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. attempt. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. 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. Remember though that depth of. Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. Partly because of time missed due to injury, largely because of his reputation, people generally don't try to run when Ankiel has the ball in his hand, which would help to explain how someone with that strong of an arm has never reached double-digit assists in any season as an outfielder. He was big guy, very strong, very muscular. MLB average for right fielders is about 49 percent. 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. Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. If he returns to 2021 form, he can be a five-category contributor, but he comes with plenty of risk in 2023. 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. In 2022, thats down again, to 76 mph. 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. 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. 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. While the outfielders are chewing grass and staring at the girl behind the dugout, infielders have. In 1985 alone, Barfield doubled up eight runners, to go with his 133 . Anything below 88mph is considered 0. 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. Arm strength is measured on "max effort" throws, or the average above a player's 90th percentile performance. 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. Pirates starting pitcher Mel Queen hit a fly ball into the gap between right and center. Yes, of course. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an The No. The immortal Vin Scully put it best: "Clemente could field the ball in New York, and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.". 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. 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. It's useful for me because it allows me to see who the fans consider to be the best throwing outfielders. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. Baltimore Orioles. A two-time gold glove winner, Mondesi's career high for assists didn't come until 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays, when he threw out 18 baserunners from right field. 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. Where do you draft the superstar who will only play half the season at most? 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. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that 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. The best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . In three seasons, he only has 924 plate appearances, and fantasy managers have been left to wonder what it would look like if he got 600 appearances in one season. He was very muscular for an outfielder Plus he also had one of the best outfield arms of anybody. 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. The 28-year-old is capable of making a greater impact in half a season than most players can in a full 162 games, and he racked up 4.0 WAR and 44 extra-base hits in 92 games this year while earning his first All-Star selection. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. Follow @RickWeinerBR Just Missed the Cut 1 of 42 Barry Bonds Shin-Soo Choo Mike Hershberger Andruw Jones Mark. Let's dive into the top 25 outfielders of the 2022 season. Frelick also climbed three levels in his first full season, and the 2021 first . 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. His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. Obviously. Baseball Savant. Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. primarily for the Cleveland Indians. The tools are all there: Robert has good speed, reduced his strikeout rate in 2022, and his expected slash numbers will be helpful to fantasy squads. The fact that Dave Roberts might deploy him enough at 2B to give him that eligibility is just icing. Back in 2017, a then-19-year-old Ronald Acua Jr. appeared in Miami at the Futures Game. 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. Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning "[Those throws are] something that I do all natural," Acua said at the time. 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. Baseball may never see another player as smooth at the "catch-and-throw" than Al Kaline. The steals are why he goes so early in drafts because it is certainly not his patience at the plate. He is an OF5 being drafted in the OF4 range because of the cliff the position drops off of in drafts. From 1998 through 2002, Bobby Abreu racked up 59 assists patrolling right field for the Philadelphia Phillies. We can't blame the Pirates for Reynolds's increased K% (23.0) and decreased BB% (9.1%), but we certainly can put the onus on them for his putrid runs and RBI numbers. one base to another, like Home To First. From 1986 through 1991, Snyder led the league in assists with a total of 61. Or he could clog your IL for two-thirds of the season. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. He was unsuccessful, but the throw was tracked at 94.8 mph. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. 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. Proportional frame w/ well developed strength and athleticism. 6 yr. ago. Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. He's barely a half-season into his career. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a 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. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. In order to account for that, outfielders receive the average of their top 10% hardest throws as a seasonal average. Then again, Hendersons throw got there about 11% faster. Its hard to think its entirely about Storys move to the right side. one base to another, like Home To First. In 1978, Cromartie and Valentine led the league in outfield assists with 24 apiece. 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. Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. Hes also, so far as Statcast is concerned, the owner of the strongest throwing arm in baseball this season -- or at least thats what being atop the newly released arm strength leaderboards for position players, available publicly for the first time, would imply. + Allen Williams, LHP/OF, Cleveland Central, 2019 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. A lot of things went wrong for Giancarlo Stanton in 2022. 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. If you want to understand how it all works stay right here. He is a pure contact hitter who gets on base and isn't afraid to run (19-for-24 in SB attempts). 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. Meet Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom the Mets selected with their first pick. 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. Headlined by three MVPs, our list of the best corner outfielders is a who's who of top-tier talent in Major League Baseball. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. It's been said that the Indians have been cursed ever since they traded Colavito to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, getting Harvey Kuenn in return. While the play itself was quite amazing, Dodgers starter Ralph Branca would end up taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning before the Pirates would collect two hits off of him. In a down season by his own lofty standards, Juan Soto was still one of the most productive offensive players in the game. Power, speed Turner has it in bunches and has delivered such throughout his career, but he's not alone. Paul Goldschmidt, for example, is an MVP candidate this year, and a borderline Hall of Famer. There may be many ways to arrive at a logical ranking of outfield throwing arms, but assists minus double plays is telling. No player had a stronger arm in the 1990's than Vladimir Guerrero. In total, he made 10 throws of 95-plus mph last season and had three throws of 300 feet or more. 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. There is a lot to love about O'Neill in fantasy formats, but there is a lot to question as well. 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. A lot of his fantasy worth is tied up in whether or not he continues to bat at the top of the lineup. Throughout the year, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position power rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second (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. 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. 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. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Kaline finished his career with 170 career assists. player has saved over his peers. BY Justin Leger -. Yes. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet Warm-down throws 1 set only / Rest the next day. High effort on throws, accurate. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 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. Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. It's baffling why baserunners still try and advance on Jeff Francoeur. 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. All rights reserved. outfield. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second One of baseball's legendary figures and the greatest switch hitter who ever lived, Mickey Mantle's defense and rocket of an arm are often overshadowed by his offensive numbers. 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). He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. games / 5. With runners on the corners and one out, Cardinals shortstop Luis Alicea hit a shot hurtling towards Van Slyke in center fieldone that was certainly deep enough to allow Jose Oquendo to tag up from third base. (Those downsides are only injury concerns (he played in 135 games last year), and his outfield eligibility will probably expire after this season.) xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will 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. For as powerful as Winfield's arm was, it wasn't the most accurate, as Yankees manager Billy Martin opined after the seagull incident: "They say he hit the gull on purpose, They wouldn't say that if they'd seen the throws he'd been making all year. 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. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the He played parts of three seasons in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, recording 10 assists in 70 games. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. The umpire called the runner safe, but it was a bad callClemente's throw beat him to the bag, and it wasn't close. USA TODAY Sports photo. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. 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. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Making a case for him to go 1.1 in 2023 drafts isn't difficult. He will . of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. As for Vlad, well he only had 13,000 innings. With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. If you have the IL spots, his current ADP of around 130 makes sense. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 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. To further test our theory, we took three players from the '60s and '70s who were known to have great arms and looked at their A-DP numbers. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. (And even that one, a force out at home plate, came back in 2015.). He led the league with 17 assists in 1982, and has 166 for his career. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the 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. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the In 2019, 24 players hit 30 home runs or more who qualified at outfield. Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. Ramon Laureano, Oakland Athletics. 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. Owner of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards, Griffey made impossible plays not only possible, but look nowhere near as difficult as they actually were. 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. Suppose he continues to bat atop the Cleveland order and takes advantage of the new baserunning rules. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from Who can?". Melendez is not a good defensive catcher, but he should play enough to retain eligibility there. 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. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. This will probably be the 26-year-old's last season with catcher eligibility, but in non-keeper leagues, he is a good asset. There is hope that the White Sox have realized that Eloy Jimenez is a designated hitter and will deploy him as such in an effort to keep the 26-year-old healthy. Which is a great lead-in to our next question . From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. MLB Power Rankings: Vladimir Guerrero and the 12 Deadliest Outfield Arms Josh Benjamin January 30, 2011 If there's one weapon every baseball team has, it's an outfielder with a cannon for. 12 finisher at outfield on the strength of a .291 average, 33 homers, 83 runs, 89 RBI, and 12 steals. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. and bam, you're dead.". Kyle Schwarber strikes out at such a large clip (29.9 K%) that it is easy to miss his dominance in other fantasy categories. 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 . How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out thrown with. 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. The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. It seems likely that one of Volpe or Peraza will shift over to third base or . Current: Phelps would only play poorly in parts of two seasons in the Bronx. A 12-time Gold Glove winner, 10-time All-Star and the 1966 National League MVP, Roberto Clemente was the prototype for a five-tool player. Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. 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. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. as Active Spin. Early 2023 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings: Top 30 offers an abundance of power-speed bats, but also risk You may think a top 30 only scratches the surface, but outfield thins quickly An intimidating physical presence standing 6'5" and weighing 235 pounds, Dave Parker only exacerbated things by walking around the field with a shotgun. Corbin Carroll mashed his way through the minor league system and arrived in Arizona for his debut in 2022. When he was 13 years old, Shoeless Joe Jackson began pitching on the baseball team of the textile mill in which he worked. The other draws include his 27 homers and 16 stolen bases, something only J.T. Teammate Bob Meusel had a better arm than the Babe, but Ruth wasn't far behind. attempt. Defensively, he is a great player. 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. outfield. 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. Meusel finished his career with 157 assists, including a three-year period from 1921 through 1923 where he racked up 69. No longer an everyday playernor having as strong and accurate an arm as he had in his primeAbreu forces baserunners to show him respect and think twice before running on him. The charges would later be dropped. Mar 12, 2021. Exit Velocity & Barrels. It gets you from Point A to Point B more quickly. 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.