1 spot in 2023? Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. as Active Spin. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Athletically built at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, the right-handed hitter barreled ball after ball with an average EV of 94.7 and top of 100.6 mph, while hitting the sweet spot at a 71 percent clip. 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 organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. His primary downfall when it comes to fantasy value is his 58.6% ground ball rate, which limits his HR and RBI totals. Steamer projections have him hitting another 40 and maybe crossing the century mark on runs and RBI if anyone aside from Shohei Ohtani shows up to play in L.A. Van Slyke would finish his career with five Gold Gloves and 107 assists. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. Furillo picked up the ball and fired a strike to Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, beating Queen to the bag by two feet. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. So, here are the leaders in ARM over the past three years: Alfonso Soriano - +25.6 runs Jeff Francoeur - +23.4 runs Ichiro Suzuki - +12.5 runs Nick Markakis - +10.8 runs Michael Cuddyer - +10.4. Nicknamed the "Reading Rifle," Furillo led all outfielders in assists in 1951 with 24, and he has 151 for his career. That holds true when you realize hes still played some left side in the shift, and his hardest throw from there was this 75.1 mph throw in April. Longoria, who at nearly 37 years old has the weakest qualified third base arm (75 mph), got his off at 76.6 mph and it took his throw 0.97 of a second to get to first. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. The 26-year-old and his new found power led the Astros system with 31 HR in 130 games, all coming in Triple-A. Its an important one, too. That's an average of like 5000 fewer innings than the people ahead of him on the list. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit 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. The outfield will be the foundation of many fantasy teams in 2021. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. The 25-year-old posted a 128 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 steals in 29 attempts. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out ), Slice and dice them as you like. 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. 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. 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. produces a result. What Gonzalez weirdly does well is make contact, as his K% is 20, and he deploys this skill in the enviable position of batting directly behind Jose Ramirez. 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),. The No. Outfielders with strong throwing arms not only result in outs, but they make the opposition think twice about even trying to run when they have the ball in their hands. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. 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. Fantasy managers dream each spring of a full season of this production, and if he manages to get to 500 plate appearances, he could be a steal at his current ADP of 78. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out The 31-year-old hits the ball hard, in the 90th percentile in HardHit% and maxEV, and his BB% is a stellar 13.1%. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. There is a lot of value to be had here. 1 among shortstops over the last three years, ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. Cruz has five of the six hardest shortstop throws this year, and eight of the top 13. Were talking raw speed here, not accuracy. 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? However, the 25-year-old smashed 30 HR with 107 RBI, 71 runs, and 25 stolen bases in 2022 en route to another World Series win for the Astros. Those who did generally failed in their attempt to take an extra base, and Puckett finished his career gunning down 142 men on base. Hes also No. Reynolds hit 27 HR and slashed .262/.345/.461 and yet scored 74 runs and knocked in only 62. Since the demands of each position grouping are different, the averages and qualifiers are different as well. 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. No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. lob after catching the third out of an inning). 6) Do first basemen really ever have to throw hard? Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. Harris, 2022's No. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Greene played well in center field, finishing in the 71st percentile in Outs Above Average, 67th percentile in arm strength and 75th percentile in outfielder jump, according to Statcast. 8 prospect in the game. He played in 142 games in 2022, batting first in the lineup in all of them. His slash line was an other-worldly .311/.425/.686 with an xwOBA of .463 and wRC+ of 207. (Catcher throwing arm data has been available for some time and may be found here.). Exit Velocity & Barrels. The biggest downside is that he most likely does not have OF eligibility in your league, so make sure your UTIL slot is free for him. 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. He is in the top 10 percent in maxEV and xBA, and the new SB rules could benefit someone with his speed. 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. A three-time All-Star, Andy Van Slyke was one of the more underrated players in baseball during his career. Long toss is the commonly mentioned method to strengthening a baseball . games / 5. It's understandable that fantasy managers who drafted him thinking they secured a 30/30 guy were disappointed at the end of the season. 1 / 20. Cobb's 392 outfield assists rank second all-time behind Speaker. (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. He missed time in the middle of the season with a finger injury he incurred while stealing a base, or he would have probably joined the 30/30 Club. one base to another, like Home To First. He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. But its also clear that it doesn't work for other positions. become a hit. However, he took it to another level Friday night when he unleashed a pair of critical outfield assists. 12 finisher at outfield on the strength of a .291 average, 33 homers, 83 runs, 89 RBI, and 12 steals. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. 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. One of the greatest defensive centerfielders to play the game, Jim Edmonds played with a reckless abandon, often launching his body into the air or wall to make a catch. + Allen Williams, LHP/OF, Cleveland Central, 2019 He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. He was very muscular for an outfielder Plus he also had one of the best outfield arms of anybody. From his Rookie of the Year season in 1977 through 1983, Dawson averaged nearly 10 assists a season, racking up 69 over those seven years, including a career high 17 in 1978. The 27-year-old is miscast as a center fielder (-14 DRS, -3.2 UZR/150) and that undercut his overall value a bit. Pittsburgh Pirates coach Rich Donnelly explains: ""He eggs you on. 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. With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Some, though, might just not have had the opportunity elsewhere to show it. Some of them might just have weak arms, which is why they're at first base in the first place. Therein lies the problem, of course. 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 25-year-old outfielder hit everything in sight at Double-A Corpus Christi, slashing .324/.411/.616 with 20 home runs in 93 games . This year, thats all the way up to 90.7 mph, which is about 75th percentile among outfielders. Meet Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom the Mets selected with their first pick. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. Not that his arm is weak by any means but it is not his strongest point.". Now it's time to finalize those rankings while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position. on March 4, 2023. For example, lets take two somewhat similar plays. Top Major-League Arm: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) All-Time Tool: Jesse Barfield Ramon Laureano, Oakland Athletics. 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. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. With a seasoned Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in front of him, Santander will fill your power categories in the tenth round or so. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Its the chicken-and-the-egg question of our times. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed All rights reserved. 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. The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . 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. 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;. Michael Harris II played 43 games in Double-A last year before getting called up to the majors and proceeded to hit 19 HR, steal 20 bases, and slash .297/.339/.514 on his way to winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. He was big guy, very strong, very muscular. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. 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). He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. and 32 degrees. The Major League average Pop Time on steal attempts of second base is 2.0 seconds . with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Ad - content continues below. 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. "I don't try to do too much. Let them. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. Sure but mostly on relays home from the outfield, or sometimes on double play attempts. Kwan is in the 100th percentile of K% after striking out only 60 times in 638 plate appearances. 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. But at the end of the day, fantasy managers are drafting him for his elite speed and ability to steal bases, a skill that may get even better depending on how the new baserunning rules play out. The 29-year-old hit .274/.367/.433 with 30 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI and 102 runs scored as the table-setter atop the Mets' lineup, and he once again played a roughly league-average center field. 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. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. 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. It's not natural. 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. To qualify for inclusion, a player simply had to have at least 200 plate appearances. Once he had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running on the bases was a candidate to be thrown out. 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. velocity and launch angle. Harris should be a 20/20 guy for the foreseeable future, and he is surrounded in the lineup by guys who will boost his counting stats. . 14. 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. A full season alongside Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the San Diego Padres lineup would provide him with the best protection he's had at any point in his career, and with free agency fast approaching after the 2024 season he's playing for a huge payday. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second