MLB: The top three center fielders currently in the majors

I will be compiling a list of the top three players at each position including designated hitter leading into Spring Training. My lists are based off of career stats/accomplishments, 2018 statistics, and their projections going into 2019. Today we continue with the best center fielders in MLB.

Yesterday I started the series with the left fielders, and today we dive into the top MLB center fielders which is a much deeper position.

As stated in the title, there are only three spots to fill, so there are many center fielders that were not able to get on my list, so let’s first go through those players:

Just Missed

Lorenzo Cain (Milwaukee Brewers)

Lorenzo Cain had another outstanding season, and did not seem to get the respect that he deserved because of the MVP season his teammate Christian Yelich had.

You could say Cain had a better year than his last year in Kansas City with the Royals. He had a batting average over .300, a slugging percentage over .400 and a better on base percentage.

Aaron Hicks (New York Yankees)

Aaron Hicks is also often overshadowed by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, so people forget he is their center fielder and plays it pretty well.

Hicks held a wind above replacement (WAR) of 4.7 and career highs of 27 home runs and 79 runs batted in.

Charlie Blackmon (Colorado Rockies)

Charlie Blackmon has been one of the elite center fielders for a while now, and he did not stop in 2018. He held a batting average just under .300 with nearly 30 home runs and 70 RBI’s.

Blackmon is a three time all star and a two time silver slugger who will be in the lead off spot uet again for Bud Black and the Rockies for potentially the last run with Nolan Arenado.

A.J. Pollock (Los Angeles Dodgers)

A.J. Pollock just signed a huge deal with the Dodgers, but he put up a huge year in the desert with the Diamondbacks.

Pollock had career high’s in home runs (21) driving in 65, and carrying the load that was usually held by now ex-D-Back Paul Goldschmidt.

He is projected to have a huge year with the Dodgers as he is put in a good spot surrounded by power bats so he is sure to score a lot of runs.

Now here are my top three center fielders in the game….

3. George Springer (Houston Astros)

Although George Springer did not have as good of a year as 2017 (nobody on the team did) when the Astros won the World Series and he won the World Series Most Valuable Player, there are many teams that would die to get a center fielder like Springer.

Springer still was able to hit 22 home runs with an on base percentage of .346 and still was an All Star. Springer did not have a huge year mainly because of knee and shoulder injuries in addition to missig two weeks after spraining his thumb diving head first into second base against the Dodgers. The 29 year old is projected to bounce back in 2019 hitting 23 home runs, a slugging percentage of .451.

Despite his disappointing season he showed me he was still the George Springer we all though he was. He was able to set the Astros franchise record with the most home runs in the postseason while homering in eight of the last nine Houston playoff games.

The lead off hitter should get around the bases a little more with the addition of Michael Brantley as he can slide into the five spot behind Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.

Now at the number two spot, this center fielder played against Springer in the World Series a couple years back…

2. Cody Bellinger

In this particular exercise, I am still putting Bellinger in center field because he played there all of last season and Dave Roberts has not yet said what position Bellinger will play with the addition of center field free agent A.J. Pollock.

Cody Bellinger stunned the baseball world in 2017 taking home the National League Rookie of the Year, and in 2018 Max Muncy‘s huge year forced him to shift into center field after spending his rookie year at first base.

Following his huge rookie year, Bellinger played in 162 games and was still was able to hit 25 home runs with 76 runs batted in. The move to center field may have influenced the lower batting totals, but Bellinger went into he season knowing that it would be hard to top his previous season.

If Roberts puts Bellinger in the four spot behind Justin Turner and in front of Max Muncy, he will get more pitches to hit and will have an excellent year because opposing pitchers will not want to pitch to Turner and would rather pitch to Bellinger than a dialed in Muncy.

Regardless of the position Bellinger is put in, he will still produce at the plate as he is projected to hit 28 home runs and driving in 80 in addition to eleven stolen bases.

Now time for you to take a wild guess at who the #1 center fielder in the league is…