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. When healthy, he was productive atop the Toronto lineup, smacking 25 HR, scoring 89 runs, driving in 76, and even stole 14 bases for good measure. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All 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. His sophomore campaign should be a boon to fantasy teams, and he will come at a discount. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. 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. 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. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. For example, lets take two somewhat similar plays. 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. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. However, he can be a mid-round source of stolen bases either way. Bob Quinn, former president of the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox, had this to say when asked about Bob Meusel: "Meusel's arm was the best I ever saw. The Major League average Pop Time on steal attempts of second base is 2.0 seconds . In 2020, Story averaged 82.3 mph as a Rockies shortstop -- a good-not-great number, slightly below average for shortstops. He just hasn't thrown enough to qualify yet from those spots, and when he does, he'll look like he has a considerably better arm than Goldschmidt which he does. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Melendez is not a good defensive catcher, but he should play enough to retain eligibility there. play. 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. Rankings Top 15 MLB Corner Outfielders for 2023. With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. 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 . Acua maxed out at 101.5 mph this season, and on Aug. 13, he had a 99.1 mph outfield assist, throwing out Joey Wendle trying to stretch a single into a double from the right-field It is difficult to predict what effect the new running rules will have on his SB total, but fantasy managers can safely count on 10-15 in this area. In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. 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.". Current: But what goes unappreciated is the arm strength of baseball's workhorsesthe infielders. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Along with his stellar offensive numbers, Tucker also won his first career Gold Glove while posting stellar defensive metrics (13 DRS, 4.6 UZR/150) in right field. However, he took it to another level Friday night when he unleashed a pair of critical outfield assists. He also posted well-above-average defensive metrics (5 DRS, 19.7 UZR/150) in left field, which makes it much easier to justify including him in these rankings. Top Major League Outfield Arm: Bryce Harper ( Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield How to Identify It: Arm strength is a simple tool to evaluate in comparison to others. 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. Judge is the guy if fantasy managers want to shore up their slugging early. 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. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be player has saved over his peers. Then during a throwing competition where competitors were given a six-step running start, Gorbous launched a ball 445 feet and 10 inches from the right field corner to left field, setting a world record that stands to this day. 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. 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. The strength of the club lies in its outfield with seniors Ethan Beal and Benjamin Jurenko back. 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. 2 spot in the lineup between NL batting title winner Jeff McNeil and the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. 13-ranked prospect. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet 2 sets / Rest 10 min between sets Warm-down throws Throw on . Outfielders get the average of the top 10% of their throws. In 1985 alone, Barfield doubled up eight runners, to go with his 133 . 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . All rights reserved. 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 Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team In fact, if we look at the 16 fielders who had enough throws to qualify at both second base and shortstop this year, plus Story, and look at their comparisons on both sides of the bag every single one had a harder average throw from the left side than the right side, by an average of 5.3 mph. 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. Arm: RH. One such metric is the number of outfield assists a player has recorded in their career. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Oscar Gonzalez does not take walks. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. . 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. More often than not, your eyes will not be deceived by what is displayed on a throw. 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. 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. Zerby, a sophomore outfielder, hit .365 with 8 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. 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. Not only is his arm incredibly strong, it's also accurate. Its been well over a year since his last 80 mph+ throw, much of which he spent at shortstop; Arizonas Ketel Marte, comparatively, has six such throws just this month. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA), 1B -- average of top 1% of throws -- minimum 100 throws to qualify, 2B/SS/3B -- average of top 5% of throws -- minimum 75 throws to qualify, OF -- average of top 10% of throws -- minimum 50 throws to qualify. Default = Experts with most recent updates. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that one base to another, like Home To First. 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. pitch. 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 slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. as Active Spin. Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield Since there are three times as many outfielders as there are other positions on the diamond, it made sense to add an honorable mention list of 25 guys onto our top 25 list. play. 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 shortstop position has become one of the deepest and most talented positions in fantasy baseball over the last decade. Pop Time to 2B: 1.6 sec to 2.5 sec Pop Time to 3B: 1.2 sec to 2.5 sec Exchange: .4 sec to 1.3 sec 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. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was The 21-year old has also shown the speed, instincts, and arm strength that project him as a center fielder long-term. A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. When you call Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth your teammates, you tend to get overlooked. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw.". 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. The Coors effect isn't going to bring the 31-year-old back near his prime, but he should put up better numbers in 2023 and recently stated he would be ready to go for Spring Training. produces a result. Every one, that is, except Story. Current: 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. If strikeouts count against you in your league, then you might want to stay clear of Adolis Garcia. At. Mike Trout is finally a 5-tool player. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second 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. 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.