Top 15 Best MLB Corner Outfielders for the 2024 Season

If you need an idea of how many talented corner outfielders are in the game today, consider those who just missed out on our list: Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki and Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander.

In his second MLB season, Suzuki slashed .285/.357/.485 with 20 home runs, 74 RBIs and a 3.2 fWAR. He also added two defensive runs saved and two outs above average in right field, improving after being underwater in both categories in his rookie season. As of now, the five-year, $85 million deal that Suzuki signed to come over from Japan looks extremely team-friendly for the Cubs.

Meanwhile, Santander has been one of the more consistent power producers in the sport over the last five years, slugging 110 home runs and driving in 325 runs since the start of the 2019 season. He will make $11.7 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and the 29-year-old should make out well in free agency next offseason, even if the prospect-rich Orioles aren’t the team that gives him a lucrative multi-year deal.

Suzuki and Santander may have just missed out on our list, but that should put in perspective how good the top 15 corner outfielders are.

The following rankings were made by our senior staff members at Just Baseball. Jack McMullen, Peter Appel, Aram Leighton, Ryan Finkelstein, Leo Morgenstern and Colby Olson each created their top player lists at each position, and we took the composite average score to set our 2024 rankings.

Honorable Mention: Chas McCormick

Age in 2024: 29

2023 Stats: 457 PA, .273/.353/.489, 22 HR, 70 RBI, 19 SB, 133 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 5 DRS, 4 OAA

McCormick announced his arrival on the national stage in Game 5 of the 2022 World Series, robbing J.T. Realmuto of certain extra bases with one of the better postseason catches you’ll ever see.

The Astros outfielder followed that up with the best season of his career in 2023, hitting 22 home runs, driving in 70 runs and posting an .842 OPS. His World Series catch was hardly a fluke, as he finished with five defensive runs saved and four outs above average last year.

Mind you, these numbers came in just 115 games. Both a lower back injury and a strange relationship with former manager Dusty Baker kept him from putting up even better numbers during his breakout campaign. Long-time Astros bench coach Joe Espada has been promoted to skipper after Baker’s retirement, and with that, McCormick should see an even larger role in his fourth MLB season.

15. George Springer

Age in 2024: 34

2023 Stats: 683 PA, .258/.327/.405, 21 HR, 72 RBI, 20 SB, 104 wRC+, 2.2 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 2 DRS, 1 OAA

Springer hasn’t been a superstar since joining the Toronto Blue Jays on a six-year, $150 million deal prior to the 2021 season, but he has remained a productive player when he’s been on the field.

The four-time All-Star homered 21 times last regular season, marking the eighth different season in his excellent career in which he’s hit at least 20 home runs. He also stole a career-high 20 bases in 2023, perhaps one of the added benefits of him no longer having the stress of fielding in center.

Speaking of his move defensively, Springer had six outfield assists, two defensive runs saved and one out above average in right field a year ago. He had hardly become unplayable in center field, and he could very well play there again if Kevin Kiermaier suffers an injury. But moving Springer to right field should help the 34-year-old to remain healthier and age gracefully. It did so a year ago, when he played in 154 games, his most since 2016.

14. Josh Lowe

Age in 2024: 26

2023 Stats: 501 PA, .292/.335/.500, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 32 SB, 131 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 3 DRS, -1 OAA

A first-round pick in 2016, Lowe had a breakout season for a Rays team that won 99 games a season ago. After unremarkable production in 52 games for Tampa Bay in 2022, Lowe slashed .292/.335/.500 with 20 home runs, 93 RBIs and an .835 OPS in 466 at-bats a season ago.

His defensive metrics are a bit skewed because he played 92 innings in center field, finishing with -3 defensive runs saved. However, he was much better in right field, posting six defensive runs saved. It’s good for the Rays to know Lowe can play center in a pinch, but he’s much better suited for a corner outfield spot.

Lowe won’t even become eligible for arbitration until 2026. Given how the Rays operate, he figures to be a trade candidate speculated upon for years to come if he is able to replicate his 2023 production.

13. Bryan Reynolds

Age in 2024: 29

2023 Stats: 640 PA, .263/.330/.460, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 12 SB, 110 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -1 DRS, -4 OAA

For years, Reynolds was rumored to be a trade candidate. At one point, he even asked to be moved. Instead, he opted to sign a very team-friendly eight-year, $106.75 million deal last April to remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates through at least the 2030 season.

Reynolds may never top the breakout 2021 campaign he had in which he hit .302 with a .912 OPS and a 6.0 fWAR. But even if he’s not the superstar he looked like he could be in 2021, Reynolds is still a very good player. Over the last two seasons, he’s recorded 293 hits and posted a .798 OPS.

He’s probably not a Gold Glove-caliber defender in left field, but defensive runs saved likes him in a corner much more than in center field. He has nine career defensive runs saved in left field, as opposed to -19 career defensive runs saved in center. Like his teammate Andrew McCutchen before him, Reynolds is a natural center fielder more suited to play in left.

12. Lars Nootbaar

Age in 2024: 26

2023 Stats: 503 PA, .261/.367/.418, 14 HR, 46 RBI, 11 SB, 118 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 3 DRS, 3 OAA

Nootbaar rode the momentum of a strong showing for World Baseball Classic champion Team Japan into the best season of his career for the St. Louis Cardinals.

A pair of injured list stints limited Nootbaar to 117 games a season ago, but he still posted a career-high 3.2 fWAR, while splitting time between all three outfield positions. He graded out better defensively in the corner outfield spots (four defensive runs saved, two outs above average) than he did in center field (-1 defensive runs saved, one out above average). While he’ll no doubt see more time at all three spots, Nootbaar is currently projected to be the starting left fielder for the Cardinals in 2024.

Quite a bit went wrong for the Cardinals as a team in 2023, including not having Nootbaar available for 45 games. They were active this offseason in making pitching additions, adding Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. If Nootbaar stays healthy and the starting pitching improves, the Cardinals could return to the postseason in 2024.

11. Evan Carter

Age in 2024: 21

2023 Stats: 75 PA, .306/.413/.645 5 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB, 180 wRC+, 1.3 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 6 DRS, 1 OAA

Born in August of 2002, Carter came of age for the Texas Rangers a year ago, as the former second-round pick helped his team to win their first World Series title.

Carter appeared in just 23 regular season games for the Rangers in 2023 but made the most of the month of September, hitting .306 with five home runs. That was all Bruce Bochy needed to see for the 21-year-old to earn a major role in the postseason. Carter would ultimately hit .300 with six RBIs and 10 walks for a Rangers team that lost just four playoff games en route to a parade float.

There’s plenty of reason to be excited about Carter’s offensive profile, but it must also be said that he posted six defensive runs saved in just 174 2/3 regular season innings in 2023. He’s a well-rounded player who may be the best bet to win AL Rookie of the Year in his first full MLB season.

10. Ian Happ

Age in 2024: 29

2023 Stats: 691 PA, .248/.360/.431, 21 HR, 84 RBI, 14 SB, 118 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 2 DRS, -7 OAA

Happ broke out in 2022, winning a Gold Glove Award and posting a 3.6 fWAR. The Cubs rewarded him with a three-year, $61 million extension for his efforts. In turn, he rewarded them with another Gold Glove performance and a .360 OBP.

Over the last three seasons, Happ has averaged 21 home runs and 74 RBIs per year. Even more encouraging is that he drew a career-high 99 walks in 2023, 29 more than his previous top mark of 70 bases on balls in 2018.

It is interesting that Happ won a second straight Gold Glove Award in 2023, despite defensive runs saved (two) and outs above average (-7) being divided on his performance in the field. Then again, Happ still had a career-high 12 outfield assists a year ago and was above water in terms of outs above average as recently as 2022. There is good reason to still think very favorably of Happ’s left field defense.

9. Christian Yelich

Age in 2024: 32

2023 Stats: 632 PA, .278/.370/.447, 19 HR, 76 RBI, 28 SB, 122 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -3 DRS, 4 OAA

Between 2018 and ’19, Yelich slashed .327/.415/.631 with 80 home runs, 207 RBIs and a 1.046 OPS. He captured the NL MVP in 2018 and finished runner-up to Cody Bellinger in 2019, despite missing more than a month with a fractured kneecap.

Prior to the 2020 season, the Brewers rewarded Yelich with a seven-year, $188.5 million deal, on top of the two remaining years on his prior contract.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, Yelich hasn’t been close to the same offensive player over the last four seasons, slashing .254/.362/.407 with 54 home runs, 206 RBIs and a .768 OPS.

The bad news is this version of Yelich will probably always feel disappointing relative to the Hall of Fame-caliber player he was in his first two seasons with the Brew Crew. The good news is he’s still a very productive player. It’s probably just time to appreciate this version of Yelich, rather than dwelling on what he was at the height of his powers.

8. Randy Arozarena

Age in 2024: 29

2023 Stats: 654 PA, .254/.364/.425, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 22 SB, 126 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 4 DRS, -6 OAA

One of the greatest showmen in baseball today, Arozarena was an All-Star for the first time a season ago.

Arozarena does just about everything well offensively, as he homered 23 times, drove in 83 runs and scored 95 runs a season ago for manager Kevin Cash and company. His .254 batting average from last year doesn’t jump off the page, but he more than made up for it by drawing a career-high 80 walks.

One area where Arozarena could be due for some positive regression is doubles. He had just 19 doubles a season ago but averaged 36.5 over the two seasons prior. An increase in his extra-base hits could lead to a career year for Arozarena in his age-29 campaign.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported in December that “a small number of teams inquired” about the availability of Arozarena via trade. It appears the Rays will hold onto the former AL Rookie of the Year for another season, but he could be a hot commodity next winter, when he’ll still have two remaining years before becoming a free agent.

7. Brandon Nimmo

Age in 2024: 31

2023 Stats: 682 PA, .274/.363/.466, 24 HR, 68 RBI, 3 SB, 130 wRC+, 4.3 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -7 DRS, 1 OAA

The true picture of consistency over the past few years has been none other than Brandon Nimmo. He signed an eight-year deal with the Mets last winter and proceeded to produce a nearly identical wRC+ in the first year of his new contract. He has played more than 300 games over the last two seasons after missing a lot of time with injuries in 2019 and ’21

Nimmo’s defense was a bit worse in 2023 than the year before, so he could benefit from the move to a corner spot. Still, he is just such a consistent player at the plate. What’s more, he also added some power last season, with eight more home runs and by far a career-best hard-hit rate of 47.7%.

The increase in power came with an elevated strikeout rate but not one that is cause for any major concern. He still walked at over a 10% clip, which was similar to the year before.

Nimmo has become one of the most stable hitters in baseball, which earned him a spot ahead of some of the more unpredictable players on this list. You can essentially pencil a healthy Nimmo in for a 130 wRC+ with solid power, and that’s a player that every club (aside from the teams of the next six players) would love to have in center field moving forward.

6. Adolis García

Age in 2024: 31

2023 Stats: 632 PA, .245/.328/.508, 39 HR, 107 RBI, 9 SB, 124 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 6 DRS, 2 OAA

Even if a left oblique strain prevented him from playing in the final two games of the World Series, García was certainly at the forefront of the Rangers winning the first championship in franchise history in 2023.

García was something of a late bloomer but has blossomed into one of the scariest hitters in the AL. With muscles that would make Popeye jealous, the Rangers outfielder slugged 39 home runs, drove in 107 runs and posted an .836 OPS in his age-30 season.

Not only did García make his second All-Star Game appearance in three years in 2023, but he also won his first career Gold Glove Award. He had 11 outfield assists while finishing with seven defensive runs saved and two outs above average.

García took things to another level in the postseason, hitting .323 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 62 at-bats. He captured the ALCS MVP, along with the imaginations of quite a few fans in Arlington.

5. Kyle Tucker

Age in 2024: 27

2023 Stats: 674 PA, .284/.369/.517, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, 140 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 1 DRS, -4 OAA

Tucker is a core piece for the most polarizing franchise in baseball today, and yet the Houston Astros outfielder still seems to be underrated.

In 2023, Tucker put together the finest season of his career, homering 29 times, driving in an AL-leading 112 runs and posting an .886 OPS. That earned him a second straight trip to the All-Star Game and his first career Silver Slugger Award. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting.

After winning a Gold Glove Award in 2022, Tucker’s defensive metrics dipped in 2023, as he finished the season with one defensive run saved and -4 outs above average. That came after he posted 25 defensive runs saved and seven outs above average between 2021 and ’22. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back defensively in 2024. He’s only 27, so there’s no reason to think he shouldn’t.

Much of the focus in Houston is currently on the fact that Alex Bregman, a franchise icon, is entering a contract year – especially after Jose Altuve, another Astros icon, recently signed an extension. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for Houston to start setting some money aside for Tucker, too; he can become a free agent after the 2025 season.

4. Corbin Carroll

Age in 2024: 23

2023 Stats: 645 PA, .285/.362/.506, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 54 SB, 133 wRC+, 6.0 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -3 DRS, 4 OAA

Carroll is the answer to what the best-case scenario would have looked like when the Washington Nationals experimented with Trea Turner in the outfield during the 2016 season.

The 23-year-old has the speed of a racehorse, as evidenced by his 30.1 sprint speed in 2023, tied for the sixth-best among all MLB players. Carroll also used that speed to hit an NL-leading 10 triples and swipe 54 bases. Oh, and he mixed in 25 home runs too.

He may never win a Gold Glove Award, but Carroll is capable of playing all three outfield positions, which is particularly valuable for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who play 81 games a year in one of the most bizarre outfields ever constructed.

All Carroll did in his first full MLB season was win NL Rookie of the Year, finish fifth in NL MVP voting and help the Diamondbacks to reach the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. It will be hard to follow that up in 2024, but we’re looking forward to seeing the encore.

3. Fernando Tatis Jr.

Age in 2024: 25

2023 Stats: 635 PA, .257/.322/.449, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 29 SB, 113 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: 27 DRS, 9 OAA

Tatis typically graded out as a poor defensive shortstop, particularly in terms of defensive runs saved. But in his first year playing right field on a full-time basis, he led all qualified defenders with 29 defensive runs saved, while also finishing with 11 outs above average and recording 12 outfield assists. Not only did that earn him his first Gold Glove Award, but also the Platinum Glove, which honors the best fielder in each league.

If Tatis can pair his newfound defensive value with the type of offensive production he posted between 2019 and ’21 — when he hit .293 with 81 home runs and a .965 OPS — he’ll be the most valuable player in the sport outside of Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Make no mistake, Tatis’ offensive production in 2022 was still solid, as he slashed .257/.322/.449 with 25 home runs, 78 RBIs and a .770 OPS. But it was well short of what earned him back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in 2020 and ’21, before a wrist injury sustained during a motorcycle accident and a suspension for performance-enhancing drug use cost him the entire 2022 campaign.

Still only 25, don’t be surprised if Tatis is a top-five finisher in the NL MVP race in 2024. And if the San Diego Padres are going to make the playoffs, they’ll need a massive season from Tatis, given the mass exodus of talent from their pitching staff this offseason.

2. Juan Soto

Age in 2024: 25

2023 Stats: 708 PA, .275/.410/.410, 35 HR, 109 RBI, 12 SB, 155 wRC+, 5.5 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -6 DRS, -9 OAA

Among active players, there might not be anyone more suited to play 81 games a year at Yankee Stadium than Soto. He’ll get that chance, in a contract year, after the Yankees acquired him in a December trade with the Padres.

There was some suggestion that Soto didn’t perform at his peak level during the season and a half he spent with the Padres. If that’s the case, it’s pretty insane to think about. Soto walked a staggering 132 times with 35 home runs and a .930 OPS in his only full season with the Padres, finishing sixth in NL MVP voting. If that’s the floor, well, it serves as a reminder that you’re watching one of the greatest hitters in MLB history.

For as laser-focused as Soto is at the plate, it sometimes feels like he’s indifferent toward playing outfield defense. Over the last two years, he has -8 defensive runs saved and -22 outs above average, having struggled in both left and right field. He’ll play right field in 2023, but it feels like his long-term future is probably either at first base or as a DH.

In any event, Soto’s meal ticket is always going to be his bat and the willingness he has to not swing it if pitchers don’t give him something to hit. With a move to Yankee Stadium, Soto feels like a strong bet to have his first 40-home run season in 2024, setting himself up for a megadeal next winter, be it from the Yankees or someone else.

1. Ronald Acuña Jr.

Age in 2024: 26

2023 Stats: 735 PA, .337/.416/.596, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 73 SB, 170 wRC+, 8.3 fWAR
2023 Defensive Metrics: -2 DRS, -9 OAA

Acuña is coming off of one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history, as he led the Senior Circuit in hits (217), runs scored (149), stolen bases (73), on-base percentage (.416), OPS (1.012), OPS+ (168) and total bases (383) en route to winning the NL MVP.

Still only 26, Acuña is currently on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, with an NL Rookie of the Year Award, three Silver Sluggers and four All-Star Game appearances on his resume, in addition to his MVP.

Acuña may also have the unfortunate distinction of being on the most team-friendly contract in MLB history. He made just $17 million in his MVP season and is set to make $68 million over the next four years, a comically low amount relative to the superstar production he’s put up since making his debut for the Braves in 2018.

If there’s any area of concern, it’s that Acuña has -2 defensive runs saved and -15 outs above average over the last two seasons.

Prior to tearing his right ACL in July of 2021, he had 11 career defensive runs saved and three outs above average in right field, while also proving more than capable of playing center field. Truist Park has a large outfield to patrol, but it does feel like Acuña should be better as a defender than he has been over the last two seasons. Perhaps that will be the case as he moves further away from the ACL tear.

In any event, he’s such an explosive offensive player that it probably doesn’t matter what he does defensively – he’s going to be an MVP candidate every year.