Colavito recorded double digit assists in eight of the 14 seasons in which he playedfive of which he played in 79 games or less due to injury. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second 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. 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. Kwan is in the 100th percentile of K% after striking out only 60 times in 638 plate appearances. His ratios were down across the board, but he improved his K% and BB% and suffered from some bad luck with BABIP. Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield One of the great centerfielders of all-time, Duke Snider would land higher on this list if not for suffering an injury to his arm that robbed him of much of the power behind his throws. It's been said that the Indians have been cursed ever since they traded Colavito to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, getting Harvey Kuenn in return. 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. In a down season by his own lofty standards, Juan Soto was still one of the most productive offensive players in the game. attempt. Ronald Acuna Jr. appeared in 119 games last year, a significantly higher number than the original projection of a July return from his torn ACL injury. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. An All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the first time, Happ hit .271/.342/.440 for a 119 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 72 runs scored and 4.4 WAR in 158 games. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. I thought he (Van Slyke) had no chance, to be honest with you," said Pirates manager Jim Leyland after the game. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. 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. An intimidating physical presence standing 6'5" and weighing 235 pounds, Dave Parker only exacerbated things by walking around the field with a shotgun. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. The Diamondbacks traded Varsho to the Blue Jays in the offseason; Rogers Centre should support another 25-HR, 15-SB season and he could see a bump in runs and RBI with the better lineup around him. But in 1957, while playing for the Omaha Redbirds of the American Association, Gorbous made two ridiculous throws. 12 finisher hit .297. Some forget that before he was saving baseball with his bat, Babe Ruth was a heck of a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. 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. 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. Starling Marte had a good 2022 season, but injuries prevented him from being a truly great fantasy asset. 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? 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. (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Yankees fans like Frank Costanza had reason to be irate that the Bronx Bombers traded Jay Buhner to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Phelps back in 1988. . He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. 1 / 20. No player had a stronger arm in the 1990's than Vladimir Guerrero. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be raw numbers and as a measurement against average. He is in the top 10 percent in maxEV and xBA, and the new SB rules could benefit someone with his speed. Exit Velocity & Barrels. 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. Five years later, Acua is a three-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year Award winner, and a World Series winner. His first two throws fell just short. 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. 5) Wait, is Mike Trout actually improving at yet another thing? in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Mlb Outfield Arm Strength Rankings There is no definitive answer when it comes to ranking MLB outfielders by arm strength, but there are a few metrics that can be used to make an educated guess. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. Byron Buxton staying healthy is the carrot dangling in front of fantasy managers every offseason. 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 played in 142 games in 2022, batting first in the lineup in all of them. With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. Outfielder Jump. But it is best to exercise some caution and ensure you have outfield depth if you plan to roster him. But its also clear that it doesn't work for other positions. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. 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. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). 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. 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. 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. 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. He should rack up the RBIs batting in the middle of that order, and he may creep back toward the 30-HR mark as well. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. While the outfielders are chewing grass and staring at the girl behind the dugout, infielders have. Were talking raw speed here, not accuracy. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. 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. His homers fell from 31 to 27 as a result, but he increased his runs and RBI by 11 each, and he stole 25 bases to boot. 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. His slash line was an other-worldly .311/.425/.686 with an xwOBA of .463 and wRC+ of 207. 8 prospect in the game. Based on three separate categories (Release, Strength and Accuracy) here are the owners of the top outfield in 2005 according to the fans: Top-Ranked Outfield Arms, Fans' Scouting Report 1. 12 finisher at outfield on the strength of a .291 average, 33 homers, 83 runs, 89 RBI, and 12 steals. He finished his career with 89 assists in 877 games played, which means that, on average, Snyder threw out a runner every 10 games. Tris Speaker, one of Cobb's contemporaries, had this to say about Cobb in 1917: "As an outfielder Ty Cobb is unusually good. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. 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. He had the hardest-hit ball of the evening, but he also showed off his arm, uncorking a pair of throws -- each tracked at over 95 mph. The Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners this offseason, which should be a similar situation to the one he just left regarding young talent. 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. The steals are why he goes so early in drafts because it is certainly not his patience at the plate. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. 22). How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. One of the greatest players that the game has ever seen, Ty Cobb needs no introduction. (And even that one, a force out at home plate, came back in 2015.). Consistent at the plate as well as in the field, Van Slyke spent his formative years patrolling the middle of the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates, between Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds. play. 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. Current: 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. Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw. 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. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to He played parts of three seasons in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, recording 10 assists in 70 games. With a seasoned Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in front of him, Santander will fill your power categories in the tenth round or so. 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. In 2021, still at shortstop, that was down to 79.1 mph, largely believed to be related to a midseason elbow injury. In 2020, Story averaged 82.3 mph as a Rockies shortstop -- a good-not-great number, slightly below average for shortstops. 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. Few rookies in recent memory have had a greater impact on the culture of their team than Julio Rodrguez, who played a pivotal role in helping the Seattle Mariners reach the postseason for the first time since Ichiro Suzuki's rookie season in 2001. 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. Pirates starting pitcher Mel Queen hit a fly ball into the gap between right and center. Clemente has more outfield assists than anyone who played after 1930 (I believe this was the year where they made the rule that you were allowed to run instead of speed-walk on the basepaths). A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. Interval Throwing Program for Outfield / PositionPlayers. 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. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. 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. The first half of 2022 found him in a terrible lineup, so opposing pitchers walked him 95 times in 436 plate appearances. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234.