The American League dominates in LF (remember, some folks you might think as OFers spent most of their time at DH).
We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.
#S Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | LAA | Kal Daniels | 24 | 340/422/652 | 39 HR 106 RBI 111 R 55 SB | |
| AL | BAL | Frank Robinson | 22 | 308/394/674 | 48 HR 114 RBI 106 R | 5 A |
| AL | NYY | Babe Ruth | 25 | 280/412/744 | 73 HR 167 RBI 146 R 119 BB |
I do feel sorry for Kal Daniels–that is a stupendous season right there, and he has no shot at being the best LF in the AL, not with Babe Ruth around. And Frank Robinson is the youngest of the trio, which speaks volumes for the future in Baltimore.
#A Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | MEM | Ted Williams | 22 | 303/423/616 | 41 HR 109 RBI 125 R 109 BB | .975 fPct 1.49 RF -3.8 ARM |
Seems strange to have only 1 name here, but there is clear separation between Robinson and Ted Williams (the only thing Williams does better is take walks), and when defense is factored in, this makes sense.
#B Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | MCG/ BBB | Ryan Braun | 24 | 272/319/603 | 48 HR 102 RBI 24 SB | |
| AL | DET | Oscar Gamble | 32 | 249/396/533 | 35 HR | 1.29 RF |
| AL | SFS | Rickey Henderson | 22 | 256/385/454 | 103 R 107 BB 126 SB | 12.2 ZR 1.117 dEff -3.6 ARM |
| NL | HOM | Rick Reichardt | 24 | 284/355/586 | 39 HR 22 SB | |
| NL | HOU | Jim Wynn | 23 | 246/359/521 | 37 HR 116 R 38 SB | 3.7 ARM |
An interesting mix of useful players. Rickey Henderson is electric, for sure, but until he hits a bit more, he’s not elite and the other 4 are just dependable and solid, although it could be argued that Jim Wynn is a tier too high.
#C Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | CLE | Johnny Bates | 27 | 282/349/470 | 55 SB | 8.8 ZR |
| AL | DET | Juan Beníquez | 35 | 313/379/509 | .965 fPct 1.08 RF | |
| NL | PHI | Sherry Magee | 21 | 265/314/495 | 47 SB | .994 fPct |
| AL | MCG | Alejandro Oms | 21 | 308/383/441 | 1.91 RF 1.121 dEff | |
| NL | OTT | Tim Raines | 23 | 251/353/442 | 119 R 115 SB | -6.8 ZR |
| NL | HOD | George Stone | 30 | 286/359/478 | 29 SB | |
| NL | BRK | Roy White | 29 | 258/350/499 | 21 SB | 6 A 10.3 ZR 1.068 dEff |
These are all solid players with a question mark in their game, usually revolving around a lack of power. There’s nothing wrong with this group, but they are, at this point, complimentary pieces not cornerstones.
Note that Alejandro Oms, Sherry Magee, and Tim Raines are so young that being here really puts them on a great trajectory.
#D Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | IND | Bob Bescher | 26 | 253/355/440 | 80 SB | 1.93 RF -4.8 ZR |
| — | LAA/ NYG | Don Buford | 32 | 239/363/450 | 28 SB | .993 fPct |
| — | NYY/ HOU | Elliott Maddox | 21 | 260/371/397 | .972 fPct -5.8 ZR 2.7 ARM | |
| NL | KCM | Ducky Medwick | 29 | 261/290/467 | 1.94 RF -3.4 ARM |
The only thing separating Bob Bescher from Raines is playing time, so perhaps he belongs up one Tier alongside The Rock? And this may be a bit unfair to Ducky Medwick, but the statistical metrics really ding him for not being willing to take a walk.
#F Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | POR | Kiki Cuyler | 32 | 240/315/364 | 26 SB | |
| — | POR/ PHI | Harry Hooper | 24 | 203/312/382 | 31 SB | 1.000 fPct 2.0 ARM |
| NL | BBB | Bob Nieman | 30 | 209/301/413 |
There is some talent here, but nowhere near the offensive production to hold down a roster spot in the WBL.
#Rookies
Juan Beníquez (C Tier), Elliott Maddox (D Tier), and Kiki Cuyler (F Tier).
#Fielding Notes
We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.
Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.