After a wobbly comeback from a mid-2021 ACL tear, a stronger Acuña turned in a season for the ages, the first 40-homer, 70-steal campaign (he had 41 of the former, 73 of the latter). He absolutely smoked the ball, with a 94.7 mph average exit velo (second only to Judge), 15.3% barrel rate (93rd percentile) and 55% hard-hit rate (98th percentile); for as remarkable as his .337/.416/.596 slash line was — good enough to lead the National League in OBP and wRC+ (170) while ranking second in BA and SLG — his .357 xBA and .660 xSLG were even more remarkable. He does seem to have throttled his once-elite sprint speed as a matter of self-preservation, but still adds value with his legs, though it’s worth noting he posted career-worst defensive metrics (-8 RAA, -3.3 UZR, -2 DRS).

Wall is a 28-year-old lefty who spent most of the past four seasons at Triple-A. His 104 wRC+ at Gwinnett represented his first above-average showing at that level; more notably, he stole 52 bases in 60 attempts. In his first taste of the majors, he made 15 PA in 15 games with the Braves, generally entering as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement; his 5-for-6 in stolen bases is probably more predictive of whatever major league future he has than his 6-for-13 at the plate.

To boost an offense that ranked 11th in the American League in scoring, the Yankees traded four players for a year of control of Soto, who rebounded from a comparatively down 2022 and hit .275/.410/.519 (155 wRC+) with a career-high 35 homers even as the Padres fizzled. While he was extremely selective and disciplined as usual, his 18.6% walk rate and 18.2% strikeout rate both represented his worst marks since 2019. When he connected, he set career bests with a 93.2 mph average exit velo (96th percentile) and 55.3% hard-hit rate (99th percentile). In a more hitter-friendly ballpark, hitting second ahead of Judge, the 25-year-old slugger appears primed for a huge season.

A year after the American League-record, MVP-winning 62-homer performance that landed him a nine-year, $360 million deal, Judge hit .267/.406/.613; his 174 wRC+ would have placed second in the AL and his SLG third if he weren’t 44 PA short of qualifying. He missed eight weeks after tearing a ligament his right big toe in a collision with the Dodger Stadium wall on June 3, slipping from a 187 wRC+ before to a 164 after. With Soto’s arrival, he’ll spend more time in center — where he started 74 times in 2022 but just 16 last year — than right, with some DH and left field duty as well. Stanton, who collapsed to a .191/.275/.420 (89 wRC+) showing while missing six weeks due to a hamstring strain, is hoping a leaner physique and reworked swing rejuvenate his career.

Tatis missed the season’s first 20 games while finishing his late-2022 PED suspension, then hit a comparatively modest .257/.322/.449 (113 wRC+), albeit with 25 homers and 29 stolen bases. Swinging more freely than ever, his quality of contact suffered. His 91.9 mph average exit velo, 11% barrel rate, and 48.9% hard-hit rate were impressive by anyone else’s standards but not his own; that he only briefly sustained a performance in line with his pre-suspension (and pre-wrist fracture) body of work, with five of six monthly wRC+ figures at 110 or lower, fueled cynicism regarding the authenticity of his 2019–21 excellence. He did retain exceptional value thanks to elite defense, leading all right fielders with his 29 DRS, 13.8 UZR, and 10 RAA.

The Padres’ outfield lacks depth, and the alternatives to Tatis don’t look promising. Azocar, a 27-year-old righty, hit .231/.278/.363 (78 wRC+) in 102 PA last year and wasn’t much better in 216 PA in 2022. Profar is coming off a career-worst performance (.242/.321/.368, 76 wRC+, -2.0 WAR) though at least he improved with the Padres in September relative to his five months with the Rockies. Mitchell, a 25-year-old lefty, made just five PA for Pittsburgh last year, with an 87 wRC+ at Triple-A after hitting .226/.286/.349 (78 wRC+) in 232 PA for the Bucs in 2022; he was optioned to the minors earlier this week. Mercado, a former Guardians prospect and current Padres NRI, owns a career .237/.289/.388 (82 wRC+) line in 973 PA, just 32 of which came last year.

The 27-year-old Tucker is one of the game’s most consistent and underappreciated players. Last year, he not only set a career high with 4.9 WAR — 0.1 ahead of 2022 and 0.2 ahead of ’21 — he fell one homer short of his third straight season with exactly 30 homers and his first pairing those homers with 30 steals; he nearly got that homer but for a controversial scoring decision. Already exceptionally disciplined at the plate, he set new lows with a 46.9% swing rate and 22.2% chase rate en route to career bests in walk and strikeout rates (11.9% and 13.6%, respectively). In all he hit .284/.369/.517, ranking fourth in the league with a 140 wRC+ and ninth in WAR. The only knock is that his defensive metrics were down across the board, most notably dropping from 4 to -4 in RAA and 14 to 1 in DRS.

McCormick, who’s nearly two years older than Tucker, is emerging as a very good player in his own right, having set career highs with 22 homers, 19 steals, a 133 wRC+ and 3.8 WAR in 2023. He’s slated to be the Astros’ regular left fielder with occasional duty in center and a smattering of playing time behind Tucker — who made 152 starts last year — in right.

Carroll not only won NL Rookie of the Year honors, he illustrated why the Diamondbacks put their faith in him with an eight-year, $111 million extension, helping them to their first World Series in 22 years. He hit .285/.362/.506 (133 wRC+) with 25 homers and 54 steals (with a 91.5% success rate). He had 17 homers through the and of June but just eight thereafter, with the slowdown of his pace more or less coinciding with some pain in his surgically repaired right — non-throwing — shoulder (he lost most of 2021 to a posterior capsular avulsion and a torn labrum). It was still a fantastic campaign, with his 6.1 WAR fifth in the NL. While he played all thee outfield positions last year, he figures to get most of his time in right. Though he ranged from 1 DRS to 7.1 UZR in the defensive metrics there, his 34th-percentile Arm Strength and -6 runs in Arm Value (both Statcast measures) was the majors’ second-lowest mark, which doesn’t bode well for his long-term future at the position.

Grichuk, a 32-year-old righty, hit .267/.321/.459 (100 wRC+) for the Rockies and Angels while offering his usual blend of free swinging (37.3% chase rate), modest power (16 homers), lefty mashing (155 wRC+ in 134 PA, compared to a 79 wRC+ in 337 PA against righties), and passable defense, though his glove skills are clearly on the decline in center. McCarthy, a 26-year-old lefty, plummeted from a 117 wRC+ as a rookie in 2022 to 79 last year, though he did steal 26 bases in 30 attempts. Smith, a 28-year-old lefty, turned in an 81 wRC+ himself.

After playing just 211 games in 2021–22, Springer was healthy enough to play in 154 in ’23, his most in seven seasons. But while he totaled 21 homers and a career-high 20 steals, he had his worst season at the plate, hitting just .258/.327/.405 (104 wRC+). He hit the ball with less authority than ever, with his 88.3 mph average exit velo, 7.7% barrel rate, and 39.4% hard-hit rate all placing in the 44th percentile or lower. Some of it may have been the change to the Rogers Centre’s configuration, as the fences were moved closer but built much higher; righties as a group dropped from a .438 SLG to .394, while lefties improved from .385 to .398. Defensively, Springer played just two innings in center field due to the arrival of Kevin Kiermaier, whose return figures to confine the now 34-year-old to the corner again.

The lefty-swinging Biggio, who turns 29 on April 11, played in a career-high 11 games while hitting .235/.340/.370 (103 wRC+). He made at least 13 appearances at four different positions, including 27 in right field. Lukes, another lefty, is actually nine months older than Biggio but has just 31 major league PA to date. He’s a depth piece with a good feel for contact and the ability to play center as well as the outfield corners.

Greene, the fifth pick of the 2019 draft, started 168 games in center field over the past two seasons, but began spotting in both outfield corners once Parker Meadows arrived in late August and took over center. It was more than an experiment, it was a harbinger of things to come, but that phase didn’t last long, as Greene tore the UCL in his right (non-throwing) elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. Before getting injured, he made notable improvements in his quality of contact, boosting his average exit velo two ticks to 91.6 mph and his barrel rate two percentage points to 11.3%; his xSLG improved from .388 to .499 and he hit .288/.349/.447 (119 wRC+) overall. Slated to spend most of his time in right, the 23-year-old lefty quickly ramped up to playing daily this spring and is on track for Opening Day.

Carpenter, a 26-year-old lefty, hit .278/.340/.471 (121 wRC+) last season with 20 homers. He was around average at the outfield corners, where he played 91 games (80 in right), but figures to see most of his time at DH. Canha, a 35-year-old righty, is the regular left fielder and is coming off a .262/.355/.400 (111 wRC+) season split between the Mets and Brewers. Vierling, a 27-year-old righty, hit .261/.329/.388 (99 wRC+) last year and is in the mix for all three outfield spots and third base.

Even before his postseason rampage, García enjoyed the best season of his career, blasting 39 homers (second in the AL) while hitting .245/.328/.508 (124 wRC+) with a substantially more disciplined approach at the plate. Trimming about five points off his swing rate (to 48.6%) and seven off his chase rate (to 33%), he still struck out at about the same rate (27.7%), while bumping his walk rate up four points (to 10.3%), flipping his groundball-to-fly ball ratio (from 1.02 to 0.78), and improving his barrel rate by over three points (to 16.1%). With Gold Glove-winning defense (7 DRS, 6.4 UZR, and 2 RAA, the last of which doesn’t account for his six runs above average in arm value, third in the majors), he placed 11th in the AL with 4.8 WAR. At 31, he’s no spring chicken, but between his changes in process and his glovework, he should be one of the position’s best.

In the 21-year-old Carter and 22-year-old Langford, the Rangers have an enviable pair of fast-rising outfielders who respectively ranked 12th and second on our Top 100 Prospects list. They’ll likely cover left field and get additional time around the outfield, with the latter also getting the bulk of the DH work. Carter hit a sizzling .306/.413/.645 (180 wRC+) in 75 PA for the Rangers, and stayed hot in October. Langford, the fourth pick of last year’s draft, hit .360/.480/.677 (190 wRC+) with 10 homers in 200 PA while rocketing through four minor league stops. Jankowski, a 32-year-old lefty who hit .263/.357/.332 (95 wRC+) in 287 PA, has his work cut out to earn playing time.

Kepler didn’t entirely avoid injuries, but his 130 games, 24 homers, and 2.6 WAR represented his best season since 2019. After slumping to nine homers and a 95 wRC+ while playing through a broken pinky toe in 2022, he scuffled through the first half with an 88 wRC+ and missed four weeks due to patellar tendinitis and a hamstring strain. Thankfully, he finally got his legs healthy, hit for a 154 wRC+ in the second half, and finished at .260/.332/.484, with both his batting average and 124 wRC+ setting career highs. He posted his best wRC+ against lefties since 2019 (108), and played very good defense as well.

Margot, a 29-year-old righty who was traded by the Rays and Dodgers this winter, hit for just a 93 wRC+ overall and an 84 against lefties, but he’s produced a 115 mark against them for the past three seasons. He’ll see time at all three outfield spots. Castro, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, produced a sizzling 122 wRC+ against righties last year (82 against lefties) and can play second and third as well as all three outfield spots. Larnach, a 27-year-old lefty, managed a 99 wRC+ but has struggled to make contact and realize his tremendous raw power.

After winning six Gold Gloves as a right fielder, Betts returned to his roots and helped stabilize the Dodgers’ middle infield situation in yet another MVP caliber season, hitting .307/.408/.579 (167 wRC+) with 39 homers, 14 steals, and 8.3 WAR, tied with Acuña for the major league lead. He’s now slated to be the Dodgers’ regular second baseman shortstop but could still plausibly see time in his old stomping grounds — perhaps in the later innings — given the presence of Miguel Rojas.

Betts’ flexibility was enabled by Heyward’s unlikely rebound. After hitting for a 68 wRC+ with -0.2 WAR and drawing his release from the Cubs a year before his eight-year, $184 million contract expired, the then-33-year-old lefty hit .269/.340/.473 with 15 homers in 377 PA, with his 121 wRC+ his highest full-season mark since 2015. A key to that was limiting him to 28 PA against lefties; he completed just 37 of 79 outfield starts (including 12 in center). He’s still an excellent defender, too. Teoscar Hernández is slated to be the regular left fielder, though he’s spent most of the past four seasons in right. While he hit an an uninspiring .258/.305/.435 (105 wRC+) overall last year, escaping T-Mobile Park, where he slugged .380 and struggled to see the ball, should help.

Suzuki ran hot and cold during his second stateside season, raking at a 163 wRC+ clip or better in May, August, and September but slumping to a 32 wRC+ in June and 81 in July. In all, he hit a robust .285/.357/.485 (126 wRC+), swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone and particularly improving against righties; he trimmed his strikeout rate against same-siders from 28.2% to 24.5%, and boosted his slugging percentage against them from .416 to .491. Against pitchers of both hands, he more than doubled his SLG against sliders (.from .299 to .605) while trimming his whiff rate on such offerings (from 35.5% to 28.2%). It was an encouraging season overall.

Tauchman earned a career-high 401 PA last year with his best performance since his 2019 breakout with the Yankees. He hit .252/.363/.377 (107 wRC+) while walking 14% of the time and playing solid defense, mainly in center. With Pete Crow-Armstrong on the horizon, the 33-year-old lefty may see his playing time reduced, particularly with Bellinger able to draw upon his versatility in a lineup with no shortage of moving parts. The former MVP revitalized his career with a .307/.356/.525 (134 wRC+) performance, with 26 homers and 20 steals as well as a more contact-focused two-strike approach; his slash stats were well ahead of his .268 xBA and .434 xSLG, suggesting there could be substantial regression ahead.

For the second year in a row, Santander claimed a share of the Orioles home run lead, hitting 28 to go with a .257/.325/.472 (119 wRC+) line. He was wildly inconsistent from month to month in terms of wRC+, with marks of 90 or lower in April, June, and September offset by a 191 in May, a 118 in July, and a 152 in August. His platoon splits were basically even after similarly veering all over the map in recent years, another reminder not to take small samples too seriously. It’s worth noting that despite Statcast metrics quite similar to 2022, he produced a career-low .426 xSLG, which he exceeded by 46 points.

In Cowser and Kjerstad, the Orioles do have a couple of prospects with no clear path to regular playing time. Cowser, a 24-year-old lefty, hit .300/.417/.520 (136 wRC+) with 17 homers at Triple-A but struck out 26.8% of the time, and he was eaten alive in a 77-PA sample in the majors (.115/.286/.148, 40 wRC+). His lack of standout tools, concerns about his ability to handle center field, and problems with lefties cast him as a potential corner platoon option. Kjerstad, the second pick of the 2020 draft, is a 25-year-old lefty who placed 24th on our Top 100 list after hitting .303/.376/.528 (133 wRC+) at Double- and Triple-A; he’s got quick wrists, fantastic plate coverage and 70-grade raw power, though he’s bit chase-prone.

Lowe rebounded from a shaky 52-game rookie season to hit .292/.335/.500 (131 wRC+) with 20 homers, 32 steals, and 3.8 WAR. He took a more aggressive approach, increasing his swing rate by about seven points (to 53.4%) and his chase rate about 10 points (to 38.9%). He improved dramatically against four-seamers, from a .149 AVG/.328 SLG to .303 AVG/.563 SLG, while cutting his whiff rate from 38.7% to 29.4%. Defensively, he above average in right field.

While the lefty-swinging Lowe improved from an unfathomable -16 wRC+ to a 97 against lefties, he could have a platoonmate, with the righty-swinging DeLuca, Ramírez, and Rosario all candidates; in the near term, he’ll also need a fill-in as he’ll miss at least the first week due to an oblique strain. The 25-year-old DeLuca, who came over in the Tyler Glasnow trade, hit a combined .294/.390/.566 (136 wRC+) at Double- and Triple-A while also taking 45 PA for the Dodgers; he’ll miss the start of the season due to a broken right hand. The 29-year-old Ramírez hit for a 128 wRC+ in 434 PA last year, his second straight of sneaky-good contact-oriented production. The 28-year-old Rosario, who slipped to an 88 wRC+ with -11 RAA and 0.2 WAR as a shortstop with the Guardians and Dodgers, is hoping to restore the outfield to his repertoire. Palacios, a 26-year-old contact-over-power lefty, hit .258/.307/.516 (120 wRC+) in 102 PA for the Cardinals; his six homers in that small sample matched his highest total at any previous professional stop.

At age 21, with no Triple-A experience, Walker made the Cardinals out of spring training and immediately reeled off a 12-game hitting streak. But when the league quickly adjusted, he slumped briefly and was sent to Memphis to work on his approach, particularly so he could elevate the ball with greater consistency. Even with a 46.9% groundball rate, he finished at a respectable .276/.342/.445 (116 wRC+) line, but his defense was another matter. Blocked by Nolan Arenado at third base, he moved to the outfield and was absolutely brutal according to the metrics (-16 DRS, -13 RAA, -11.8 UZR), and the visuals weren’t much better; even with the occasional impressive play, he netted just 0.2 WAR. He does project to improve, even if his defense is still a drag on his value.

Carlson played just 76 games last year amid an oblique strain and ankle sprain; the latter caused enough damage that he underwent season-ending surgery in August. He hit just .219/.318/.333 for a career-low 84 wRC+, struggling more than usual against righties (67 wRC+ in 170 PA) and lefties (118 wRC+ in 85 PA); both were off by about 20 points of wRC+ relative to his career marks. He’ll vie for time at all three outfield spots. Nootbaar, a 26-year-old lefty, will be the regular left fielder after dabbling at all three spots in 2023; he may start the year on the injured list after suffering two nondisplaced rib fractures trying to make a catch on March 8.

The recent addition of Michael A. Taylor has stirred things up here, with Reynolds, who played mainly left last year after manning center in 2021–22, moving to right, a position where he’s played just 31 regular season games, all in 2019. The thinking behind this is that PNC Park has more ground to cover in left than right, making it better suited for Suwinski; per Statcast, his range, arm strength, and sprint speed all rate higher than that of Reynolds, whose overall defensive metrics in left ranged from -3 RAA to 2 DRS. At the plate, Reynolds hit .263/.330/.460 with 24 homers and 12 steals in 2023; fueled by uncharacteristic trouble against lefties, the 29-year-old switch-hitter’s 110 wRC+ overall represented his second consecutive drop from a high of 140 in 2021.

Olivares, a 28-year-old righty, is a contact-oriented hitter who batted .263/.317/.452 (105 wRC+) with 12 homers, 11 steals, and another series of appalling defensive metrics for the Royals; he’s at -21 DRS and -13 RAA in 1,182.2 innings across three positions and four seasons. Joe, a 31-year-old righty, is coming off a modest 107 wRC+ with a career-high 11 homers; both he and Olivares put up a wRC+ in the mid-120s against lefties in 2023. Palacios, a 28-year-old lefty, hit for just an 83 wRC+ in 264 PA last year and is likely ticketed for Triple-A. The 37-year-old McCutchen, the team’s primary DH, made just eight appearances in the field in last year’s return but could spot once in awhile.

A recurrent left hamstring strain sent Yastrzemski to the injured list three times in 2023, limiting him to 106 games. When he played, he was typically solid, hitting .233/.330/.445; his 112 wRC+ was his highest since 2020. For the third straight season, he struggled mightily against lefties, posting a 62 wRC+ in 85 PA, compared to a 126 wRC+ in 296 PA against righties. Defensively, he split his time between center field (44 starts) and the corners (38 starts in right, eight in left); with Jung Hoo Lee 이정후’s arrival, he’ll spend more time in right.

Soler bashed 36 homers for the Marlins — his highest total since 2019 — while hitting .250/.341/.512 (126 wRC+). The 32-year-old righty wasn’t signed for his glove, but will slot into right occasionally; a platoon with the lefty-swinging Yastrzemski seems logical but new manager Bob Melvin has said he doesn’t want to be confined by such matchup concerns. Slater, a 31-year-old righty who’s hit for a 141 wRC+ against lefties since 2020 and who’s a much stronger defender than Soler, will see time at all three outfield slots, some of it in support of Conforto, a 31-year-old lefty who’s on track to be the regular left fielder. Matos, a 22-year-old righty, is coming off a rough rookie season (87 wRC+, -0.4 WAR) and is likely bound for Triple-A despite a strong spring, as he has no clear path to playing time.

After struggling during trials in 2021 and ’22, Duran reworked his swing and hit an impressive .295/.346/.482 (120 wRC+) last year. Arriving in mid-April, he covered center field after Adam Duvall broke his wrist, then split his time between center and left against righty starters between Duvall’s return and his own season-ending sprain of his left big toe in late August. While Durran homered just eight times and had a 5.3% barrel rate, he added 34 doubles, many of the hustle variety, aided by a 45.7% hard-hit rate and his 70-grade speed. He also went 24-for-26 in steals. His metrics in center field have been consistently awful, but if Ceddanne Rafaela is ready, Duran will mainly see time in right.

Rafaela’s ascendance could come at Abreu’s expense. Promoted after Duran’s injury, the 24-year-old lefty hit .316/.388/.474 (135 wRC+) in 85 PA after batting .274/.391/.538 (130 wRC+) at Triple-A. He did strike out 27.1% of the time in the big leagues, so his small sample jibes with the prospect team’s description of a “40-hit, 50-power corner outfielder with a swing geared to get to all the pop.” He has above-average speed and defense in his favor as well. Refsnyder, a 32-year-old righty who fell off from a 146 wRC+ with 1.3 WAR to 93 with 0.2 WAR, will open the season on the IL due to a fractured left pinky toe. O’Neill, slated to be the regular left fielder, hasn’t played right since 2019 but could slot here sometimes.

For the third straight season, Marte missed significant time, but where he hit for a 134 wRC+ and posted 2.9 WAR in 118 games in 2022, this time his performance collapsed. Hampered by discomfort stemming from scar tissue from last winter’s double groin surgery (!), he hit just .248/.301/.324 (76 wRC+) with five homers and 24 steals before being sidelined for the second half of July due to migraines. Upon returning, he played just two games before suffering yet another groin strain; he didn’t play again, but avoided another surgery. The 35-year-old righty has struggled this spring, but he’s said to be hitting the ball harder; given that he’s under contract through next season, the Mets figure to stick with him for awhile.

Taylor, a 30-year-old righty acquired from the Brewers in December, is the team’s fourth outfielder. He’s coming off a subpar season in Milwaukee, with his 88 wRC+ (.234/.267/.446) and 3.3% walk rate both representing career lows. He did hit 10 homers and steal nine bases, but doesn’t hit the ball with enough consistency or get on base often enough to do a ton of damage. McNeil offset his mediocre .270/.333/.378 (100 wRC+) line with versatility, making 97 starts at second base and 57 in the outfield (31 in right). Stewart, a 30-year-old lefty, had an impressive 58-game run while mainly playing in Marte’s absence, hitting .244/.333/.506 (130 wRC+) with 11 homers, but he might be the odd man out.

A 2016 first-round pick by the Guardians, Benson fell out of favor due to contact issues, but he got the last laugh, hitting .275/.365/.498 (128 wRC+) with 11 homers and 19 steals for the Reds. While his 31.3% strikeout rate speaks to Cleveland’s concerns, his performance looks Judge-like compared to the Guardians’ outfielders. He’s not undisciplined, chasing just 23.2% of pitches and walking 12.2% of the time, but even with a 10.3% barrel rate, he was well ahead of his .230 xBA and .398 xSLG, and he was a basket case against lefties. The 25-year-old lefty is in for a platoon role, first in center, where he’ll fill in while TJ Friedl recovers from a fractured wrist, and then here.

Fraley is a 28-year-old lefty who can’t hit lefties (42 wRC+ career); he batted .256/.339/.443 (107 wRC+) with 15 homers and 21 steals in 380 PA. He fits better as a complement to the righty-swinging Steer in left field, but the Friedl injury opens up more time for him in right. Steer is one of the Reds’ biggest boppers; he led Cincinnati with 23 homers while posting a 118 wRC+. Fairchild, a 28-year-old righty, stayed in one organization last year after splitting time between four in 2022; he hit .228/.321/.388 (89 wRC+) with 10 steals in 255 PA. Martini, a 33-year-old lefty, clubbed six homers in 79 PA for the Reds last year; he’s an outfielder/first base/pinch-hit option.

Laureano was limited to 105 games — still his highest total since 2019 — due to a groin strain and a fractured right hand; he also changed addresses after Cleveland claimed him off waivers from Oakland on August 7. He hit a subpar .224/.304/.371 (91 wRC+) with nine homers and 12 steals overall but produced a 106 wRC+ after the move while tightening up his plate discipline. Still, his 28.2% strikeout rate was a career high, and his 9.7% barrel rate and 35.9% hard-hit rate his lowest since 2020.

Florial, a 26-year-old lefty, was liberated from the Yankees organization in a December trade. With a revamped swing he hit .284/.380/.565 (130 wRC+) with 28 homers and 25 steals at Triple-A but made just 71 PA at the major league level after being outrighted while a cavalcade of Quad-A hackers sank the Yankees offense. Not that Florial is flawless, as his 29.9% strikeout in Triple-A attests, but he offers thump for an outfield that combined for just 18 homers last year. Brennan, a 26-year-old lefty, got the lion’s share of work in right last year, hitting a thin .266/.299/.356 (81 wRC+) in 455 PA; his 3.5% walk rate and 2.4% barrel rare were both pretty grim. DeLauter, the 16th pick of last year’s draft, placed 29th on this year’s Top 100; he’s a 22-year-old lefty with a promising future but just six games above High-A.

The 25-year-old Mitchell and the going-on-24-year-old Frelick are a pair of lefty-swinging former first-round picks from 2020 and ’21, respectively. Mitchell began 2023 as the Brewers’ regular center fielder, but tore his left labrum on April 18, underwent surgery, and played only three more games. He’s a speedster with above-average raw power, but a fringy hit tool lowers his ceiling. In 141 PA in 2022 and ’23, he struck out 38.3% of the time while batting .278/.343/.452 (119 wRC+); even with a 10.8% barrel rate, he’s produced just a .342 xSLG so far. The ascent of Jackson Chourio pushes Mitchell to right, and it appears Frelick will play a fair bit at third base, which he hadn’t played since summer league ball.

Frelick split time between right and center in Mitchell’s absence, hitting .246/.341/.351 (92 wRC+) in 223 PA and playing exceptional defense. He’s a hit-over-power type with good speed; he went 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. His 2.5% barrel rate and .304 xSLG are causes for concern, and like Mitchell, he needs a platoon partner. Wiemer, a 25-year-old righty, is the best bet for that role. A Top 100 prospect with 70 grades on both his raw power and speed, he hit just .204/.283/.362 (75 wRC+) with 13 homers and 11 steals, making good contact but also striking out 28.3% of the time and whiffing on 39.7% of swings at breaking balls. He’s reworked his swing and approach in hopes of improvement.

Save for a brief rehab stint following a hamstring strain, Sánchez finally spent a full season in the majors, setting career highs with 125 games and 1.3 WAR while hitting .253/.327/.450 (109 wRC+) with 14 homers. The now-26-year-old lefty is still too chase- and groundball-happy to fully realize his exceptional raw power, and his ongoing struggles against lefties (50 wRC+ last year) cast him as a platoon player.

De La Cruz, who’s likely to be the Marlins’ regular left fielder despite hitting for just a 92 wRC+ last year while playing subpar defense, could see time here as well if newcomer Nick Gordon clicks. García was limited to 37 games last year due to back tightness and a recurrent left hamstring strain, and has managed just a 59 wRC+ and -1.1 WAR in 498 PA over the past two seasons. His ability to hit lefties makes him a useful fit if he can rebound, but at 32 years old and with his track record, that’s hardly a guarantee. Bruján, no. 55 on our 2022 Top 100 Prospects list as a second baseman with exceptional speed and range, hit just .171/.241/.197 in 84 PA for the Rays. He’s out of minor league options but hoping his ability to play right field adds to his appeal.

Brown, a 31-year-old lefty, entered last season as the A’s top returning hitter and presumptive first baseman but utterly flopped, batting just .222/.286/.405 (92 wRC+). When a Grade 2 oblique strain sidelined him for six weeks early in the season, Ryan Noda emerged as a solid first base regular, leaving Brown to split time between the outfield corners, first, and DH. It’s fair to wonder whether the oblique was an ongoing problem, though he did hit the ball harder than his slash line suggests, with a .237 xBA and .451 xSLG.

Brown’s proven inability against lefties means he’ll need a platoon partner, likely the 29-year-old Andujar. As a rookie third baseman in 2018, he drilled 27 homers for the Yankees, but bad defensive metrics drove him off the hot corner, and shoulder and wrist injuries have limited him to just 506 PA in the majors in five seasons since. A high-contact, low-OBP hacker, he hit .250/.300/.476 (105 wRC+) with four homers in 90 PA for the Pirates last year. Butler, a 23-year-old lefty outfielder, entered last season as Oakland’s no. 2 prospect but hit just .211/.240/.341 (60 wRC+) with a 3.1% walk rate and 27.1% strikeout rate. His 70-grade power and above-average speed guarantee a longer look; he’ll be in the mix in center field and at first base as well. Ruiz, who stole an AL-high 67 bases last year, is the regular left fielder, but the 25-year-old righty could occasionally slot into right.

After alternately starring and missing extended time with Seattle from 2017–22, Haniger spent a miserable season in San Francisco, where he played just 61 games, missed four weeks due to an oblique strain and 11 more due to a fractured ulna that required surgery, and hit .209/.266/.365 (73 wRC+). Now 33 and a Mariner again, he’s played just 338 games while totaling 4.2 WAR over the past five seasons. He did hit the ball better than that slash line suggests, with a 10.9% barrel rate, .245 xBA, and .437 xSLG, but it’s a stretch to expect him to replicate his 2018 or even ’21 production.

Canzone, a 26-year-old lefty, batted .220/.258/.399 (79 wRC+) in a 182-PA rookie season split between Arizona and Seattle. He’s got plus raw power and will see time at both outfield corners. Marlowe, a 26-year-old lefty, hit a respectable .239/.330/.420 (112 wRC+) in 100 PA after Jarred Kelenic broke his foot. He’s a 35+ FV prospect whose speed is his only above-average tool, and he’s already been optioned to Triple-A to start the season. Haggerty, a switch-hitting 29-year-old, started slowly and was demoted to Triple-A for over two months; following a strong mid-August return, he finished at .253/.364/.341 (108 wRC+) with 10 steals in just 108 PA. Moore, a 31-year-old righty utilityman, missed April and May due to an oblique strain but hit .207/.303/.428 (105 wRC+) with seven homers in 165 PA upon returning and played every position but first, catcher, and pitcher.

Thomas enjoyed a nice little breakout in his age-27 season, hitting .268/.315/.468 while setting career highs in BA (.268), SLG (.468), wRC+ (109), homers (28) and steals (20). Though his strikeout and walk rates moved in the wrong directions (to 5.3% and 25.8%), he handled fastballs better than ever, and his quality of contact improved markedly; his 9.6% barrel rate put him in the 60th percentile, up from the 37th percentile in 2022. He was a bit subpar defensively in right field, but his 2.8 WAR more than doubled his previous season’s mark.

Wood, a second round pick in 2021 who was a key piece in the Soto trade, just placed sixth on our Top 100 list. The 21-year-old lefty is a 6-foot-6 behemoth with elite raw power and plus speed, but significant contact concerns; in a season split between High- and Double-A, he hit .336/.393/.571 with 26 homers in 549 PA but struck out 31.5% of the time and particularly struggled against changeups. He’ll likely start the year in the minors, as will Crews, the second pick of the 2023 draft and the no. 9 prospect on our Top 100; both can play center, but the latter is the one more likely to end up there. The 22-year-old righty hit .292/.377/.467 (135 wRC+) with five homers in 159 PA at three stops, though he slugged just .278 at the last of them (Double-A Harrisburg, in 85 PA).

After a career-best season featuring a 124 wRC+, 2.5 WAR, and 29 homers with the Brewers in 2022, Renfroe sank to a 92 wRC+ with 0.6 WAR and 20 homers with the Angels and Reds in ’23. He struggled mightily against four-seamers, declining from .547 to .372 in terms of slugging percentage, and his overall quality of contact fell off, with his 6.1% barrel rate and 38.8% hard-hit rate each representing drops of just under five percentage points. Now he’s on to his seventh team in six seasons, perhaps hoping to hit his way to his eighth sometime in July.

Speaking of deadline deals, Velázquez is a 25-year-old righty acquired from the Cubs in a below-the-radar trade on July 31. He’s got big power and big contact issues, as his 17 homers, 21.4% barrel rate, and 28.5% strikeout rate in 179 PA attest; he hit .235/.302/.586 (132 wRC+). He’ll see additional time at DH and elsewhere in the outfield. Gentry is a 25-year-old righty whose stock fell as he slipped from a 146 wRC+ at Double-A to a 103 at Triple-A. To quote Eric Longenhagen, he’s “a well-rounded player with mostly average tools (aside from his excellent arm)… [who] continues to project as the smaller half of a corner outfield platoon.” Frazier is a lefty-swinging utilityman who set a career high with 13 homers last year, though his 93 wRC+ represented his fourth year out of five of below-average production.

Last year, nine players spent time in right field for the Rockies, combining for -1.3 WAR and a 71 wRC+. Bouchard accounted for three of their 18 homers in just 12 games, hitting .316/.372/.684 (160 wRC+) in 43 PA overall. He’s a going-on-28-year-old, righty-swinging 40-FV prospect with plus power and above-average speed and defense. While there’s concern about his contact ability, any positive contribution would be welcome even if he does match his big league 32.6% strikeout rate.

Despite losing two months to a fractured right hand, Blackmon finished with a 105 wRC+, his first time above league average since 2019. He hit .279/.363/.440 but with just eight homers in 413 PA; though he produced more fly balls than grounders for the first time since 2016, his contact was meek, with an 86.4 mph average exit velo and a 4.9% barrel rate. Given his dismal defensive metrics, his 0.8 WAR was bolstered by his playing right field just 30 times, and DHing in 61 games. Of the rest, Jones, their regular left fielder, is a going-on-26-year-old lefty who produced a 135 wRC+ with 3.7 WAR as a rookie. Goodman is a 24-year-old prospect with 70-grade raw power but a weakness for chasing sliders; he clubbed 34 homers and slugged .580 at Double- and Triple-A before scuffling to the tune of a 48 wRC+ in 77 PA with the Rockies. Bryant, their expensive, disappointing first baseman and occasional outfielder, is coming off a -1.2 WAR season. That WAR total happens to match what the 25-year-old Toglia posted in 152 PA in Coors last year, though he managed a batting line that was about league average at Triple-A.

Fletcher, a 26-year-old lefty, hit well at every minor league stop before batting .301/.350/.441 in 102 PA for the Diamondbacks, who traded him to the White Sox just before camp opened. The White Sox plan for him to be the long half of a platoon here, but he’s a 40 FV prospect whose hit and power tools are fringy at best; his grounder-heavy batted ball data doesn’t support him maintaining that productivity. Dan Szymborski put him on this year’s Busts list while noting his zStats slash line for last year’s stint was just .249/.290/.376.

Not that Chicago’s other options here look promising. Pillar, a 35-year-old righty, is the logical platoon partner, but he collapsed to a .228/.248/.416 (71 wRC+) line with the Braves and has hit for just an 88 wRC+ against lefties since 2021. Sheets, a 27-year-old lefty, hit just .203/.267/.331 (61 wRC+) with -1.4 WAR and has shown he’s no outfielder based on his metrics. The ever-fragile Jiménez played just 14 games in the field last year but sank to a 105 wRC+ and 0.4 WAR even while totaling 489 PA. Colás, a 25-year-old lefty, got his first taste of major league action four years after his brief tastes of the top level in Cuba and Japan. He chased 44.1% of pitches outside the zone and hit .216/.257/.314 with -1.3 WAR. Good grief.

Castellanos has become a perennial Replacement Level Killer. Miscast as a right fielder given the Phillies’ other DH options, he’s put up abysmal defensive metrics (-13.3 UZR, -9 DRS, -6 RAA last year) that have undermined his intermittent offensive contributions. Last year, he hit .272/.311/.476 (109 wRC+) while setting career highs in both his strikeout and swinging-strike rates (27.6% and 18.7%, respectively). If the Phillies cared about defense, they’d put a more adept fielder – Pache, Merrifield, Marsh — out there once in awhile, but we have ample evidence that’s a once-a-fortnight occasion.

Amid a meniscus tear and right elbow irritation, Pache played just 48 major league games, but for once he made an adequate showing at the plate, cutting his chase rate to 27.6%, barreling a career-high 6.9% of batted balls, and hitting .238/.319/.417; his 99 wRC+ was 65 points higher than in 2022. He’s out of options, but if he shows signs of replicating that, he’ll have a job somewhere. Marsh turned in a 125 wRC+ as the Phillies’ regular center fielder and occasional dabbler in the corners. The versatile, contact-oriented Merrifield’s 93 wRC+ with the Blue Jays last year was his highest mark since 2020. He remains more of a base stealing threat than a power one, as his 26 steals and 11 homers attest.

Seven years after the Phillies made him the top pick in 2016, Moniak finally established himself with a season of extremes. Swinging at nearly everything within the 714 area code — seriously, he had a 48.8% chase rate — Moniak somehow maintained a .397 BABIP, overcoming a 2.8% walk rate and 35% strikeout rate to hit .280/.307/.495 (114 wRC+). While he didn’t hit the ball hard with great consistency, he connected for 14 homers in just 323 PA thanks to a high pull rate and a 12.6% barrel rate. He took 51 of his 77 starts in center field amid Mike Trout’s absence, but figures to occupy the long half of a platoon in right. Whether he can come close to sustaining that breakout is another matter.

As for his platoon parter, it doesn’t speak well of the 24-year-old Adell’s standing that he played just 17 games for the Halos last year, down from 88 in 2023, or that they signed the switch-hitting Hicks in January despite Adell being out of options. Adell struck out 40.3% of the time last year, hit just .207/.258/.448 (86 wRC+) in 62 PA, lost two months to an oblique strain, and now owns a 70 wRC+ in 619 PA strewn over four seasons. Hicks caught on with Baltimore after being released by Yankees, who still owed him $27.6 million; he hit .275/.381/.425 (129 wRC+) in 236 PA as an Oriole, crushing lefties and finishing with a 109 wRC+ overall.