Oscar Gonzalez does not take walks. . The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Teammate Bob Meusel had a better arm than the Babe, but Ruth wasn't far behind. 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. The respect that his arm commands explains why he has only 97 career assists, a relatively low number for a man with such a powerful weapon at his disposal. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight The Arkansas commit is an explosive athlete that burned a 6.62 in the 60-yard dash, then showcased a sizzler of an arm, 90 mph across the infield and 95 . the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed The 25-year-old set a new career high in 2022 in games played and still didn't crack 100, finishing at 98 with a variety of ailments and injuries derailing any sort of rhythm he could get. 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. Exit Velocity & Barrels. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. 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. However, he took it to another level Friday night when he unleashed a pair of critical outfield assists. It's possible they leave him in the 2-slot, especially until Bryce Harper returns, in which case he will continue to score runs and increase his RBI total. 1) Oneil Cruz has to be the hardest-throwing shortstop, right? These are available back to 2020, that being when Hawk-Eye was installed in all 30 stadiums as the hardware that powers Statcast. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. He leads all active outfielders in career assists with 134. The immortal Vin Scully put it best: "Clemente could field the ball in New York, and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania.". 25. To get past that, the averages work like this. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in Pirates starting pitcher Mel Queen hit a fly ball into the gap between right and center. One answer to that is in the context of his new position; 76 mph is one of the weakest marks of any regular second baseman. 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. Yes. become a hit. Playing for the Cleveland Indians minor league team in the Pacific Coast League in 1956, Colavito threw a ball from home plate 436 feet, watching it land well beyond the centerfield wall. A lot of things went wrong for Giancarlo Stanton in 2022. It's a risky proposition, but the payoff could be incredible. 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. Nicknamed "The Hawk" for his ability to track down any fly ball that came his way, Dawson's right arm should have required a permit to travel between Canada and the United States. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle In eight years of Statcast tracking, only two first baseman throws have come in above 91 mph, and each of them -- both from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., one shown below -- were on relays. Steven Kwan put together a 5.5-WAR debut season with an old school game built on contact ability, speed and defense. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from Daulton Varsho - 4.6 fWAR. USA TODAY Sports photo. He's also had nearly 2,000 tracked throws since Statcast came online in 2015, and exactly one of them -- one! Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). (Catcher throwing arm data has been available for some time and may be found here.). 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. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet 2 sets / Rest 10 min between sets Warm-down throws Throw on . Luis Mieses OF (Prev. With 5.3 WAR, he joined Jason Heyward (6.4, 2010) and Dusty Baker (5.1, 1972) as the only rookie outfielders in Atlanta Braves history with a 5-WAR season, and he edged out teammate Spencer Strider for NL Rookie of the Year honors. 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. His 195 career assists leave him tied with another member of our list who you may have heard of, Willie Mays. The Frisco Classic is one of college baseball's premier early-season tournaments year-in and year-out, and this year's field is strong as usual, headlined by 2021 national champion Mississippi State and 2022 national runner-up Oklahoma. 1 spot in 2023? He is a pure contact hitter who gets on base and isn't afraid to run (19-for-24 in SB attempts). (He has 14 harder throws from the right side, though obviously in far more opportunities. with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. 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. That's the case with Bob Meusel, who was actually a slightly below-average fielder for his time. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the 1 / 20. Baseball is largely played in terms of feet and seconds, and they all add up quickly. 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). When he makes contact, Arozarena's elite maxEV will allow good things to happen. Run: 7.10 runner in the 60. 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. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. After injuries limited him to just 78 games in his first season with the Blue Jays, Springer bounced back with a 131 OPS+ in 133 games while earning his fourth career All-Star selection. games / 5. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second This year, thats all the way up to 90.7 mph, which is about 75th percentile among outfielders. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. Current: 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. 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. It can be used to evaluate outfielders on attempted assists, catchers on stolen base and pickoff throws, and infielders on throws across the diamond. Phelps would only play poorly in parts of two seasons in the Bronx. The volume just hasn't been there to truly be a fantasy stud. The Cardinals seem to regularly find an unheralded rookie who emerges as a key contributor, and in 2022 it was Donovan who started the year as the team's No. Ken Griffey Jr. is one player you look at and bemoan "Had he only been able to stay healthy". How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. 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). 7) Al. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. A three-time All-Star, Andy Van Slyke was one of the more underrated players in baseball during his career. Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. In 2020, his average on competitive throws was 86.6 mph, an almost exactly-average number. Here we go. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Buxton played in only 92 games last year, 61 in 2021, 87 in 2019, and 28 in 2018. Heres all of 2022s Braves. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. 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. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. 13-ranked prospect. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. He contributed across all batting categories, slugging 28 HR with 75 RBI, 84 runs, and 25 stolen bases. Ari Bethea, Collierville (TN), 2025 Positional Profile: RHP/OF Body: 6-1, 192-pounds. His HR tally dropped from 34 to 14 and games played went from 132 to 96. Based on three separate categories (Release, Strength and Accuracy) here are the owners of the top outfield in 2005 according to the fans: Top-Ranked Outfield Arms, Fans' Scouting Report 1. His arm strength is middling, but he makes good throws nonetheless. 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. Lin features another true 70-grade arm that plays at that level in games and fits well in right field. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. 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. Hard to believe he was that agile. Buxton has essentially played one full season's worth of games over the past two years, posting a 150 OPS+ with 47 home runs and 8.5 WAR in 153 games since the start of 2021. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 5 TanteUschi on March 4, 2023. pitch. 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. 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. And first basemen, who hardly ever need to throw hard -- only 10 tracked throws all season above 85 mph -- get the average of their top 1%. 25 attempts). 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. He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. 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. 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. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. The first of which registered. 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. 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. Its not that his arm suddenly got weaker on the right side of the infield, of course. produces a result. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. 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. Which is a great lead-in to our next question . window.". 3. Pop Time to 2B: 1.6 sec to 2.5 sec Pop Time to 3B: 1.2 sec to 2.5 sec Exchange: .4 sec to 1.3 sec The 26-year-old and his new found power led the Astros system with 31 HR in 130 games, all coming in Triple-A. Seiya Suzuki arrived to MLB and kicked off his career in the States with a bang, hitting four HR and getting on base at a .398 clip. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. Then again, Hendersons throw got there about 11% faster. 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. It's not natural. That out of the way, lets ask some of the fun questions. On August 4, 1983, while warming up in the outfield with one of the Toronto Blue Jays' ball boys in the middle of the fifth inning, Winfield's throw hit a passing seagull, killing the bird and found Winfield arrested for cruelty to animals. primarily for the Cleveland Indians. Outfielders can get a running start, preparing for a long throw. Baseball Savant. 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. Some, obviously, but its not everything. Let them. His 10 hardest non-relay/pivot throws on the right side of the infield average 75.7 mph, maxing out at 78.2 mph. A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. 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. Headlined by three MVPs, our list of the best corner outfielders is a who's who of top-tier talent in Major League Baseball. Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. Signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. Harris, 2022's No. Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. Nicknamed "Muscles," Mantle's throws were both accurate and strong. one base to another, like Home To First. Before last season, the fantasy community almost unanimously labeled him a second-year bust, but the 29-year-old responded by improving his slash line across the board. Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. Jesse Barfield could always throw, and anyone who challenged his arm generally found themselves on the losing end of the battle. Proportional frame w/ well developed strength and athleticism. In stints with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, Smith threw out 127 runners from the outfield, spending significant time in both center field and right field. From 2000 through 2004, Edmonds tallied at least 10 assists a season, and he finished with 131 for his career. 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. Youd be surprised at how complicated it gets. 23. "I don't try to do too much.