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. Managers who don't grab an outfielder in the first two rounds will still have an ample supply of impact players Yordan lvarez actually played more games at designated hitter (77) than he did in the outfield (56), but since there are not enough everyday DHs for us to do a top 25 list for that position, he's being included here alongside the rest of the league's best outfielders. At his current ADP of 129, he is an absolute steal, even taking into account that he won't play 150 games. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the Melendez is not a good defensive catcher, but he should play enough to retain eligibility there. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight In the bottom of the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners on June 5, 1989, Jackson's arm made one of the great throws in the history of the game. All rights reserved. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield. 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. 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. 5 TanteUschi 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. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. 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. Yet when Meusel had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running the bases was a candidate to get picked off by one of his powerful throws. First, standing at home plate, he only needed three attempts to throw a ball over the center field wall, 410 feet away. thrown with. Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. On Sept. 27, 1988, in front of less than 9,000 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, the Pirates had a 3-2 lead over the Cardinals heading into the ninth inning. You know what you're getting. His throwing arm, whether in use from a dead stop, a running start or from his knees, was a powerful weapon that kept baserunners honest. Remembered more for hitting four home runs in one game than anything else, Mark Whiten's throwing arm was a weapon that he often tried to hide. Speaker refused, worked like a maniac to rehab the arm, and not only went on to become a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest center fielders to ever play the game, but to have one of the best throwing arms that the game has ever seen. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Tris Speaker, one of Cobb's contemporaries, had this to say about Cobb in 1917: "As an outfielder Ty Cobb is unusually good. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? Once he had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running on the bases was a candidate to be thrown out. 1 spot on this list for years to come. Kaline was a master of putting himself in perfect position when a ball was hit in his direction where he would make the catch and fire the ball back into the infield in one, fluid motion. Mays fired the ball back into the infieldby his own admission, he had no idea where the ball was goingbut it stopped Al Rosen from advancing to second base and, more importantly, stopped Larry Doby from scoring, forcing him back to third base. 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. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight Daulton Varsho - 4.6 fWAR. thrown with. 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). In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. Infielders have less time to throw shorter distances. He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. Advanced arm strength, over-the-top arm action. 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. 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. He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. Who can?". (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) Obviously. 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. Mar 12, 2021. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be USA TODAY Sports photo. How quickly a player can get the ball from glove to hand and on its way can sometimes make up for a deficiency in arm strength. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. 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. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. An 18-time All-Star and the last man to win the American League Triple Crown, a feat he achieved in 1967, Carl Yastrzemski played excellent defense in left field and had a strong, accurate throwing arm. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. These should correct to be nearer to his baseline, in which case fantasy managers are drafting a 30/20 guy with high on-base skills who bats smack in the middle of what is, essentially, an All-Star team. 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 batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Every one, that is, except Story. Just make sure you have enough IL slots. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. 1 spot in 2023? Guys who could throw, suddenly can't throw.". Hard to see a difference with the naked eye, right? 2. level 2. In order to qualify for the velocity and launch angle. His sophomore campaign should be a boon to fantasy teams, and he will come at a discount. He falls into the "walk year" category, so he might outperform his projections. Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. Realmuto can top at the position. On Saturday . Tyler O'Neill experienced a litany of injuries in 2022 that inhibited the power he demonstrated in 2021. 7) Al. Its that the demands of different positions are, well, different. There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. Outfielders get the average of the top 10% of their throws. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second No one, I mean no one, runs on him.". Dave Winfield's throwing arm was so powerful that simply warming up in the outfield was a dangerous proposition. 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. play. . While Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is best remembered for Carlton Fisk's dramatic, game-winning and series-extending home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, Evans was responsible for turning a double play in the top of the 11th inning that made Fisk's heroics possible. 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. Remember though that depth of. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Kwan is in the 100th percentile of K% after striking out only 60 times in 638 plate appearances. with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. But all-in-all, the players on this list had an incredible combination of all those skills, making them more likely to throw straight for the base that the play was at rather then hitting the cutoff man. An All-Star for just the second time in his career, he slotted perfectly in the No. It's time to put a bow on the 2022 MLB season with Bleacher Report's final positional rankings. He famously broke the A.L. And he was smart as well as stronghe never threw to the wrong base and kept the double play in order, which, to a pitcher, is BIG.". He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. 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. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. 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. For example, if you're an outfielder and they want you to improve your arm strength for a training period goal, you can pour spare points into arm strength even after meeting your goal;. 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. He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. 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. When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. Those who did generally failed in their attempt to take an extra base, and Puckett finished his career gunning down 142 men on base. Not only is his arm incredibly strong, it's also accurate. 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. Soto is worth every penny of a top draft pick. Frelick also climbed three levels in his first full season, and the 2021 first . Meet Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom the Mets selected with their first pick. Teammate Bob Meusel had a better arm than the Babe, but Ruth wasn't far behind. Defense: Moves through the ball well, gets to the ball quick. Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. 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. one base to another, like Home To First. When he was 13 years old, Shoeless Joe Jackson began pitching on the baseball team of the textile mill in which he worked. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash. His fastball was thrown so hard that he broke a catcher's arm with it, and when nobody else would catch him, they moved him to the outfield. There is a lot of value to be had here. The volume just hasn't been there to truly be a fantasy stud. 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. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year heading into the 2022 season, Arozarena enjoyed his second straight 20/20 season, hitting .263/.327/.445 for a 124 OPS+ with 41 doubles, 20 home runs, 89 RBI and 32 steals. The 21-year old has also shown the speed, instincts, and arm strength that project him as a center fielder long-term. Solid . How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Take Boston second baseman Trevor Story, who had been a very good shortstop with Colorado, and may yet be again if Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts chooses to opt out this winter and depart. 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. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. I thought he (Van Slyke) had no chance, to be honest with you," said Pirates manager Jim Leyland after the game. (For this, well just look at throws on fielded balls, not outfield relays or double play pivots.). Its hard to think its entirely about Storys move to the right side. A prototypical right fielder with plus power and a strong throwing arm, Renfroe was productive once again playing for his fourth team in as many years. Signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. Therein lies the problem, of course. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He is currently going in the 180s and has enough RBI upside to take a flier on him at that ADP. 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 . A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. 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. Who would have guessed an under-the-radar rookie who didn't crack Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list and ranked as the No. 23. Let them. player has saved over his peers. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. In 1985 alone, Barfield doubled up eight runners, to go with his 133 . But its also clear that it doesn't work for other positions. Cobb's 392 outfield assists rank second all-time behind Speaker. Outfielders can get a running start, preparing for a long throw. 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. window.". 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. If you want to understand how it all works stay right here. 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. 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. His arm recorded 195 assists over the course of his career and only adds to his case to be called the greatest of all time. Ruth carried his strong pitching arm into the outfield, where he threw out 204 runners over the course of his career. He is projected as a 15/15 outfielder and worth a look in the double-digit rounds. player has saved over his peers. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet 2 sets / Rest 10 min between sets Warm-down throws Throw on . primarily for the Cleveland Indians. The 25-year-old posted a 128 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 steals in 29 attempts. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Defensively, he is a great player. 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. outfield. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. If you have the IL spots, his current ADP of around 130 makes sense. 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. Vaughn has underestimated power and maintains a good batting average. The left-handed outfielder had a rock solid 2022 season, holding a .281 batting average with 12 home runs while leading the South Atlantic League with 34 doubles joining Project Birmingham. lob after catching the third out of an inning). Expect him to be one of the faces of baseball for the next decade-plus and a strong contender for the No. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. MLB.com lists Ramon Laureano (average 94.8, top 100.1) and Cody Bellinger (101.1 top) as two outfielders with some of the best arms in the league. 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. 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. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. His baseball career almost ended in 1905 when he enrolled at Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". 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 a tenth of a second really doesn't sound like very much. 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). 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. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. In 2022, thats down again, to 76 mph. It was maddening to watch him throw a ball, only because his motion was so fluid that it appeared that he wasn't even tryingyet the ball exploded out of his hand and routinely reached it's destination on the fly. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Pittsburgh has a good long history of trading great players once they reach arbitration, so chances are that he will don a different uniform come Opening Day. 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. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. An All-Star for the second time, he posted a 144 OPS+ and led the Giants with 23 home runs, and that earned him a qualifying offer which he accepted. 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? BY Justin Leger -. It was his hardest throw in nearly three calendar years. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. 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. 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. 14. The stolen bases are most likely gone forever, but he could pair nicely with a speed guy from Round 1. Hardly the same, is it? thrown with. It's understandable that fantasy managers who drafted him thinking they secured a 30/30 guy were disappointed at the end of the season. With a seasoned Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in front of him, Santander will fill your power categories in the tenth round or so. 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. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. Since the demands of each position grouping are different, the averages and qualifiers are different as well. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. Mar 22, 2021. Other concerns include the fact that Judge will be 31 years old for the majority of the season and played in a career-high 157 games last year. 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),. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a [My arm strength] is just something natural.". 9. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. Glen Gorbous might actually have the greatest throwing arm in the history of the world, but because his incredible feats were primarily accomplished outside of game action, he finds himself closer to the bottom of the list. 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. Kyle Schwarber strikes out at such a large clip (29.9 K%) that it is easy to miss his dominance in other fantasy categories. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that as Active Spin. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didn't result in an assist. attempt. Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. The former top prospect posted a 109 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBI, 79 runs scored and 16 steals, and he was a Gold Glove finalist in right field in a 4.9-WAR season. But what goes unappreciated is the arm strength of baseball's workhorsesthe infielders. 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. He led the league with 17 assists in 1982, and has 166 for his career. The 30-year-old slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 HR, 77 RBI, and 71 runs scored. As MLB.com Tom's 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. His 126 career assists include six consecutive seasons of 10 or more, from 1999 through 2004. I think his weakness, so far as he has any, is in his throwing arm. In traditional 5x5 leagues, he can anchor any fantasy outfield you put him in. Not any more. 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. His 149 OPS+ ranked eighth among all qualified hitters and trailed only Aaron Judge (211) and Yordan lvarez (187) among outfielders. 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. He played at least 50 innings at six different positions and hit .281/.394/.379 with 27 extra-base hits and a 12.8 percent walk rate in 126 games, posting a 4.1-WAR season that earned him a third-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting. We dont have Statcast from the early days of his career, of course, but we do have articles from way back in 2014 titled Trout working hard to improve arm strength. In 2019, the L.A. Times detailed the work hed put into improving that relative weakness.