14. With the Montreal Expos, Valentine was part of a young, talented outfield that included Warren Cromartie and Andre Dawson. Known primarily for his throwing arm, Glenn Wilson threw out 38 runners between 1985 and 1986, leading the league in assists each season. Ruth carried his strong pitching arm into the outfield, where he threw out 204 runners over the course of his career. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. 25. He is projected as a 15/15 outfielder and worth a look in the double-digit rounds. He even threw a ball 100.8 mph on April 21, though it didn't result in an assist. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. Not only is his arm incredibly strong, it's also accurate. He finished his career with 89 assists in 877 games played, which means that, on average, Snyder threw out a runner every 10 games. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. MLB Advanced Media, LP. 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. While "The Catch" is unquestionably one of the great plays in the history of the game, the part of the play that is often overlooked is the throw that Willie Mays made immediately following it. 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. Default = Experts with most recent updates. It only took two years for the American League to learn that you can't run on Kirby Puckett, a 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove award winner. 7) Al. The Cubs surprisingly held onto him at the trade deadline despite significant interest, and he now enters a contract year looking to build off his breakout performance. From 1998 through 2002, Bobby Abreu racked up 59 assists patrolling right field for the Philadelphia Phillies. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. The 28-year-old is too talented to leave on the board, so fantasy managers can draft him and send a quick wish into the universe that he plays basically anywhere else in 2023. player has saved over his peers. Just make sure you have enough IL slots. Solid . His throwing arm used to be a relative weakness. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out 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. Honestly, he doesn't take many pitches, period, as he sits in the first percentile in chase rate. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be 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. He hit 11 homers, stole 18 bases, and slashed .283/.312/.403 in 153 games. 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. Youd be surprised at how complicated it gets. 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. He also led the majors with 200 strikeouts and was a below average defender (-14 DRS, -13.7 UZR/150), but he still finished with a 130 OPS+ and 2.2 WAR in 155 games as an impact bat atop the Philadelphia lineup. His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . Some, obviously, but its not everything. USA TODAY Sports photo. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. outfield. 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. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. Aaron Judge put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history in 2022, setting the AL record with 62 home runs while making a legitimate run at the Triple Crown by hitting .311/.425/.686 with 131 RBI and 133 runs scored. velocity and launch angle. 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. 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). time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. Taylor Ward's breakout in his fifth MLB season was interrupted by a nagging hamstring injury that cut into his ability to be a consistent fantasy asset. Soto is worth every penny of a top draft pick. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? 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. 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. 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. A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. Let them. 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. Pete Rose once attempted to put Valentine's arm in perspective: "They say that I can't throw like Ellis Valentine or run like Tim Raines or hit with power like Mike Schmidt. 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. 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. Mullins didn't quite match the out-of-nowhere 30/30 season he put together in 2021, but he was still one of the game's better everyday center fielders. You don't currently have any notifications, Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Signed to a four-year, $79 million deal during the offseason, Schwarber slugged an NL-leading 46 home runs in his first season with the Phillies. His OBP was the second-lowest of his career at .323, but his xwOBA was .375, so hopefully, some improvement is in the cards for 2023. 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. When he was 13 years old, Shoeless Joe Jackson began pitching on the baseball team of the textile mill in which he worked. Those who did generally failed in their attempt to take an extra base, and Puckett finished his career gunning down 142 men on base. 5) Wait, is Mike Trout actually improving at yet another thing? 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. 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. Yes. 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. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. Interval Throwing Program for Outfield / PositionPlayers. Theres a lot of lobs and non-competitive throws. His sophomore campaign should be a boon to fantasy teams, and he will come at a discount. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an (Catcher throwing arm data has been available for some time and may be found here.). How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. attempt. At the time his throw slapped into first baseman Ryan Mountcastle's glove, Longoria's throw was still 15 feet away from his own first baseman, Wilmer Flores. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. The organization's top four prospects, including all three Top 100 representatives, play the outfield, headlined by 2022 breakout star Jackson Chourio. OF-95 mph. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. Defense: Moves through the ball well, gets to the ball quick. 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. 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. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. His 10 hardest throws of the season are as an outfielder, and his 20 hardest throws are at positions other than second base. Rojas is the club's fourth-ranked prospect, and with a bit of fine-tuning. While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. Then again, Hendersons throw got there about 11% faster. 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. as Active Spin. 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. 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. Home Run record with 62, scoring 133 runs, driving in 131, and stealing 16 bases to boot. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Ugly defensive metrics (-15 DRS, -17.7 UZR/150) and the fact that he was essentially a platoon player (57 PA vs. LHP) kept Pederson from ranking any higher, but he was a terrific bargain on a one-year, $6 million deal. In 2020, Story averaged 82.3 mph as a Rockies shortstop -- a good-not-great number, slightly below average for shortstops. 6) Do first basemen really ever have to throw hard? In Game 6 of the 1971 World Series (the throw can be seen in the video around the 1:20 mark), Clemente unleashed a throw from deep in the right field corner towards third base, trying to nail the runner. The bad news for Nick Castellanos was a 46-point drop in his batting average in 2022. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be 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. On Sept. 14, Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson had to make a 100-ft throw from third to first. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was 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. Reynolds hit 27 HR and slashed .262/.345/.461 and yet scored 74 runs and knocked in only 62. 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 seven-time All-Star who won only one Gold Glove award, Reggie Smith had one of the great throwing arms of the 1970's. He was named the MVP of the 1964 All-Star Game, best remembered for his three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Dick Radatz that gave the National League a 7-4 victory. Buhner merely went on to hit more than 300 home runs and become one of the most beloved Mariners of all-time. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. 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. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). I think his weakness, so far as he has any, is in his throwing arm. Some forget that before he was saving baseball with his bat, Babe Ruth was a heck of a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will The No. 45-Foot Phase Activity Number ofThrows. No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. The 31-year-old hits the ball hard, in the 90th percentile in HardHit% and maxEV, and his BB% is a stellar 13.1%. If you want to understand how it all works stay right here. A mainstay in Boston for nearly 20 years, Dwight Evans is the owner of eight Gold Glove awards and one of the best throwing arms of the 70's and 80's. on March 4, 2023. Teammate Bob Meusel had a better arm than the Babe, but Ruth wasn't far behind. However, he took it to another level Friday night when he unleashed a pair of critical outfield assists. These are available back to 2020, that being when Hawk-Eye was installed in all 30 stadiums as the hardware that powers Statcast. Another outfield prospect the Cardinals traded away before he broke out, Garca had a 31-homer rookie season in 2021, but he was a more well-rounded offensive player this season.
