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. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Or he could clog your IL for two-thirds of the season. Traded outfielder Michael A. Taylor to the Twins for pitchers Steven Cruz and Evan Zisk. Dave Winfield's throwing arm was so powerful that simply warming up in the outfield was a dangerous proposition. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. The Bulldogs and Sooners are joined by California (which is off to a strong 6-1 start) and Ohio State (a . Week 1- First Day. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was window.". For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. 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. What is not of concern are the 81 games he gets to play at Yankee Stadium this year and each one after until 2031, thanks to his 9-year, $360 million free-agent contract. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man. How quickly a player can get the ball from glove to hand and on its way can sometimes make up for a deficiency in arm strength. Who can?". How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. 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. He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. Ad - content continues below. Mar 22, 2021. 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. 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 best player at the position was Ronald Acuna (.280 with 127 runs, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37 steals . When you measure a pitchers average fastball velocity, its simple. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like. Headlined by three MVPs, our list of the best corner outfielders is a who's who of top-tier talent in Major League Baseball. With that, he became just the second player in Astros history with a 30-homer, 25-steal season, joining Hall of Famer first baseman Jeff Bagwell who did it twice. 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. Yes. M.J. Melendez debuted and appeared in 129 games in 2022, showing off his patience and power to the tune of 18 HR and a 12.4% BB rate. His 126 career assists include six consecutive seasons of 10 or more, from 1999 through 2004. From 1949 through 1956, Snider threw out 82 baserunners. Reports also surfaced that he had turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from Washington, and soon, the HR Derby winner headed to San Diego with expectations as big as the contract he turned down. 7) Al. "[Those throws are] something that I do all natural," Acua said at the time. 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. 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. 2022 Stats: 117 G, .261 BA/.374 OBP/.394 SLG, 19 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 8 SB. Expect him to be one of the faces of baseball for the next decade-plus and a strong contender for the No. Flexibility, mechanics and total-body strength are key factors coaches and trainers stress in order to increase arm strength. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Yordan lvarez actually played more games at designated hitter (77) than he did in the outfield (56), but since there are not enough everyday DHs for us to do a top 25 list for that position, he's being included here alongside the rest of the league's best outfielders. Therein lies the problem, of course. And a tenth of a second really doesn't sound like very much. The first of which registered. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an Some players have power, whereas Yordan Alvarez has POWER. In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. An All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the first time, Happ hit .271/.342/.440 for a 119 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 72 runs scored and 4.4 WAR in 158 games. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. it's a tough call between Clemente and Whiten.". After Ichiro, Francoeur has the best throwing arm in baseball today. Or is it because players with weaker arms are less likely to be allowed to play the left side in the first place? He missed 52 games due to injury, and his BABIP was a career-low (by a lot) .227. Potentially ever, though we certainly cant go back through history here to see how hard Shawon Dunston or whatever shortstop of your choice might have thrown. A lot of 2023 draft boards will have Aaron Judge at the top of them, and there is no doubt he belongs there after his record-setting 2022. "I don't try to do too much. 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. 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. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was A three-time All-Star, Johnny Callison terrorized baserunners from right field for more than a decade. The Major League average Pop Time on steal attempts of second base is 2.0 seconds . 2 prospect in baseball when the season began, he lived up to the hype and then some by hitting .284/.345/.509 with 25 doubles, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 84 runs scored and 25 steals in 132 games. You can see video of the play here (the actual play starts around the 40 second mark). He is one of the best pure hitters in the game today, and the six-year, $115 million extension he signed in June already looks like an absolute steal for the Astros. one base to another, like Home To First. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff primarily for the Cleveland Indians. 1 spot on this list for years to come. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Still, his elite on-base skills continue to increase his value in fantasy leagues, especially considering that he bats leadoff in one of the most explosive lineups in baseball. In 2021, before he was injured, that went up to 88.2 mph. 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. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. In a down season by his own lofty standards, Juan Soto was still one of the most productive offensive players in the game. His throwing arm used to be a relative weakness. 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. Statcast Statistics Player Batting 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | All window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. The bad news for Nick Castellanos was a 46-point drop in his batting average in 2022. He finished his career with 109 assists, 61 of which came in a four-year period for the Philadelphia Phillies, from 1984 through 1987. In 2022, the 28-year-old ranked in the 98th percentile in outfielder jump and 97th percentile in arm strength, filling out the mold for a complete defensive outfielder. Schwarber batted leadoff for the vast majority of the season, but the acquisition of Trea Turner will most likely move him down in the order. (And even that one, a force out at home plate, came back in 2015.). Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we still had markakis in RF, but this is surprising. If you have the IL spots, his current ADP of around 130 makes sense. The steals are why he goes so early in drafts because it is certainly not his patience at the plate. The volume just hasn't been there to truly be a fantasy stud. And I'm talking about strong arms, not merely accurate ones. The best outfield arm of the 80's, Barfield led the league in outfield assists five times, including three years straight from 1985 through 1987. Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, Corey . His strikeout rate crept above 30% for the first time since his rookie year. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. Hard to believe he was that agile. 1 spot in 2023? 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. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. Arm: RH. 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. 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. 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. OF-95 mph. His baseball career almost ended in 1905 when he enrolled at Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man.". Once he had the ball in his hand, anyone who was still running on the bases was a candidate to be thrown out. Ken Griffey Jr. is one player you look at and bemoan "Had he only been able to stay healthy". 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. The past two seasons, Phillips has amassed 21 outs above average while patrolling center and right field (seventh-most among outfielders last season with 11). The 25-year-old hit .298/.373/.400 with more walks (62) than strikeouts (60) while adding 89 runs scored and 19 steals. 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. Statcast Outfielder Jump Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Outfielder Jump Leaderboard Current: Outfielder Jump 2022 Minimum Attempts (Q) Update Download CSV Jump is calculated only on plays that are Two Stars or harder, meaning with a 90% Catch Probability or lower. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle 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. Heres third basemen for 2021. He played in 32 games, hitting four homers and stealing two bases while slashing .260/.330/.500 in the small sample size. 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. ), But the counterbalance to that is looking at a handful of infielders who have played on both sides of the bag just this season. The reason he may fall out of the 1.1 slot on draft day is simply fantasy managers anticipating the regression that is likely to come. Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. 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. MLB Advanced Media, LP. In 1978, Cromartie and Valentine led the league in outfield assists with 24 apiece. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. His Statcast suggests a propensity to strike out but every other metric is promising for Ward to be a solid roster add, especially in leagues with five outfielders. He batted leadoff 64 times, indicating the Royals are dedicated to getting him plate appearances in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Obviously. Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Three times he registered 20 or more assists in a season. The Orioles seem dedicated to giving their prospects every opportunity to succeed, which boosts Mullins's value in the runs category. Bob Forsch, a teammate of his with the Cardinals, remembered Reggie's arm: "It was FUN being on the same team as he was. 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. His fastball was thrown so hard that he broke a catcher's arm with it, and when nobody else would catch him, they moved him to the outfield. Honestly, he doesn't take many pitches, period, as he sits in the first percentile in chase rate. 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. 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. MLB Advanced Media, LP. 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. Mar 12, 2021. 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. 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. "He has gained a lot of strength since his sophomore year. -- Sarah Langs Arm Strength (ARM) Definition Arm Strength is defined as the maximum velocity of any throw made by a fielder -- with the max velocity always being at the release point, due to physics. Fantasy managers can draft him with confidence. Warm-up throws at 20-45feet Throws at 45 feet Warm-down throws 1 set only / Rest the next day. 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). pitch. 23. 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. Heres what his 43rd-hardest throw looks like its clearly one hes putting effort into. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. Julks was solid in 2021 but had a breakout season in 2022. Youd think measuring throwing arm strength would be easy. Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. His career high came last year in Washington, recording nine. 2. Exit Velocity & Barrels. 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. A diving catch or someone reaching over the wall to rob someone of a home run might get the crowd going, but nothing makes you stand up and say "wow" more than a big throw from an outfielder to nail a runner trying to advance a base. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. 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. Ari Bethea, Collierville (TN), 2025 Positional Profile: RHP/OF Body: 6-1, 192-pounds. Making a case for him to go 1.1 in 2023 drafts isn't difficult. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Outfielders Rankings, Consensus Preseason Rankings for OF | FantasyPros 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Expert Consensus Ranking (32 of 36 Experts) - Feb 28,. One of the most well-rounded players in the sport, Kyle Tucker continued his rise as a bona fide superstar for the Houston Astros in 2022. While Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is best remembered for Carlton Fisk's dramatic, game-winning and series-extending home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, Evans was responsible for turning a double play in the top of the 11th inning that made Fisk's heroics possible. Players in the National League knew that Clemente could throw anyone out from anywhere in the ballpark, yet 266 of them feebly tried to advance on his powerful right arm, also known as "El Howitzer.".