Next up on the docket in the "Top 10 Right Now" series is centerfield. Centerfield is a position that used to have a tremendous amount of depth, but is a position where there is an immense level of talent at the top before things sort of decline towards the latter portion of the list. That's not to discredit the players towards the bottom because all of them provide a unique skill set to their team or the potential to become even better moving forward.
Regardless, centerfield is an important position around the diamond that requires a player to be defensively sound, have a great amount of speed, and the leadership skills required to help guide the corner outfielders when making plays. In addition, it's not common for a team to have a centerfielder who doesn't know how to hit, as is the case with many or almost all of the players on this list.
Here are this year's Top 10 Centerfielders:
1. Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) - There is absolutely no debate when it comes to Mike Trout being the best centerfielder in the game, let alone, the best player in baseball. Once again last season, Trout killed it both offensively and defensively which are the two mainstays of his game. Last season alone, Mike Trout had a career high 122 walks, a career high .460 on-base percentage, and a 1.088 OPS, another career high, over the span of 608 plate appearances. Furthermore, Trout added another 8.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) to his career total to make it 64.3. Those are simply brilliant numbers and showcase a true individual who knows how to hit and make it count when they do. The best part is that Trout is entering his age 27 season and could continue to get even better. We know the Angels would certainly appreciate that, as would the rest of baseball, as we all cheer for Trout to make it back to the postseason!
2. Lorenzo Cain (Milwaukee Brewers) - When you look back at last season, it's truly a crime that Lorenzo Cain didn't receive a Gold Glove for the stellar defensive numbers that he put up during his first year in Milwaukee. In fact, Cain led all qualified Centerfielders in Defensive Runs Saved (20) in 2018 over 1,180.0 innings of work and raked up a 8.7 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) over that span. That helps to speak to the kind of defender that Lorenzo Cain is, why the Milwaukee Brewers decided to ink him to a five-year deal last offseason, and why he was so beloved in Kansas City with the Royals. Beyond that, you can't go wrong with Cain's offensive numbers either, as he finished last season, with a: .308/.395/.417 batting line over 620 plate appearances with 166 hits, 10 home runs, 38 RBI, and 71 walks. There might be some decline to come in the bat over the next few seasons, but Cain's defensive abilities don't appear to be fading anytime soon.
3. George Springer (Houston Astros) - "Springer Dinger" as Houston Astros fans have coined him continues to be a vital piece to the heart and soul of the Astros 25-man roster. Over the course of last season, Springer had the tenth highest wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average) among centerfielders (.340), the ninth highest WRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) value of (119), and was tied for the sixth highest Centerfield hit percentage at (36.9%) over 620 plate appearances. In addition, Springer was tied for third was the most runs (102) last season among qualified centerfielders - the second most among Astros hitters behind Alex Bregman, which is a testament to why the Houston Astros trust him and know that he can score runs when they are needed the most. George Springer is right in the middle of his peak, but it's hard to not root for someone that, overcame a lot throughout their childhood with a speech impediment, and is finding success on a daily basis at the big league level.
4. Charlie Blackmon (Colorado Rockies) - Charlie Blackmon continues to be a staple of the Colorado Rockies outfield and a big reason why they have been competitive the past few seasons. Of course, when talking about Charlie Blackmon you have to consider the Coors Field effect, but it's not something that should hold him back completely from being one of the best centerfielders in the game right now. Last season, Blackmon led all centerfielders in runs (119), had the fifth highest Isolated Power (ISO) value at (.211), and racked up the eighth highest on-base percentage among the group at (.358). Here's another fun fact about Charlie Blackmon, he was tied for seventh with Cody Bellinger, for the highest percentage of changeups hit off the opposing team's pitcher, among those at his position, with a (11.9%) value. Changeups and Charlie Blackmon must go together just like Chuck Nasty and Charlie Blackmon do!
5. Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers) - Cody Bellinger continues to prove exactly why the Los Angeles Dodgers view him so highly and will likely once again be in store for a phenomenal 2019 campaign. It will probably show the Dodgers front office, why they made a smart decision this offseason, by not including him in the trade package for former Miami Marlins catcher, J.T. Realmuto. Over the span of 632 plate appearances last season, Bellinger finished the year with a batting line of: .260/.343/.470 including 25 home runs, which ranked sixth among centerfielders, and 76 RBI, which was the fifth most in that category. Beyond that, among qualified centerfielders, Cody Bellinger had the fifth highest percentage of hard hit balls at (40.1%), which helps to demonstrate the amount of power that comes off of his bat and why he is a true game changer in the right situations. Don't be surprised if Cody Bellinger takes another step forward in his game this coming season.
6. Aaron Hicks (New York Yankees) - Aaron Hicks is probably one of the more underrated players on the current 25-man roster for the New York Yankees. Not only does Hicks have some pop in his bat, he is an extremely disciplined hitter at the plate. Among centerfielders last season, Hicks had the third most walks (90) and the third highest walk percentage (15.5%). Furthermore, Aaron Hicks does well on the base paths to with a good amount of speed and instincts when it comes to stealing a base or knowing when to run in the right situation. According to the metrics, Hicks put up an overall base running score (BsR) of (7.0), which was the second most, among the position group. The Yankees utilized Hicks in the leadoff spot 31 games last season, but they might be best suited with him at the top of the lineup, on a more regular basis this coming season, while Didi Gregorious continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.
7. A.J. Pollock (Los Angeles Dodgers) - When AJ Pollock is healthy, he is among the elite names on this list and can provide a tremendous amount of value to the team he is playing for. That team now happens to be the Los Angeles Dodgers who inked Pollock to a four-year, $55 million dollar deal this offseason that includes a 2023 player option. Given that Pollock was hurt again last season, it's better to assess him by looking at his stats for the past three seasons as a whole. Over that span, among those with at least 800 plate appearances, Pollock put up a wOBA value of (.338), the eighth highest Isolated Power (ISO) value at (.213), and a WRC+ value of (105). It will be interesting to see how much Pollock contributes to the Dodgers lineup over the course of his deal, but if he is able to stay healthy and be on the field 80-90% of that entire deal, then the Dodgers will likely be happy with their investment.
8. Ender Inciarte (Atlanta Braves) - Among centerfielders, with the exception of Lorenzo Cain, Ender Inciarte is the next best elite defender at the position and has a tremendous amount of instincts on the base paths. In fact, last season over 1,341.0 innings of work, Inciarte had the second most Defensive Runs Saved among centerfielders (17) and the third highest Ultimate Zone Rating among the group at (7.2). Furthermore, when it comes to base running, Inciarte put up an overall BsR score of (6.6) last year with 28 stolen bases which ranked sixth among the group. Beyond his overall defensive abilities and speed on the base paths, you have to like the heart that Inciarte displays everyday that he takes the field and the overall type of team player that he has become over the past few seasons. Looking ahead to this season, Inciarte will once again likely play a significant role in the success of the Atlanta Braves, as they look to return to the postseason.
9. Starling Marte (Pittsburgh Pirates) - Even though Starling Marte was placed on the restricted list back in 2017 for using PEDs, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to be bullish about him and the bat that he possesses. Looking back at last season, Marte put up a career high (20) home runs, career high (35) walks, and the highest slugging percentage of his career at (.460). Given that Marte is heading into his age 30 season, there could still be more power to come with his bat and even more offensive impact, which the Pirates would certainly appreciate since they appear to be lacking somewhat when it comes to offense, at least on paper. Beyond all of that, Marte was excellent on the base paths with (33) stolen bases in 2018 and rated well Offensively (11.4) as well as Defensively (5.2), something that helps to provide more value to the Pirates when he is manning centerfield at PNC Park.
10. Mallex Smith (Seattle Mariners) - Mallex Smith became most famous when he was traded from the Braves to the Mariners in January 2017 before being shipped off to Tampa Bay about 90 minutes later that same day. Well, Mallex Smith has now found his way back to Seattle and will be holding down fort in centerfield at T-Mobile Park. Among the ten names on this list, Mallex Smith is probably the one guy with the most promising future and while it likely won't come in the form of power off his bat, it certainly will come in the form of speed. Among qualified centerfielders last year, Smith ranked first in stolen bases with (40) and has drawn some comparisons to potentially being Billy Hamilton when he has reached his full peak. Still, while Mallex Smith only had an ISO value of (.110) last season, he had the highest BABIP (.366) and and the eleventh highest wOBA (.339), meaning that the bat could still come into form at 26 years old.
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