A New Archetype is Forming in Center Field Around MLB
There's a new model for MLB center fielders, with more and more players who can play at elite levels on both sides of the ball.
Center field has always been a premium position in Major League Baseball. In the past, the position has been home to some of the preeminent defenders in the game.
But the elite defensive wizards, who routinely make our jaws drop, haven’t always the players with the biggest and loudest bats. That seems to be changing, as center field has seen a maturation. The new stars in the league are taking “center” stage — figurately and literally — in the field and at the plate.
All stats updated prior to games on Friday, June 27
What Did Center Field Look Like at the Beginning of the Statcast Era?
Just look at the top of the center field fielding run value (FRV) leaderboard from 2016 (the first season for which we have Statcast data). It was dominated by some elite defensive players: Adam Eaton (25 FRV), Billy Hamilton (21), Ender Inciarte (20), Kevin Kiermaier (16), Jackie Bradley Jr. (15). With eight Gold Gloves between them, you’d be hard-pressed to call any of those players power threats.
Two of the top 10 defenders in center field in 2016 show up at the top of the slugging leaderboard. In fact, only two players appear in the top 10 on both leaderboards for that season.
Eaton of the Chicago White Sox was the best defensive center fielder that year, although technically, he played 3/4 of his innings in right field. He also ranked 10th with a .428 slugging percentage. Bradley, who topped out with a career-high 26 home runs that season for the Boston Red Sox, is the only other player to appear on both lists, slugging .486 that season.
Looking at today’s game, who can play elite center field and slug? Here are some exceptional candidates for the best center fielder in baseball:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC
Perhaps no player embodies the new era for center fielder quite like the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. Known as a prospect with elite defensive tools, there were doubts about his offense when he arrived in the majors. He didn’t disappoint those doubters during his brief 19-plate appearance cup of coffee with the Cubs in 2023, not registering a hit. Even last season, in 410 plate appearances, he slashed just .237/.286/.384 with 10 home runs.
This season, Crow-Armstrong’s showing out with his glove and his bat. His 11 FRV is the second-highest among center fielders. He has also broken out with plenty of power at the plate. Slashing .272/.307/.556 in 336 plate appearances, he already has 21 home runs and 61 RBIs. Now taking up residence in the Cubs’ cleanup spot, his .556 slugging percentage leads all center fielders.
Andy Pages, LAD
Andy Pages appears fifth on the defensive leaderboard with 8 FRV. The second-year Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder also ranks third with a .507 slugging percentage. He’s batting a beefy .293 with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs in 316 plate appearances.
While Pages has played all three outfield positions, he has spent the majority of his time in center. He doesn’t have quite as good a range as those ahead of him, but he makes up for that with one of the best arms in the outfield.
Julio Rodríguez, SEA
Julio Rodríguez has taken his already stellar defense up to an elite level this season for the Seattle Mariners. He’s one behind PCA in the FRV department with 10, and he has the fourth-most outs above average (OAA) among center fielders with nine. In addition to his glove, Rodríguez has shown in the past to have some huge offensive upside, with 28 and 32 home run seasons in his first two years in the majors.
After hitting 20 homers last year, it looked like the former Rookie of the Year and two-time Silver Slugger was back on track this season. He had 10 long balls through the end of May. Unfortunately for the Mariners’ offense, Rodríguez has cooled off in June. He has just one home run in 20 games this month. He’s just outside the top 10, ranking 12th in slugging with a .403 mark.
Daulton Varsho, TOR
Daulton Varsho hasn’t had much time healthy for the Toronto Blue Jays this season. When he is on the field, however, he’s one of the preeminent center field defenders. He finished with 16 FRV last year, tied for first with Crow-Armstrong and the Washington Nationals’ Jacob Young. The soon-to-be 29-year-old finally won his first Gold Glove in 2024, as well as a pair of Fielding Bible awards for Defensive Player of the Year and the Multi-Position Award.
He can also catch fly balls behind his back:
Varsho has also shown a resurgence in power at the plate. After hitting 27 home runs with Arizona in 2022, his pace this season is ridiculous. The problem is, he has only 100 plate appearances over 24 games, but has already hit eight homers and a .543 slugging percentage.
Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS
According to Statcast, Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela is the best center fielder halfway through the season, leading with 12 FRV. Roaming the outfield definitely suits him better than shortstop, where he spent about half his time in 2024 and was a well-below average defender.
The 24-year-old may not have the same power in his bat as his counterparts, with just eight homers this season, but his .406 slugging percentage still ranks 11th among center fielders.
Don’t Forget the Honorable Mentions and Outliers
The jury is still out on how good of a center fielder Oneil Cruz will be. He has only 2 FRV in just under 593 innings, and has made some embarrassing gaffes, but this is his first season in the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates. There has no doubt been a steep learning curve.
We already know the former shortstop is a freak athlete. He owns the record for the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era (122.9 mph) and leads the majors with a 96 mph average exit velocity. We’ll have to wait and see if his glove catches up with his bat.
As for the outliers, we have a pair of center fielders who symbolize the two extremes of the defensive and offensive skills we’ve been looking at today. While a combination of both talents is desirable and preferred, some players are just so good at one that they make a career out of it.
Luckily, for those of us that love web gem highlights, there are still pure defensive specialists roaming outfields across the majors.
The Athletics’ Denzel Clarke burst onto the scene with multiple Catch of the Year submissions as soon as he was called up. He has already accumulated 11 FRV in just under 238 innings, the second-most. The 25-year-old defensive wizard is on pace to top all center fielders at that rate. He’s batting just .209/.250/.297, however, with a wild 41.7% strikeout rate. But boy, can he go get it in spectacular fashion.
Then there’s the other extreme, like the Angels’ Jo Adell. With a -3 FRV, he’s one of the worst center field defenders, but has been absolutely mashing. It’s taken a few years, and he has shown flashes, but something has clicked. He’s slugging .487 and 17 home runs, 10 of which have come in June. Despite his heavy lumber, something tells us he’s never going to be known for his glove.
While Adell will never be lumped in with the “new” mold of center fielder, we have plenty of these “new” center field stars. With the way the game is heading, there will no doubt be more of these players emerging, who can play on both sides of the ball at such a high level. The present and the future of center field is in good hands.
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