBI. In a down season by his own lofty standards, Juan Soto was still one of the most productive offensive players in the game. Buxton is the riskier pick, as he has only played more than 100 games once in his career, but he provides more power and baserunning ability than Laureano. Also, make use of all our premium resources with our MLB Draft Kit. Aristides Aquino (Reds): 101.6 mph, April 9 vs. Braves 2. Top-Ranked Outfield Arms, Fans' Scouting Report 1. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Santander is locked into an everyday role with the Orioles, and he has produced 31 homers with 91 RBIs and an .807 OPS in 130 games over the past two years. Along with a .199 average and 213 strikeouts, he led the AL with 111 walks and had a solid .351 on-base percentage. Dominic Smith and Anthony Santander are two players looking to build on breakout 2020 campaigns. He also once again took home Gold Glove honors in a 6.3 WAR season. His contract and track record mean more is expected of him, but he was still a top-15 outfielder. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out 15 throws) with an average arm strength of 88.4 mph on max-effort throws -- a.k.a. The 2021 MLB Draft Preview position rankings finally covers its last group of hitters today with a closer look at the outfielders. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. Eddie Rosario is another player I wouldn't draft at this spot. It was one of the top five hardest outfield assists in MLB this year. Because of the team he plays for and the lack of flash in his game, he flies under the radar, but he was an absolute superstar last year. Fantasy managers can still find some starting-caliber outfielders in this tier. games / 5. Fantasy baseball 2021 outfield rankings OF rankings have serious star power at the top March 27th, 2021 Thomas Harrigan @ HarriganMLB The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. As a rookie, he hit .314/.377/.503 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 68 RBI to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting and rack up 4.2 WAR. 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. Slowed by a variety of injuries in 2020, Bryant returned healthy and productive this year. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. He also had the two fastest-tracked infield assists to first base -- reaching 94 mph -- and was responsible for about half of the 92-plus mph assists from all infielders. Right-Handed Pitcher, Mississippi State. I really like Jeff McNeil at this spot. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Last year was particularly concerning, as his exit velocity and barrel percentage fell by eight percent and four percent, respectively. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (55 of 58 Experts) - Mar 30,. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to and 32 degrees. 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. 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. He hit the walk-off home run in the NL Wild Card Game and had a three-homer game in Game 5 of the NLCS. Varsho split his time between right field (541.2 innings), center field (378.2 innings) and catcher (175.0 innings) as one of the more unique utility players in the sport. outfield. 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. With the amount of talent surrounding him in the Twins lineup, his floor is 30 home runs and 100 RBI, making one of the safest picks at this stage of the draft. The well-rounded Betts is our second-ranked outfielder and No. Then there are the players I don't love taking at this spot. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this year, but he caught fire in May and never looked back. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. Alex Verdugo is a player who is much more valuable in real life than in fantasy. The 25-year-old posted a 128 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 steals in 29 attempts. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the After playing in just over 63 percent of the New York Yankees' games during the three-year stretch prior to this season, Aaron Judge finally stayed healthy and turned in an MVP-caliber campaign. He did it across 72 games and 322 plate appearances on a Washington Nationals team that was floundering at the bottom of the NL East standings. 1 overall prospect in . Mancini is back after missing 2020 because of Stage 3 colon cancer. 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) . as Active Spin. That notably excluded Mike Trout (146 PA). His production bottomed out during the abridged 2020 campaign, but he bounced back in a big way this year. 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. Likely leading off in a stacked Padres lineup, he will rack up runs, so even if he doesn't match his 122 OPS+ of 2020, his speed and on-base-skills make him a great option at this point of the draft. But that seemed to be more about a rookie being overly aggressive than anything else. Ozuna is only entering his age 30 season, and while he won't produce much value in the field or on the bases, there's no reason to believe he won't continue to produce MVP level offensive numbers for the foreseeable future. It's easy to see where the hype comes from: He had nine homers and eight steals in just 58 games last year, and he will rack up the runs and RBIs in a stacked Astros lineup. No other infielder came close to matching his average arm strength on Statcast-measured throws. He was previously ejected following a foreign substance check in 2021 with High-A Fort Wayne. For a player who actually provides value on offense, look at Ryan Mountcastle. Each player was only included at the position where he played the most innings. 1 spot on this list for years to come. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Grab him for the floor he provides in average and RBI but the upside isn't there. In a down year by his standards, Betts was still a 4.2 WAR player. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed The culprit appears to be a career-high 30.8% strikeout rate and a wildly unlikely .259 BABIP. At this point, we know who Joey Gallo is: He'll hit home runs, hit some more home runs, and provide literally nothing else. His defense, intensity, and arm make him an All-Star caliber player, but he doesn't hit for enough power or steal enough bases to provide any significant fantasy value. 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Bellinger's contact and strikeout rates barely moved, so the main culprit appears to be a .245 BABIP. The advanced numbers back it up too: He was in the 98th percentile and 97th in expected slugging. Juan Soto hit .348/.525/.639 after the All-Star break. Our goal is to put out the highest-quality content and tools. He also slugged 38 home runs while winning his second straight Gold Glove. The Cubs surprisingly held onto him at the trade deadline despite significant interest, and he now enters a contract year looking to build off his breakout performance. Ozuna, meanwhile, is back with the Braves after signing a four-year contract. All of the sudden, the ball is at the base, and a runner who thought he had it made is out. There are safer options available, but it's far more likely that Yelich's down season was more attributed to unluckiness and small sample size than an actual decline of skill. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from Below, we're focusing on fantasy baseball outfield sleepers. Be sure to follow their updated rankings and projections all season long! Click a bubble to see all the player's throws. Health is always the main concern with Springer: Entering his age 31 season, he's only played more than 140 games once. A Statcast metric designed to express the demonstrated skill of catchers at preventing wild pitches or passed balls compared to their peers. He doesn't have much help in the lineup, but playing time is guaranteed and if you can get a guy with a .575 slugging percentage at this stage of the draft, you're not complaining. Accuracy matters, too. 2023 Fantasy Baseball ROS Rankings Apr 30, 2023 Position OF View Import a Team Eligibility Evaluate any Trade in Seconds with our Trade Analyzer >> Go Premium For FREE Deposit at least $10 at a. 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). Catch up on the 2021 MLB Player Rankings series:Catchers,First Basemen,Second Basemen, Third Basemen,Shortstops. The big question is whether he can continue his elite baserunning into his early 30s. Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App 9. Alvarez wasn't just good for a rookie, he was the best hitter in baseball not named Mike Trout or Christian Yelich, as his OPS+ would have been third in the majors had he qualified. But imagine him with this cannon attached to his shoulder. 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. Along with the 89 games he played in the outfield, he also spent time at second base (46), shortstop (23) and third base (11). And it would be a crime not to grab Bellinger in this five-tools exercise somewhere. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle Brett Phillips (for Rays): 99.7 mph, May 20 vs. Orioles 5. Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position. Springer has been one of the most productive outfielders in the game over the past five years, and he has joined up with a Blue Jays team that averaged 5.03 runs per game in 2020. Learn more here. Still two years away from arbitration, he will be a cornerstone player for the cost-conscious Rays. However, the slugger has missed nearly a full seasons worth of games (142) over the past three years due to an assortment of injuries, which is something for fantasy managers to keep in mind. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the February 10, 2021, 1:03 PM . He is also hitting in a lineup that was 24th in the majors in on-base percentage, which limits his ability to drive in his runs, his most valuable fantasy statistic. Let's dive into the top 25 outfielders of the 2022 season. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. His playoff performance left a lot to be desired and we only saw two games of him last year, but the player we saw in 2019 was a Tier 1 player, so to get him in this spot is an absolute steal. 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. For a boost in the batting-average category, target McNeil, Verdugo or Brantley. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 34 uncommitted RHP Anthony Marano (DePaul Catholic HS, NJ). The 27-year-old posted a 171 OPS+ with 42 extra-base hits in 254 plate appearances, and he had 10 DRS in 509.2 innings in center field. T. Alex Verdugo, Kik Hernandez, and Hunter Renfroe were Boston's primary outfielders last season. become a hit. Bellinger could be a great pick for any tool -- hit, power, speed, glove or arm. with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Robert may have the higher ceiling of the two, but he also has the lower floor. Bryce Harper may never reach his 2015 MVP pinnacle again, but his ability to hit for power, get on base, and drive in runs will always make him a valuable fantasy player. Robles struggled in 2020, but he had 17 homers, 28 steals, 65 RBIs and 86 runs in '19 and has no competition for playing time this season. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. One of the most hyped prospects of the past decade, Eloy Jimenez had a relatively disappointing debut in 2019, even though a 116 OPS+ is nothing to complain about. He also played a solid defensive center field in a 5.7 WAR season. 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. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. He's had an on-base percentage above .380 in each of the last three years, and with all the talent he is surrounded by in the Mets lineup, he will rank near the top of the NL in runs scored. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was 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. Welcome to Bleacher Report's final positional rankings of the 2021 MLB season! His nickname is Laser Ramn, so you already knew hed have to make this list. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Or his 92 mph rocket from right to nail Stephen Strasburg at first base and preserve a Hyun-Jin Ryu no-hit bid on May 12. His pitiful 5% walk rate leaves a lot to be desired and prevents him from being in that upper echelon of hitters, but if he's hitting 40 and 120 every year, I'm not sure fantasy players will mind too much. Or his game-saving throw from center field to the plate against the Red Sox in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. 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Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list out to the 25 best at each position on the diamond, which means each position is going to get its own article. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Categories: And much-ballyhooed Mariners rookie Jarred Kelenic has a moderate knee strain. 23. Outfielder Kai Murphy, the son of Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy, who was the Padres' interim . 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). However, he was also a 4.2 WAR player at the time of the trade. The 29-year-old hit .309/.429/.615 to lead the majors in OPS+ (179). For the first two weeks of the 2020 season, Leads All Scorers In Game 1 Against Miami, Turns Back The Clock In Game 1 Against New York, Jose Urquidy Leaves Game Early With Shoulder Injury, Matt Brash Earns First Career Save Sunday, Expected To Return Beginning Of Next Season, Doubtful Monday, Continues To Make Improvements, Austin Corbett Not Expected To Be Ready For Season, Could Open Season As No. We now move on to the outfielder position in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. Harper hit .338/.476/.713 with 20 home runs after the All-Star break, doing his part to help a Phillies team that tried in vain to chase down a postseason berth. Expect him to be one of the faces of baseball for the next decade-plus and a strong contender for the No. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen Honorable Mentions: Next 25 1. rARM - Outfield Arms Runs Saved evaluates an outfielder's throwing arm based on how often runner advance on base hits and are thrown out trying to take extra bases. 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. After back-to-back 20-plus-homer seasons in 2018 and 2019, Teoscar Hernandez showcased a more well-rounded offensive game last year, hitting .289/.340/.579 for a 146 OPS+ in 50 games to finish 11th in AL MVP voting and win a Silver Slugger Award. Whether it's unleashing the ball from deep in the outfield, across the infield or behind the plate, it can make the seemingly impossible happen. The Giants acquired him at the trade deadline, and he is poised to cash in as a free agent this offseason. He earned a starting nod in the All-Star Game, and he deserves a ton of credit for the job he did protecting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out of the cleanup spot in the Toronto lineup. We move to the final two groups, left and right handed pitchers later this week as we are now just days away from draft day. Previous picks: Jeff McNeil (hit), Gary Snchez (power), Tim Locastro (run), Victor Robles (defense), Javier Bez, SS, CubsKey stat: Five assists over 90 mph in 2019. Yes, you can chalk that up to small sample size and rib and calf injuries, but there is no denying that none of his rate stats have been the same since 2017. He played more games in the outfield (93) than he did at his natural position of third base (55), and he posted a 124 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 25 home runs and 73 RBI in a 3.3 WAR season. 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. There are many players who caught my eye in Tier 5. Outfielder Jump. Previous picks: Mookie Betts (hit), Joey Gallo (power), Christian Yelich (run), Harrison Bader (defense), Cody Bellinger, CF, DodgersKey stat: 101.1 mph max arm strength. Those two players have been moved down, respectively, from 53 to 63 and from 69 to 77. Seven of the first 15 players in MLB.com's player rankings are outfielders, including four of the top five. Or, he could be in minors by July. His exit velocity and hard-hit percentage were in the bottom 20 percent of hitters, and after his smoking hot, BABIP induced start, he hit just .216 with a .610 OPS. 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.