In the spirit of MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Now” positional rankings that appear every offseason, I have decided to embark on my own journey to rank the best players at each position. These rankings fluctuate year-to-year and people’s subjective views on positional rankings can lead to many disagreements and much debate but this activity is always fun.
I’ll navigate my way through each position, moving next to the best center fielders right now. Prior to each write-up, I will explain my methodology to give readers an understanding of where I’m coming from. For each position, I’m looking at a wide range of factors, including recent success, track records, trends, age, injury history, etc. You can find my other top 10 lists below.
In regards to my center field rankings I will list here, the most important factors I am looking at are recent success, track record, age and durability. This group is seriously stacked at the top with three of baseball’s best players but the list does get a little more interesting after that. Several players who have the potential to be near the top have either been hurt or experienced down levels of offensive production recently. It’s still a strong group overall but the potential is even higher for this group.
Listed below each center fielder is their Fangraphs version of Wins Above Replacement (fWAR) from 2019 along with their positional raking, their three-year stretch of fWAR from 2017 to 2019, their 2020 Steamer WAR projection and their age. These four tidbits give us a good idea not only about recent success but also help project what they may do in the upcoming seasons.
*Kudos to the YouTube Channels “MVPLF” , Nicks Highlights, Sports Productions, Made the Cut and MLB for providing highlights on each player that I utilized in these rankings. Also a special shoutout to Fangraphs and Baseball Reference for the numbers provided.*
1. Mike Trout (LAA)
- 2019 fWAR: 8.6 (first)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 25.2 (first)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 8.7 (first)
- Age: 28
Was there any doubt who’d rank first on this list? Trout is not just the game’s best player but he’s a generational talent on track for one of the best careers in MLB history. Through age 28, here’s what he’s done:
- .305/.419/.581 line
- 172 wRC+
- 285 home runs
- 200 stolen bases
- 73.4 WAR
Trout’s resume is already good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame and he’s just getting started. He’s also erased any possible flaws in his game, whether it was too many strikeouts, the inability to hit the high fastball or a weak arm in center field. In fact, he’s become nearly unstoppable the past two years, a time period where he’s hit .302/.449/.637 with a 185 wRC+ and 18.4 WAR in 274 games.
If there is any minor concern regarding Trout, it’s been his durability over the last three years. After playing pretty much every game from 2012-2016, Trout has missed 98 games over the past three years. If he manages to get back to playing 150+ games a year, he’ll truly be the only player capable of consistently threatening a 10+ win season.
2. George Springer (HOU)
- 2019 fWAR: 6.5 (second)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 13.9 (second)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 5.2 (second)
- Age: 30
Springer completely broke out in 2019 with a career-best season that kept him in MVP conversations until injuries derailed the last few months of his regular season. In 122 games, Springer had a career-best WAR (6.5), wRC+ (156), batting average (.292), on-base percentage (.383), slugging percentage (.591) and home run output (39).
Springer’s career numbers are quite impressive to this point and he’s established himself as one of the top 20-ish players in baseball. Through 744 career games, Springer has accumulated 24.6 WAR thanks to a .270/.361/.488 line and 133 wRC+. Even more encouraging for his future outlook, Springer’s defense in center field showed significant improvement in 2019 (11th among all outfielders with 8 Outs Above Average).
As I’ve mentioned with other Astros hitters, it bears mentioning that Springer could take a slight step back in 2020 if their sign stealing did lead to a huge advantage. He’s still a heck of a player and a star but he’ll be one of many Astros hitters to monitor.
3. Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL)
- 2019 fWAR: 5.6 (third)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 9.3 (seventh)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 4.3 (third)
- Age: 21
Ranking Acuña third on this list felt cruel given how incredible he is but he’s ranked behind a few of the best players in baseball. Acuña has been nothing short of incredible through his first two seasons as a 20/21-year-old, posting a .285/.365/.532 line, 133 wRC+ and 9.3 WAR across 267 games. This is truly one of the most special talents who will be one of the best players representing baseball in the upcoming decade.
Acuña is blessed as one of the truly gifted players in the sport, capable of impacting the game in multiple avenues. He nearly became the fifth member of the 40 HR/40 SB club, slugging 41 home runs and stealing 37 bases all while holding his own in center field. A simple look at his Statcast reveals his sheer raw talent: he ranked second in barrels last year (66) and had the 28th-fastest sprint speed (29.4 feet per second).
Acuña could very well be on the short list of players who could threaten Mike Trout for the best player in baseball in the upcoming decade. This is a generational talent who exhibits the dramatic flair to be a true face of baseball.
4. Ramon Laureano (OAK)
- 2019 fWAR: 3.9 (fourth)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 6 (13th)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 3.3 (fourth)
- Age: 25
If you haven’t noticed a trend on these lists so far, it’s the notion that the Oakland A’s have a seriously talented group of position players. Laureano has done nothing but produce in his first two seasons in Oakland, hitting .288/.345/.508 with 27 home runs, 20 stolen bases, a 127 wRC+ and 6 WAR across 171 games.
Laureano is a special talent who shows the ability to impact the game in numerous ways albeit he has a bit of a reckless style to his game, both offensively and defensively. While he’s posted great offensive numbers, his career 0.25 BB/K rate shows an approach that could be exposed at some point. On the defensive side of things, he legitimately has one of the best arms in baseball but also posted poor defensive numbers (minus 5 OOA). Still, this is a quality player whose shown he can maybe make it work with these flaws.
Acquiring Laureano was one of Oakland’s shrewdest moves of this past decade and he looks like an exciting player to build around over the coming years.
5. Starling Marte (PIT)
- 2019 fWAR: 3 (sixth)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 8.1 (eighth)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 2.9 (sixth)
- Age: 31
Marte was one of the more underrated players of this past decade, someone who performed as a near-top 30 position player since his first full season in 2013 (32nd in WAR). Since that point, Marte has hit .289/.343/.452 with 103 home runs, 227 stolen bases, a 117 wRC+ and 23.8 WAR.
The fact he plays for a small market team and was suspended in 2017 for PEDs might have something to do with him flying under the radar. Marte is just one of those guys who seems to do everything well without excelling in any one area. Take his 2019 Statcast numbers for example: 52nd in sprint speed, 53rd in OOA, 63rd in barrels. He’s solid-good in many areas, which makes him a well above-average regular.
Pittsburgh is likely to enter a rebuilding period coming up and Marte may be one of the first guys moved in that process. His value on the trade market may reveal how teams view him.
6. Brett Gardner (NYY)
- 2019 fWAR: 3.6 (fifth)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 10.2 (fourth)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 1.9 (11th)
- Age: 36
Surprised to not only see Gardner on the center fielder list but to also be ranked this high? Aaron Hicks’ Tommy John Surgery following the season means the 36-year-old Gardner will likely get a bulk of the plate appearances in center field next year. Hence, that’s the reason I place him here and his resume is enough of a justification to rank him here.
In this past decade, Gardner was baseball’s 23th-best player by WAR (33.6) thanks to his incredibly consistent production and durability. Other than his injury-riddled 2012 season where he played just 16 games, Gardner played in at least 140 games in every season this past decade while ranging between 2.5-6.2 WAR. This has been a steadily underrated player who has carved out quite the career.
At 36 years old and with his potential full-time switch to center field, he’ll be an interesting player to follow in 2020 but his resume is more than strong enough to get him on this list.
7. Byron Buxton (MIN)
- 2019 fWAR: 2.7 (seventh)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 5.9 (14th)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 3.2(fifth)
- Age: 25
Can we all vouch for Buxton staying healthy for a full season, if not a handful of seasons in a row? He is clearly one of the most dynamic players in baseball when he’s healthy but he’s played just 115 games over the past two years. In 87 games last year, he was plenty productive, posting 2.7 WAR, a .262/.314/.513 line with 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases.
Buxton’s Statcast numbers back up just how electric he is. In 2019, he ranked third in sprint speed (30.3 feet per second) and fifth in Outs Above Average (+12) as well as posting a career-best average exit velocity (89.3 mph). The combination of speed, power and defensive ability is uncanny and the only thing stopping him from being a very good regular is injuries.
If/when Buxton starts to string together some healthy seasons, he has the potential to be one of the most gifted players in baseball. Until then, he’ll find himself near the back of these top ten lists.
8. Lorenzo Cain (MIL)
- 2019 fWAR: 1.5 (t-13th)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 11.4 (third)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 2.8 (seventh)
- Age: 33
Cain is still a human highlight reel in center field (third in Outs Above Average last year) but his offensive numbers took a serious nosedive. After garnering MVP votes in 2018, Cain fell to 1.5 WAR in 2019 and a rough .260/.325/.372 line. At 33 years old, the drop from near-elite season in 2018 to a below-average season in 2019 was a bit concerning.
As mentioned above, Cain is still an absolute beast in center field and has ranked at least top 4 in Outs Above Average each of the last three years. His elite defense alone keeps him in consideration for a spot on this list and a bounce back to his career norms (.288/.347/.413) easily gets him on this list.
The drop in offensive production is concerning but given his elite defensive performance, there’s hope that his ability is still there and he’ll bounce back for the Brewers in 2020.
9. Kevin Kiermaier (TBR)
- 2019 fWAR: 1.5 (t-13th)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 6.4 (t-11th)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 2.4 (eighth)
- Age: 29
Kiermaier looked like a borderline MVP candidate a few years ago and now he looks more like a fringe regular. After racking up 11.6 WAR from 2015-2017, Kiermaier has been worth just 3.1 wins over the last two years due to his offensive level cratering. Kiermaier’s elite defense still remains but his offensive level has completely fallen off the last two years.
That aforementioned defense is still a huge strength and he finished second in Outs Above Average (17) last season. He is a literal human highlight reel who shows incredible range, feel near the wall and a superb arm, consistently rating as one of the league’s best defenders. However, Kiermaier has hit just .223/.280/.386 over the last two seasons and is clearly a weak spot in the lineup as this version.
The potential is still there for him to bounce back at 29 years old but he’s a fringe candidate for this list for the time being.
10. Victor Robles (WAS)
- 2019 fWAR: 2.5 (eighth)
- 2017-2019 fWAR: 3 (25th)
- 2020 Steamer WAR Projection: 2 (t-9th)
- Age: 22
The former top prospect has been a bit overshadowed by his counterpart Juan Soto’s explosion on the MLB scene. However, Robles is coming off a top 10 season by a center fielder thanks to his league-best 23 Outs Above Average, his superb base running (4.2 Base Running Runs) and decent offensive production (91 wRC+).
Robles is a truly special athlete who may very well be the game’s best new defensive center fielder and an absolute force on the bases. His offensive production, however, has been well below what was expected of him and the Statcast numbers back this up (81 mph average exit velocity. Even if the bat doesn’t come around though, Robles will add plenty of value as an elite defender and base runner.
Between Robles and Soto, the Nationals have an enviable duo of outfielders and if Robles’ bat takes a step forward, he’ll be a legitimate MVP candidate.
Just missed the list
- Brandon Nimmo (137 wRC+ and 5.8 WAR over last two years)
- A.J. Pollock (Injuries and bleh production led to disappointing first year in LA)
- Aaron Hicks (Strong contender for list if TJ surgery didn’t knock him out for most of next year)
- Harrison Bader (fourth in Outs Above Average last year)
- Scott Kingery (tied for seventh in WAR among qualified CF last year)
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