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. 1 spot in 2023? Current: Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals/New York Yankees. He is one of the best pure hitters in the game today, and the six-year, $115 million extension he signed in June already looks like an absolute steal for the Astros. His 2.3 BB/9 in 123.1 minor league innings is a good indication of his ability to throw strikes, so he just needs to settle in at the MLB level and avoid further arm issues. Fantasy baseball 2021 outfield rankings - MLB Aristides Aquino (Reds): 101.6 mph, April 9 vs. Braves 2. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the The 27-year-old became the first 30/30 player in Orioles history, hitting .291/.360/.518 with 37 doubles, 30 home runs and 30 steals while finishing fourth in the league in hits (175), sixth in total bases (312) and 10th in OPS+ (135). He doesn't hit for power and he doesn't steal bases, and at 33, his best days are behind him. Its not as if my defense pick, Andrelton Simmons, has a poor arm. Los Angeles Dodgers. Previous picks: DJ LeMahieu (hit), Aaron Judge (power), Ronald Acua Jr. (run), Matt Chapman (defense). For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Similarly, Grisham has played fewer than 120 games in the Majors. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rest of Season Rankings | FantasyPros Tier One 3. 2 spot in the lineup between NL batting title winner Jeff McNeil and the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. An All-Star for just the second time in his career, he slotted perfectly in the No. Its certainly not about skill, and combined with Simmons fundamentals and defensive savvy, look out. The 31-year-old hit .283/.369/.630 for a 178 OPS+ while slugging 40 home runs in just 499 plate appearances, and his 6.3 WAR still ranked sixth among all American League players. 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. Catch up on the 2021 MLB Player Rankings series:Catchers,First Basemen,Second Basemen, Third Basemen,Shortstops. 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. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. The 23-year-old had more walks (145) than strikeouts (93) on his way to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage. 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. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff The 23-year-old is expected to return sometime during the first half of next season. His 10.6 WAR led all of baseball, as did his ridiculous 211 OPS+ meaning he was more than twice as productive as the average hitter. In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was named the #1 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season, and Ariel Cohen was the top ranker in 2019. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. He racked up 4.7 WAR despite missing 35 games early in the season with a fractured rib. Fantasy managers can still find some starting-caliber outfielders in this tier. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to 23. The deal to acquire him from the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2020 season in exchange for prospect Matthew Liberatore looks like a major win. Unless you go with a starting. He failed to maintain a red-hot start in his first season with the team, but he put together the best year of his career in 2021, hitting .309/.362/.576 for a 136 OPS+ with 38 doubles, 34 home runs and 100 RBI for a career-high 3.2 WAR. The 30-year-old showed a less patient approach at the plate, which resulted in a middling .318 on-base percentage, but his power production is enough to earn him a spot here. Yelich and Bellinger, the National League MVP Award winners in 2018 and '19, respectively, turned in disappointing campaigns a season ago, but were expecting big things from both in '21. 2021 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Preview: Expert rankings breakdown He hit .271 with a .349 on-base percentage, tallying 34 extra-base hits, 30 steals and 3.2 WAR, and he was also a Gold Glove finalist in center field. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a produces a result. Previous picks: Michael Brantley (hit), Nelson Cruz (power), Trea Turner (run), Kevin Kiermaier (defense). window.". 1B -- average of top 1% of throws -- minimum 100 throws to qualify. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. SL is only true secondary right now at 78-83 with hard, sharp, late bite. 25 attempts). The last time we saw him, he struggled his way to a 28.6% strikeout rate and a .220 average while missing almost two-thirds of the season. 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. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an His middling defense (-6 DRS, -4.8 UZR/150) and the time he missed kept him from ranking any higher. pitch. Updated Farm System Rankings for Every MLB Team at the Start of 2021 This tier includes a number of power-speed options, led by Tucker and Robert, who both went 30/30 in the Minors in 2019 and continued to contribute on multiple fronts in '20. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on early spring training action. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Last year, Jimenez made exactly the kind of strides you want to see in a young player: A lower strikeout rate, a nearly thirty-point increase in average, a higher average exit velocity, and a massive spike in home runs. 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. Esten McLaren. speorg note iceland myth April 14, 2023 0 Comments 9:40 am. In a down year by his standards, Betts was still a 4.2 WAR player. Red Sox. The chief among them is J.D Martinez, the former best hitter in baseball who is now trying to recover from a disastrous 2020 season. Merrifield led the league in steals twice from 2017-2018 but was held to just 20 steals in 2019, his first season after turning 30. Along with the 89 games he played in the outfield, he also spent time at second base (46), shortstop (23) and third base (11). But the best of the best can fire lasers directly at their targets, from any position. Tatis, of course, was a sensation in just about every way as a rookie in 2019, and his throwing ability was no exception. Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning 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. Tampa Bay Rays Record Last 10 . The 26-year-old made notable strides at the plate in 2020, posting the best chase rate (14.1%, second lowest in MLB), walk rate (15.6%), hard-hit rate (43.2%) and barrel rate (12.5%) of his career. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Expect Bellinger to return to his MVP form this season. With the injury-prone label fading after back-to-back healthy seasons, teams can feel a bit more comfortable signing him to a long-term deal this winter, and he hits the open market for the first time as one of the highest profile players in the history of MLB free agency. Cedric Mullins hit .225/.290/.342 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 115 games scattered across his first three big league seasons. This is a concerning trend for a player who's really only had half a season of elite fantasy value in his entire career. Or, he could be in minors by July. 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. It must be noted here that Tatis did have an issue with throwing miscues that drove down his overall defensive value. 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. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. This all resulted in the worst season of his career, and at 34, it's clear his best days are behind him. outfield. 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. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. 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). Myles Straw, Houston Astros/Cleveland Guardians. player has saved over his peers. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. 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. 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. Even during his struggles last year, Laureano still managed to put together a .338 on-base percentage, and he is just one year removed from hitting .288 with 24 home runs and 13 steals. 17. 1 spot on this list for years to come. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. He also quietly held his own in right field (3 DRS, 2.0 UZR/150) after posting negative defensive metrics in left field previously, and his 7.1 WAR led all outfielders and ranked fifth among all players in 2021. Merrifield's stealing ability is the difference between him being a solid, dependable mid-draft option and from him being one of the best fantasy outfielders in the game. Will Bednar. To qualify for inclusion, a player had to have at least 200 plate appearances. A former Gold Glove winner in left field, he is a roughly average defender in center field. The 33-year-old hit .307 with runners in scoring position, and he had a .937 OPS in 205 plate appearances after the All-Star break. 2 prospect in baseball when the season began, he lived up to the hype and then some by hitting .284/.345/.509 with 25 doubles, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 84 runs scored and 25 steals in 132 games. You can make a case for a number of players to go first overall in 2021 drafts, but were giving Acua a slight edge over Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Heres the 23-year-olds per-162-game averages over the past two seasons: 45 homers, 37 steals, 105 RBIs and 139 runs with a .274/.374/.531 slash line. Arozarena is coming off a postseason for the ages, on top of a strong finish in the regular season. 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. 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. 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. We would appreciate your support by either turning off your adblocker or signing up for our ad-free subscription tier.Thanks for being a reader! the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed This is not to say Santander is a bad player. 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). The so-called five-tool player is a special breed, as those who truly rate above average in each category are extremely rare. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. He also improved dramatically on defense, recording +2 Outs Above Average after finishing at -13 in just 53 games in the field in 2019, so his glove is no longer a reason to keep him out of the lineup. Hardest OF assists, 2022 1. Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App 9. Let's keep our 2021 MLB Player Rankings series rolling with a look at the top 25 outfielders. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second When Michael Harris II made his MLB debut on May 28, 2022, he was just a few months past his 21st birthday and had played just 43 games at the Double-A level, jumping over Triple-A entirely. G Jenkins 8. Catch up on the Top 25 in 2022 series: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen, Shortstops, Third Basemen. Laureanos arm is best known for the throw mentioned above, which resulted in a double play after he caught a fly ball hit by Justin Upton at Angel Stadium. Still two years away from arbitration, he will be a cornerstone player for the cost-conscious Rays. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an 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. His 5.7 WAR was second on the AL West champions roster, behind only Carlos Correa. 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. 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) . The speedy Straw was an everyday player for the first time in 2021, first replacing George Springer in center field in Houston before the Astros traded him to Cleveland at the deadline. But Bellinger is one of only three outfielders with a tracked throw over 101 mph last season -- Hunter Renfroe and Aristides Aquino are the others -- and that wasn't the first time he hit triple-digit velo on a throw from the outfield (he also did it once during the 2018 postseason). With that, he became just the second player in Astros history with a 30-homer, 25-steal season, joining Hall of Famer first baseman Jeff Bagwell who did it twice. Translation: Realmuto dominates the catcher throwing department. Tier 1: Ronald Acua Jr., Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper. Through all the excess options, it becomes even more important to find the top values and to not settle for "good enough" production. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Hernndez (.919 OPS) and Gurriel (.882 OPS) are looking to validate their breakouts, and Conforto is, too, to an extent. He logged a 104 OPS+ with 52 extra-base hits, 34 steals and 3.8 WAR in 156 games, and he still has three seasons of club control remaining for an Orioles team on the rise. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. Updated 2021 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings | Fantasy News An absolute sleeper in Tier 6 in Kyle Lewis' Mariners teammate, Dylan Moore. Acuna was squarely among the NL MVP front-runners when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on July 10. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didnt result in an assist. 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. 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. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. 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. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? Along with a .199 average and 213 strikeouts, he led the AL with 111 walks and had a solid .351 on-base percentage.