Corbin Carroll mashed his way through the minor league system and arrived in Arizona for his debut in 2022. He was one of only two qualified hitters with a strikeout rate below 10 percent, and he also won Gold Glove honors thanks to his brilliant defensive metrics (21 DRS, 8.4 UZR/150) in left field. With the score tied at three and Harold Reynolds on first, Seattle catcher Scott Bradley hit a double to left. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. If you want to get to the fun stuff -- the leaderboards, and fun questions about them -- feel free to skip to the part about Oneil Cruz. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Some, obviously, but its not everything. This Eaton is a speedy infielder who seems more useful in the outfield, where he can leverage his range and strong arm into GIF-worthy plays. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from He led the league with 17 assists in 1982, and has 166 for his career. He finished his career with 109 assists, 61 of which came in a four-year period for the Philadelphia Phillies, from 1984 through 1987. 15. Mlb Outfield Arm Strength Rankings There is no definitive answer when it comes to ranking MLB outfielders by arm strength, but there are a few metrics that can be used to make an educated guess. Let's meet the 40 players who had the best outfield arms in the history of the game. The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. Steamer projections have him at 43/109/104 for the upcoming season, and his ratios should see a small decline as well. player has saved over his peers. While the outfielders are chewing grass and staring at the girl behind the dugout, infielders have. 27 prospect in the Cleveland organization would finish as one of the 10 best outfielders in baseball? Heres Astros outfielders, since 2020. Tris Speaker, one of Cobb's contemporaries, had this to say about Cobb in 1917: "As an outfielder Ty Cobb is unusually good. Heres all of 2022s Braves. It's baffling why baserunners still try and advance on Jeff Francoeur. Just look at the 2022 averages on competitive throws from those positions. Solid . 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. No one, I mean no one, runs on him.". How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. 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). However, his 30+ HR, 100+ runs, and solid advanced metrics will contribute across the board, and he is worthy of a late first-round pick. 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. However, his .336 BABIP is unsustainable and will take a bite out of his batting average when it corrects. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. The 31-year-old hits the ball hard, in the 90th percentile in HardHit% and maxEV, and his BB% is a stellar 13.1%. Signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. If there is a player in this system who can make a Bryan Ramos-like jump in 2023, my money is on Mieses. 1 / 20. 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. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Traded shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to the Red Sox for pitcher Josh Taylor. That doesn't happen without Furillo's play. 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. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second For Rodrguez, thats 43 throws. 1 spot in 2023? It's a risky proposition, but the payoff could be incredible. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed 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. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle Beyond the gaudy numbers, he was the one consistent in a Yankees lineup that dealt with injuries and under performance, and he did it all while also playing a career-high 632.2 innings in center field. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 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. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Its hard to think its entirely about Storys move to the right side. 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. He hit .320 with a .387 on-base percentage in 93 games with the Royals before he was traded to the Yankees at the deadline, and while he battled injury down the stretch, his combination of contact ability and defense still made him a 3.2-WAR player in 2022. velocity and launch angle. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. When he was 13 years old, Shoeless Joe Jackson began pitching on the baseball team of the textile mill in which he worked. 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. 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. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. 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. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out Once he had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running on the bases was a candidate to be thrown out. Which is a great lead-in to our next question . After Ichiro, Francoeur has the best throwing arm in baseball today. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. 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. Today, the Prep Baseball Report Mississippi scouting staff takes a deeper look at outfield performances from the June event. The Venezuela native surged three levels in his age-18 season, showing off plus power and 70-grade speed on his way to becoming the No. He played at least 50 innings at six different positions and hit .281/.394/.379 with 27 extra-base hits and a 12.8 percent walk rate in 126 games, posting a 4.1-WAR season that earned him a third-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Proportional frame w/ well developed strength and athleticism. Right here, at the Baseball Savant leaderboards, as well as on appropriate player pages. His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. Current: He had an average max-effort arm strength of 94.1 mph, seventh-fastest among MLB outfielders (min. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. 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. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Let's dive into the top 25 outfielders of the 2022 season. Christian Yelich played in 154 games in 2022, his highest total since his last year in Miami in 2017. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. as Active Spin. In order to qualify for the become a hit. 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. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet Warm-down throws 1 set only / Rest the next day. A shotgun concealed as his right arm, Parker fired baseballs at a ridiculous velocity, resulting in his leading the league with 26 assists in 1977 and finishing his career with 143 assists. A shortstop in college, Cory Snyder made his mark in the major leagues as a power-hitting outfielder. 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) . . Flexibility, mechanics and total-body strength are key factors coaches and trainers stress in order to increase arm strength. So is that because the elbow isnt allowing harder throws -- not that its mattered much, as hes been excellent defensively -- or because his new position doesnt demand it? lob after catching the third out of an inning). OF-95 mph. Dave Winfield's throwing arm was so powerful that simply warming up in the outfield was a dangerous proposition. Julio Rodriguez led the 2022 youth movement throughout MLB, skipping Triple-A to win Rookie of the Year with 29 of 30 first-place votes and electrifying the crowd at the HR Derby in July. . Steven Kwan put together a 5.5-WAR debut season with an old school game built on contact ability, speed and defense. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. 6) Do first basemen really ever have to throw hard? 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. Not all was lost, though, as the 27-year-old showed off more of his speed, stealing 14 bases, which was only one less than his 2021 total. The 27-year-old is miscast as a center fielder (-14 DRS, -3.2 UZR/150) and that undercut his overall value a bit. When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second . 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. 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. Judge has shown off his rocket arm many times in the past. Let them. On Saturday . Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. as Active Spin. thrown with. Default = Experts with most recent updates. 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. Starling Marte had a good 2022 season, but injuries prevented him from being a truly great fantasy asset. Clemente has more outfield assists than anyone who played after 1930 (I believe this was the year where they made the rule that you were allowed to run instead of speed-walk on the basepaths). In 2021, before he was injured, that went up to 88.2 mph. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. 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. His throwing abilities were recognized by Bill James, as Guerrero was noted to have the best arm of the 1990s. In early September, he tried to throw out Jose Altuve, who was tagging up on a sacrifice fly. Remembered more for hitting four home runs in one game than anything else, Mark Whiten's throwing arm was a weapon that he often tried to hide. Long toss is the commonly mentioned method to strengthening a baseball . Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. Non-first base infielders get the average of the top 5% of their throws. 2022 Offensive Stats: 592 PA, .235 . How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the 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. Making a case for him to go 1.1 in 2023 drafts isn't difficult. Fantasy managers just need to decide if they can ride out the 0-for-4 streaks. Ronald Acuna Jr. appeared in 119 games last year, a significantly higher number than the original projection of a July return from his torn ACL injury. Or he could clog your IL for two-thirds of the season. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. That "throwing hard" is rarely a demand of the position is somewhat reflected in the leaderboards, which has many first basemen near the bottom. newly released arm strength leaderboards for position players, when Hawk-Eye was installed in all 30 stadiums, look at their comparisons on both sides of the bag. 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. He was big guy, very strong, very muscular. Power, speed Turner has it in bunches and has delivered such throughout his career, but he's not alone. Were talking raw speed here, not accuracy. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was Buhner merely went on to hit more than 300 home runs and become one of the most beloved Mariners of all-time. A .230/.305/.388 career hitter in 534 plate appearances entering the 2022 season, Ward was one of the year's biggest surprises. I thought he (Van Slyke) had no chance, to be honest with you," said Pirates manager Jim Leyland after the game. He hits the ball with great power, ranking in the 92nd percentile in maxEV. Over a 17-year career that was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies, Walker picked up 154 assists, including eight seasons with 10 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. Remembered more for his involvement in the Black Sox Scandal and alleged throwing of the 1919 World Series, Jackson routinely picked off baserunners from the outfield, racking up 183 career assists, including 90 in a three-year span from 1911 through 1913. 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. 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. Ramon Laureano, Oakland Athletics. Mike Trout unleashed a throw from center field Monday night at Dodger Stadium that looked more . He hit 16 homers, his most since 2019, but he only stole 18 bases, a severe drop off from the 47 he snagged the year before. 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 played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. On Aug. 21, Giants veteran Evan Longoria had to do the exact same thing, to make a throw of 100 feet from third to first. Then during a throwing competition where competitors were given a six-step running start, Gorbous launched a ball 445 feet and 10 inches from the right field corner to left field, setting a world record that stands to this day. 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. Exit Velocity & Barrels. Mar 12, 2021. It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. 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;. leaderboard, a player must have more Two-Star opportunities than team Showcasing the Arm Younger players rarely have the opportunity to play in stadiums where statcast tracks their every move. From 1986 through 1991, Snyder led the league in assists with a total of 61. 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. 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. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. Strength is only one aspect of what makes a great throwing arm. He had the hardest-hit ball of the evening, but he also showed off his arm, uncorking a pair of throws -- each tracked at over 95 mph. Here we go. 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. And a tenth of a second really doesn't sound like very much. Furillo picked up the ball and fired a strike to Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, beating Queen to the bag by two feet. A lot of his fantasy worth is tied up in whether or not he continues to bat at the top of the lineup. His first two throws fell just short. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Laureano is looking to bounce back after a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .213 with a .704 OPS. As Reynolds was rounding third, Jackson unleashed a throw that not only reached Royals catcher Bob Boone on the fly, but in plenty of time to stop Reynolds from scoring the winning run. These numbers and his BA/OBP should go up, assuming his BABIP recorrects somewhat closer to his .314 number. Just beware that his numbers might look much closer to 2021 than 2022. 3) Players throw differently at different positions, right? With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Meusel threw strikes to any base from the outfield. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight Week 1- First Day. An All-Star for the second time, he posted a 144 OPS+ and led the Giants with 23 home runs, and that earned him a qualifying offer which he accepted. He'll lope after a ball to see if he can get you to run, picks it up . Since the demands of each position grouping are different, the averages and qualifiers are different as well. One such metric is the number of outfield assists a player has recorded in their career. 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. I Suzuki 2. Even with his torn UCL last season, he still slashed .286/.364/.514 and powered the Phillies to the World Series. 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. At his current ADP of 129, he is an absolute steal, even taking into account that he won't play 150 games. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that A promising career cut short by injury and addiction, Ellis Valentine possessed one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. Upon his arrival in Detroit, Colavito's arm was so good that it pushed another member of this list, Al Kaline, to center field for the 1960 season. But theres also this, that Story has 195 tracked throws of at least 80 mph in his career -- he even topped 90 a few times early on -- but its happened only once since the 2021 All-Star break. If anyone needs a change of scenery in order to maximize his talent, Bryan Reynolds is that guy. Its an important one, too. More often than not, your eyes will not be deceived by what is displayed on a throw. 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. ), But the counterbalance to that is looking at a handful of infielders who have played on both sides of the bag just this season. 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. Had he only been able to stay healthy, we could be talking about the greatest player in the history of the gamebefore he got injured, there was no better player in the game. Signed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. His 195 career assists leave him tied with another member of our list who you may have heard of, Willie Mays. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? Realmuto can top at the position. player has saved over his peers. On the left side, its higher: 81.5 mph on average, maxing out at 84.9 mph. Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, Corey . xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be 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. Luis Mieses OF (Prev. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle It is difficult to predict what effect the new running rules will have on his SB total, but fantasy managers can safely count on 10-15 in this area. 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. Once the No. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. His arm was so impressive that Expos manager Dick Williams is said to have compared it to Roberto Clemente's, a bold statement to say the least. His 10 hardest throws of the season are as an outfielder, and his 20 hardest throws are at positions other than second base. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Hard to believe he was that agile. Jesse Barfield was considered to have the best outfield arm in the '80s and he wasn't shy about reminding his opponents. He hit 11 homers, stole 18 bases, and slashed .283/.312/.403 in 153 games. 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.