MLB: Top Five Outfields in Baseball Right Now
Ranking the top five outfields currently in major league baseball.
Outfield talent in baseball is as good today as it has ever been in major league baseball history.
The two best players in the game, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are outfielders. The most exciting power bat, Giancarlo Stanton, is an outfielder.
Not only is the talent in the outfield as talented as any other positions in baseball, but they are also still extremely young and poised to rule baseball for years to come.
With the talent in the MLB outfields, it is a fun adventure to check out some of the better outfield tandems in baseball.
Here is a look at the five most talented outfields in baseball, as of right now.
Next: Los Angeles Angels
5. Los Angeles Angels
2015 Fangraphs WAR: 11.4
2016 fWAR (through 5/20): 3.9
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Mike Trout is having a great start and should be the early favorite to win the AL MVP award in 2016. Trout, who is still just 24-years old, owns a .327/.416/.588 slash line, good for a 180 wRC+ in 178 plate appearances.
Already the proud owner of a 2.9 fWAR, Trout is projected for a close to another 10 win season, according to the projection systems.
While the debate of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper will live on for the next decade plus, Trout is doing all he can to prove he is the best in the game.
Beyond Trout, the Angels do have more outfield talent. Kole Calhoun is an exciting player in his own way. Calhoun owns a .291/.371/.412 slash line with a 125 wRC+ in 170 plate appearances.
Calhoun, while he has just three home runs so far, is coming off a career high 26 home run season a year ago. His power threat in the same lineup as Trout makes the Angels lineup more exciting to watch, even with all their other issues.
Unfortunately, beyond these two talented outfielders, the Angels outfield has a dearth of talent, with the rest of the five outfielders have combined for a 0 fWAR.
Still, with Trout and Calhoun in your outfield, those two alone make the Angels the fifth best outfield in baseball.
Next: Boston Red Sox
4. Boston Red Sox
2015 Fangraphs WAR: 8.6
2016 fWAR (through 5/20): 2.9
Other than the Chicago Cubs, there is probably no other team in the MLB that has the young hitting talent that the Boston Red Sox have.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has gone quickly from a former top prospect, to a huge disappointment, to a rising star. Bradley enjoyed his breakout season a year ago, posting a 121 wRC+ and a 2.4 fWAR for the Red Sox in 2015.
He has continued to hit well in 2015, as he has posted a .338/.390/.607 slash line with a 168 wRC+ in 159 plate appearances. Perhaps most impressive Bradley owns a .269 ISO so far and is a real threat to hit 20 home runs for the Red Sox this season.
If you are looking for the next mega star in Boston with this being Big Papi’s last season, look no further than Mookie Betts. Betts posted a 4.8 fWAR in his first full major league season, just missing out on a 20-20 season by two home runs.
Betts is off to another good start this season, though not as strong offensively. He has posted a .262/.311/.454 slash line with a 104 wRC+. Betts has already stolen eight bases and mashed seven home runs, keeping alive another shot for him cracking a 20-20 season for the Red Sox.
ZiPS projects Betts to finish with an identical 4.8 fWAR as last season, projecting a .291/.348/.470 slash line with a 120 wRC+. ZiPS projects him to finish with 22 home runs and 28 stolen bases.
Beyond Bradley and Betts, the Sox have given 130 plate appearances to Brock Holt, who owns a lowly -0.2 fWAR and a 78 wRC+ this year. They have also gotten 55 solid plate appearances from Chris Young, who owns a 112 wRC+.
Bradley and Betts have been a nice duo for the Red Sox, as the sit 9 games above .500, one season after losing 84 games.
Next: Chicago Cubs
3. Chicago Cubs
2015 Fangraphs WAR: 8.8
2016 fWAR (through 5/20): 4.4
The Chicago Cubs are off to a historically great start and their outfield has played a huge role in that.
Perhaps the most surprising story in baseball in 2016 has to be Dexter Fowler, who did not re-sign with the Cubs until spring training. He owns a .314/.436/.529 slash line with a 161 wRC+. His 2.6 fWAR currently ranks fourth in baseball.
Fowler, coming off a 110 wRC+ and a career high 3.2 fWAR in 2015, has been a force for the Cubs, though questions remain about how sustainable his .400 BABIP is. Fowler hit a career high 17 home runs last year, but actually owns a higher ISO in 2016.
Beyond his strong offense, Fowler has vastly improved his defense in his time with the Cubs, to help out his overall value.
Kris Bryant, who has played nearly as many innings as an outfielder as a third baseman, as their next best outfielder. Bryant owns a .273/.356/.474 slash line with a 124 wRC+. Bryant is on pace for another monster season, with ZiPS projecting him to pass the 30 home run plateau this season.
Perhaps most surprising about Bryant, defensive metrics have graded his defense at third, as well as in the outfield as strong. He was not known to be a strong defensive player coming out of the draft, but has done well for himself since his debut.
While Jason Heyward is off to a slow start at the plate, his defense has been a major key for the Chicago Cubs early on. Heyward signed a mega contract with the Cubs during the off-season and will be looking to improve in his .225/.325/.282 slash line. Heyward owns a lowly 71 wRC+ after posting a 121 wRC+ in 2015 for the Cardinals last season.
ZiPS projects a .267/.348/.409 slash line with a 109 wRC+ the rest of the season for Heyward. The good news for Heyward and the Cubs, since May 8th, he owns an improved .279/.354/.349 slash line, good for a 95 wRC+. Hopefully that’s a good sign for an already dangerous Cubs lineup.
Even with Heyward off to a slow start on offense, the Cubs outfield ranks as the third best outfield on this list due to the hot start of Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant.
Next: Miami Marlins
2. Miami Marlins
2015 Fangraphs WAR: 6.7
2016 fWAR (through 5/20): 3.5
The Miami Marlins have Ichiro Suzuki and Barry Bonds on their payroll. If this were 2004. that would easily qualify them as the best outfield in the game, as well as the best outfield in MLB history.
Unfortunately, this isn’t 2004, Ichiro is a declined bench bat, and Bonds serves as the Marlins hitting coach. Still, the Marlins young outfield is as talented as any in the MLB.
Usually led by Giancarlo Stanton, who like Andrew McCutchen is a perennial MVP candidate, is off to a slow start. While his 11 home runs, .279 ISO, and 120 wRC+ in just 162 plate appearances is impressive, he owns a .221/.335/.500 slash line. His career low .257 BABIP has contributed to his issues early this year.
Stanton is still projected to finish the season with 38 home runs, based on ZiPS projections.
After an impressive sophomore season, Marcell Ozuna had a down year during his third season. Ozuna is stepping back up this season. He owns a .302/.350/.517 slash line with a 131 wRC+.
While his .302 batting average is unsustainable due to a sky rocketing .362 BABIP, the most important thing is that Ozuna’s power has reemerged in 2016. Ozuna’s .215 ISO is a high water mark of his young career.
Then finally, there is the newest emerging star in baseball, in Christian Yelich. Early on in 2016, Yelich has finally put together his great plate discipline, as well as added some power to his game. Yelich owns a .322/.424/.531 slash line with a 158 wRC+.
Yelich this season is walking more (14.1 percent), striking out less (17.1 percent), and hitting for more power (.210 ISO) for the Marlins. While the .373 BABIP might be a concern for other hitters, Yelich owns a .366 career BABIP for his career, meaning there might not be heavy regression for him coming.
In 2016, Yelich is crashing the party as an elite player, and everyone should take notice. He along with Ozuna and Stanton make the sky the ceiling for the Marlins outfield, even if Barry Bonds and Ichiro Suzuki are no longer relevant and on the team.
Next: Pittsburgh Pirates
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2015 Fangraphs WAR: 10.0
2016 fWAR (through 5/20): 5.7
Andrew McCutchen is a perennial MVP candidate, but he has been the fourth best Pirates outfielder this year, going by his Fangraphs WAR. Early on in 2016, McCutchen owns a .248/.339/.466 slash line through his first 183 plate appearances.
Expect McCutchen to bounce back the rest of the season. ZiPS projects a .285/.384/.488 slash line the rest of the season, good for a 142 wRC+. He owns a career 143 wRC+.
Ahead of him is off-season acquisition Matt Joyce, who owns a .360/.492/.700 slash line, good for a 220 wRC+. He has five home runs in just 35 plate appearances. Obviously he won’t keep up the performance and he’s not likely to find playing time behind the big three, but Joyce is an above average hitter, which makes him a fantastic option off the bench.
Starling Marte has been one of the more exciting players in the MLB since his debut in 2012. Coming off his worst full season in the majors (still a 3.6 fWAR season), Marte is back to his old form, posting a .324/.371/.479 slash line early on, good for a 132 wRC+.
Marte already has swiped 12 bases in 37 games and ZiPS give him a shot to crack 40 stolen bases for the second time in his career. If Marte can regain his power stroke from a season ago, he also has a shot for his first 20-20 season of his career.
Gregory Polanco, the least experienced of the Pirates outfielders, is enjoying his breakout season so far in 2016. His .308/.405/.548 slash line is good for 153 wRC+, which paces the talented Pirates outfield.
Polanco posted a 2.3 fWAR in 2015, which was mostly due to his impressive outfield glove, however he has combined that glove with a better bat in 2016. Polanco, like Marte, has an outside shot of posting a 20-20 season for the Pirates, which would be an impressive feat for their outfield.
Next: Unlikely All-Star worthy pitchers
McCutchen, Marte, and Polanco are easily the best outfield trio in the majors now. The three hit for power, swipe bags, and defend the outfield as well as any outfield in baseball and are going to be a force to be reckoned with for a while for opponents.