While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. It is difficult to project significant development in outfielders' arm strength, but with a player with Buxton's athleticism, anything is possible. Not only was it probably the better part of 300 feet, it was dead on line and in the air the whole way.". A seven-time All-Star who won only one Gold Glove award, Reggie Smith had one of the great throwing arms of the 1970's. The 21-year-old earned an All-Star selection, won Silver Slugger honors, finished seventh in AL MVP voting, and easily took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award. 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. USA TODAY Sports photo. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . You can see video of the play here (the actual play starts around the 40 second mark). it's a tough call between Clemente and Whiten.". In 1978, Cromartie and Valentine led the league in outfield assists with 24 apiece. Palm Beach, Fla - It's early, but with each passing day Jordan Walker 's case to break camp with the Cardinals major league team gets stronger. He is above the 90th percentile in all of the power categories and sprint speed, and when he is on the field, he is a dynamic player who contributes mightily to fantasy teams. 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. Steven Kwan put together a 5.5-WAR debut season with an old school game built on contact ability, speed and defense. 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. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. The 30-year-old slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 HR, 77 RBI, and 71 runs scored. 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). His EV and HardHit% certainly showed no signs of slowing down, and he remains an on-base machine batting at the top of a fearsome lineup. With 5.3 WAR, he joined Jason Heyward (6.4, 2010) and Dusty Baker (5.1, 1972) as the only rookie outfielders in Atlanta Braves history with a 5-WAR season, and he edged out teammate Spencer Strider for NL Rookie of the Year honors. 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. The bad news for Nick Castellanos was a 46-point drop in his batting average in 2022. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. He's also had nearly 2,000 tracked throws since Statcast came online in 2015, and exactly one of them -- one! Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". However, he took it to another level Friday night when he unleashed a pair of critical outfield assists. He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Compare that, for example, to the 211 such throws from shortstops, or the nearly 2,500 from right fielders (which almost certainly underestimates the truth in the early years). MLB Advanced Media, LP. Assists, while a somewhat useful statistic in gauging how strong someone's throwing arm is, doesn't tell the whole storyit's hard to throw someone out when they don't even try to run. Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, Corey . With the addition of Xander Bogaerts, the return of Fernando Tatis, Jr., and the presence of Manny Machado, this is a real-life team you want multiple pieces of in fantasy. In 2022, the 28-year-old ranked in the 98th percentile in outfielder jump and 97th percentile in arm strength, filling out the mold for a complete defensive outfielder. Up to you. 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. He is a pure contact hitter who gets on base and isn't afraid to run (19-for-24 in SB attempts). In traditional 5x5 leagues, Garcia can provide value from the fifth round on. There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. The first of which registered. Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. The shortstop position has become one of the deepest and most talented positions in fantasy baseball over the last decade. Players in the National League knew that Clemente could throw anyone out from anywhere in the ballpark, yet 266 of them feebly tried to advance on his powerful right arm, also known as "El Howitzer.". A shotgun concealed as his right arm, Parker fired baseballs at a ridiculous velocity, resulting in his leading the league with 26 assists in 1977 and finishing his career with 143 assists. When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. The 25-year-old ranks in the 100th percentile in average EV, HardHit%, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and Barrel% while coming in the 99th percentile in MaxEV. He doesn't make a lot of loud contact at the plate . And first basemen, who hardly ever need to throw hard -- only 10 tracked throws all season above 85 mph -- get the average of their top 1%. 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) . A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. Buxton played in only 92 games last year, 61 in 2021, 87 in 2019, and 28 in 2018. Furillo picked up the ball and fired a strike to Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, beating Queen to the bag by two feet. player has saved over his peers. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. . Acquired from the Houston Astros as part of the trade that bought Joe Morgan to the Cincinnati Reds, Cesar Geronimo patrolled center field for the Big Red Machine with aplomb, taking home four Gold Glove awards. (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) He only played in 119 games due to a rare and persistent back injury that will require more rest days going forward, even when healthy. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. . 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. At the age of 21, he didn't take many walks and struggled with strikeouts, but these numbers should improve based on his profile in the minors. 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. 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 . Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. 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. The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. Exit Velocity & Barrels. Where do you draft the superstar who will only play half the season at most? "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second After accumulating 35 assists in his first two seasons, baserunners simply chose not to try and advance when Puckett had the ball in his hand. The charges would later be dropped. 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. The Cardinals seem to regularly find an unheralded rookie who emerges as a key contributor, and in 2022 it was Donovan who started the year as the team's No. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? 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. 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. 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 [!] Arm: RH. His primary downfall when it comes to fantasy value is his 58.6% ground ball rate, which limits his HR and RBI totals. 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. 13-ranked prospect. 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 28-year-old is too talented to leave on the board, so fantasy managers can draft him and send a quick wish into the universe that he plays basically anywhere else in 2023. Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. 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. Yet every year on draft day, there he sits in the ninth or tenth round, and every year we all imagine what an absolute steal that would be if he were to play 140+ games. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. Being a former pitcher who routinely hit the upper 90's will certainly leave you with a powerful throwing arm, but some of the throws that Rick Ankiel has made from the outfield have been ridiculous. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. Byron Buxton staying healthy is the carrot dangling in front of fantasy managers every offseason. Mike Trout missed 30 games at midseason with a back issue and still finished eighth in AL MVP voting while taking home his eighth Silver Slugger Award. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. Steamer projections have him at 43/109/104 for the upcoming season, and his ratios should see a small decline as well. 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. 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. 9. Meanwhile, Boston's Bobby Dalbec currently shows up with a 74.8 average as a first baseman, but he's got plenty of throws north of 80 mph as a third baseman (and, once, a shortstop). 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. 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. Going back to 2015, he has two of the three hardest throws ever tracked by an infielder. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight He was named the MVP of the 1964 All-Star Game, best remembered for his three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Dick Radatz that gave the National League a 7-4 victory. 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. "I don't try to do too much. Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. Mar 12, 2021. The 27-year-old is miscast as a center fielder (-14 DRS, -3.2 UZR/150) and that undercut his overall value a bit. ", In discussing the effects of PED's on players with Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press, Barfield noted the biggest problem that taking PED's has on an outfielder: "They can't get the arm up over the top because of how the muscles are built up. 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? 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. 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. That doesn't happen without Furillo's play. No player had a stronger arm in the 1990's than Vladimir Guerrero. Would anyone be surprised to see him reclaim the No. On Saturday . Carroll's upside is in the 30/30 range, and he should have no trouble sticking as the everyday centerfielder with his plus-defense. Only a starter in four of the 11 seasons he played, Whiten ended his career with 77 assists, an impressive number when you figure that he was often a pinch-hitter or late-inning replacement. 3. Mike Trout unleashed a throw from center field Monday night at Dodger Stadium that looked more . become a hit. His 126 career assists include six consecutive seasons of 10 or more, from 1999 through 2004. 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. Follow @RickWeinerBR Just Missed the Cut 1 of 42 Barry Bonds Shin-Soo Choo Mike Hershberger Andruw Jones Mark. on March 4, 2023. 5 TanteUschi For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Indeed, the 25-year-old came back in late April, immediately began stealing bases, and rewarded fantasy managers who used a high draft pick on him. 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. All rights reserved. The Frisco Classic is one of college baseball's premier early-season tournaments year-in and year-out, and this year's field is strong as usual, headlined by 2021 national champion Mississippi State and 2022 national runner-up Oklahoma. 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. USA TODAY Sports photo. 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. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Pirates starting pitcher Mel Queen hit a fly ball into the gap between right and center. Its sort of like pitching; all things being equal, youd much rather throw 100 mph than 90 mph, but it also might not matter so much if you cant throw strikes. Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have 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. Making a case for him to go 1.1 in 2023 drafts isn't difficult. (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. 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. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. 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. 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. Proving ineffective, the Blue Jays featured one of the worst defensive outfields in the majors last season, ranking 18th in Outs Above Average (-3) and 21st in Defensive Runs Saved (-6),. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from The other draws include his 27 homers and 16 stolen bases, something only J.T. He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. (Catcher throwing arm data has been available for some time and may be found here.). An All-Star for just the second time in his career, he slotted perfectly in the No. Corey Julks. Evans had six seasons of at least 10 assists, and the 157 he has for his career leaves him tied with Andre Dawson. He played one year of baseball for the school, but it was during a football game that his left arm was injured to the point that doctors gave serious consideration to amputating it. Only in baseball can the son of a potato farmer who born and raised on Long Island become Boston's favorite son. 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. Youd be surprised at how complicated it gets. From 1998 through 2002, Bobby Abreu racked up 59 assists patrolling right field for the Philadelphia Phillies. one base to another, like Home To First. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Not only is his arm incredibly strong, it's also accurate. Outfielders get the average of the top 10% of their throws. BY Justin Leger -. Long toss is the commonly mentioned method to strengthening a baseball . 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? It's useful for me because it allows me to see who the fans consider to be the best throwing outfielders. He has power to all fields, bats in the middle of a World Champion lineup, and will protect your ratios in traditional 5x5 leagues and those with advanced categories. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. Judge is the guy if fantasy managers want to shore up their slugging early. 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). With many new faces around him, there is a chance he could drop down, which would harm his value. 2022 Stats: 117 G, .261 BA/.374 OBP/.394 SLG, 19 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 8 SB. Steven Kwan was hard for fantasy managers to believe in last season, but he ended up being the 16th-ranked outfielder in 5x5 leagues when it was all said and done. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. Known primarily as a right fielder, a position he played for 1,283 games, Dawson patrolled center for the Montreal Expos in more than 1,000 games as well. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? 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. 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. 25. He might be an empty batting average/OBP player, though, so don't expect much more than 15 HR if you pick him. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? That's an average of like 5000 fewer innings than the people ahead of him on the list. Arm Strength (ARM) Definition Arm Strength is defined as the maximum velocity of any throw made by a fielder -- with the max velocity always being at the release point, due to physics. It was not his best all-around season by any stretch of the imagination, due in large part to the significant time he spent watching from the sidelines, but it was still good enough for a top-five ranking on this list. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the After Ichiro, Francoeur has the best throwing arm in baseball today. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. But what goes unappreciated is the arm strength of baseball's workhorsesthe infielders. Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw. He famously broke the A.L. With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Realmuto can top at the position. 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. This year, thats all the way up to 90.7 mph, which is about 75th percentile among outfielders. There is a lot to love about O'Neill in fantasy formats, but there is a lot to question as well. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. In early September, he tried to throw out Jose Altuve, who was tagging up on a sacrifice fly. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. Hardly the same, is it? Brandon Nimmo was a 5-WAR player for the first time in his career in 2022, just in time to test the free agency waters. Soto is worth every penny of a top draft pick. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Kris Bryant in Coors Field was supposed to be a party and instead, the guest of honor got plantar fasciitis and played in only 42 games for the entire year. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . I Suzuki 2. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. Hendersons throw was clocked at 85.2 mph, and took 0.87 of a second to reach first base. A shortstop and pitcher in high school, Sheffield played both positions on the left side of the infield until 1994his seventh in the majorswhen he moved to the outfield. pitch. A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. 1 spot on this list for years to come. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out Outfielder Jump. Advanced arm strength, over-the-top arm action. 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. 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. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. At his current ADP of 129, he is an absolute steal, even taking into account that he won't play 150 games. 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. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). Strength is only one aspect of what makes a great throwing arm. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. 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. Ted Kluszewski, who was the Reds' hitting coach when Geronimo arrived and helped Geronimo enjoy a moderate level of success at the plate, explained how impressive his throwing arm was: "(Geronimo) is like a center in basketballhe intimidates you. Pete Rose once attempted to put Valentine's arm in perspective: "They say that I can't throw like Ellis Valentine or run like Tim Raines or hit with power like Mike Schmidt. George Springer continues to appear on the What Could Be All-Star Team after playing 133 games in 2022 while dealing with elbow and knee injuries that left him with many "DTD" tags. 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. Upon his arrival in Detroit, Colavito's arm was so good that it pushed another member of this list, Al Kaline, to center field for the 1960 season. His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. As MLB.com Toms Tango has detailed, when looking at players who have played multiple positions, outfielders consistently throw about 3 mph higher than themselves at shortstop and third, 7 mph higher than at second, and 10 mph than they are at first base.