Leandre: Top 30 center fielders entering 2024, 30-21
Considered the most valuable outfield position, it's no wonder center field is as stacked as it is.
Teams with World Series aspirations should be sound up the middle at catcher, shortstop, second base and center field.
Defense especially is paramount, but great defense mixed with offensive prowess can make someone an exceptionally valuable ballplayer.
For years, the game’s best player, Mike Trout, is a center fielder whose two-way ability helped him accumulate over 85 wins above replacement.
Not everyone is Mike Trout, but it shows what that kind of balance does to a player’s WAR.
Getting into this ranking, here are the center fielders between 30 and 21.
30. Brenton Doyle — Colorado Rockies
Doyle is a funny player. Last season, he was the best defensive center fielder in the game. In 126 games, he had 19 defensive runs saved and 16 outs above average.
His defense saved him from being a minor leaguer a season ago because he had a 43 wRC+. While wRC+ isn’t necessarily fair to Rockies players, it’s not like it deserved to be much higher given his .593 OPS.
If he manages to hit at a slightly below-average clip, he’ll be the poster child for a three-win lock.
29. Kyle Isbel — Kansas City Royals
Isbel played a similar style to Doyle last year, just with slightly worse defense and better offense.
In 91 games, he posted a 75 wRC+ with 13 defensive runs saved and 1.1 fWAR.
Right now, RosterResource on FanGraphs projects him as the everyday center fielder, which shocks me a little with Dairon Blanco’s speed adding a different dynamic.
That said, they added right fielder Hunter Renfroe, which forces Kansas City to choose who it believes in for center field reps. They’ve likely chosen Isbel.
28. Harrison Bader — New York Mets
The Mets signing Bader flew under the radar this winter. However, I believe this has the opportunity to be a fruitful marriage.
Everyone knows the level of defender Bader is when he’s right physically, but people might’ve forgotten the hitter he was in the 2022 postseason for the New York Yankees.
He won’t be a 253 wRC+ hitter, but he can pop and carry the load offensively for stretches. In Spring Training, he has a 116 wRC+ with two homers. Could he be that guy? Absolutely.
27. Dylan Carlson — St. Louis Cardinals
Now batting is Bader’s replacement in center field for the Cardinals, Dylan Carlson.
Everyone is patiently waiting for Carlson’s breakout, with 2021’s 111 wRC+ being his peak to date. Last year, injuries limited him to 76 games in which he posted an 84 wRC+.
In Spring Training, Carlson has a 121 wRC+ with three homers and 13 runs batted in across 52 plate appearances. If that translates to the regular season, he could jump into the top 20.
26. Garrett Mitchell — Milwaukee Brewers
This isn’t the last you’ll see of Brewers outfielders, but Garrett Mitchell is another with the potential to pop into the top 20 at some point.
However, last season an injury limited him to just 19 games, which started a carousel in center field for the Brewers. That said, he has a 119 wRC+ in 47 career games at the MLB level.
Mitchell has power and speed, making him a dynamic outfielder. Given a couple of other roster moves from Milwaukee this Spring, I’m curious to see how much burn he gets in center field.
25. Trent Grisham — New York Yankees
Opportunity limits the kind of value Grisham will have this season for the Yankees. However, even with his offensive struggles in recent seasons, he’s one of the best fourth outfielders in the game.
Defensively, Grisham is a stud. Last year, he had seven outs above average as the starter in center for the San Diego Padres. Offensively, there’s some swing-and-miss but he rounded into a 91 wRC+ guy last year.
I wonder how much the short porch will benefit him, but it wouldn’t shock me if he posted 1.5 fWAR as a backup this season.
24. Jake Meyers — Houston Astros
Meyers improved his strikeout numbers a season ago, but I’d liken him to Grisham in many ways.
Defensively, he’s fantastic. Last year, he had five DRS and nine outs above average. Offensively, he rounded into an 88 wRC+ with 10 homers.
If he can stay healthy with moderately productive offense, the Astros will have one of the best defensive outfields in the sport with him centering Chas McCormick and Kyle Tucker.
23. Ceddanne Rafaela — Boston Red Sox
I didn’t have Rafaela ranked until about halfway into Spring Training because I didn’t think he was ready to impact winning at the MLB level.
Since then, he’s been a game changer in all three facets of his game and since won the starting gig on Opening Day in center field.
His bat still worries me a little, but the other two areas of his game are polished and I think he’s a potential All-Star.
22. Jackson Chourio — Milwaukee Brewers
Save for flashing his power, Chourio did everything to make the Brewers out of camp. Earlier in the offseason he signed what was a surprise extension.
He’s yet to play an MLB game, but the Brewers felt he was worth eight years at $82 million.
He’s one of those five-tool talents starting to litter Major League Baseball, which creates even more excitement around the league, especially in a smaller market like Milwaukee.
21. Sal Frelick — Milwaukee Brewers
Completing the trifecta of Brewers center fielders in this ranking is Frelick, who posted a 92 wRC+ but 1.4 fWAR.
The lack of power is what limits Frelick from jumping up this list. However, he had a .341 OBP thanks to a 12.6% walk rate. Between that and his stellar outfield defense, the Brewers also have one of the game’s better fourth outfielders in the sport should they take that approach.
Frelick edges Chourio simply because he has an MLB track record of success.
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