Right field is the best position in baseball, and makes it one of the most compelling areas for MLB rankings. It boasts unmatched talent at the top and depth to boot. It is also perhaps the youngest position in baseball, with the oldest player in the top five being just 27, and the top three guys are all 25 or younger.
10. Anthony Santander, BAL (NR)
Anthony Santander is the lone everyday Orioles starter who was not developed in Baltimore’s minor league system. Instead, they picked him in the 2016 Rule 5 draft as a 22-year-old in high-A ball coming off of shoulder surgery. He debuted in 2017 but struggled out of the gates. Since 2020, though, he’s been a steady force in the O’s lineup. In 469 games in that span, he has a 114 wRC+, 94 home runs, and 5.9 fWAR.
Santander does most of his damage in big spots. In 2023, he slashed .256/.408/.467 (148 wRC+) in high-leverage situations and .305/.372/.547 with runners in scoring position. He has knocked in 184 runs over the past two seasons and is poised for another highly productive season in the middle of Baltimore’s lineup in 2024.
9. Lars Nootbaar, STL (10)
Lars Nootbaar became a star with his personable energy and on-field performance for Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He followed that up with a great season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023, slashing .261/.367/.418 as the team’s primary leadoff hitter. He had a 118 wRC+, 14 home runs, 74 runs scored, and walked at an impressive 14.3% clip.
Nootbaar is solidly above average in all three facets of the game. He played primarily center field in 2023 with Dylan Carlson sidelined and had 3 outs above average (OAA) and 3 defensive runs saved (DRS) in 964.0 total outfield innings. Nootbaar was never a highly-touted prospect but has shown out since being called up to MLB in 2021. He’s consistent, walks a lot, and sees a lot of pitches; he’s one of the most reliable right fielders in the league.
8. George Springer, TOR (6)
George Springer took a pretty significant step back in 2023. From his debut in 2014 through 2022, Springer was among the best outfielders Major League Baseball had to offer. The only five outfielders to accumulate more fWAR in those nine years were Trout, Betts, Judge, Harper, and Yelich, five MVP award winners.
Perhaps Springer doesn’t get enough credit for what he did with the Astros. Of course, the cheating scandal will always cloud his career but Springer proved that he was not a product of it. Is his first two years in Toronto, Springer had a .502 SLG and 136 wRC+. In 2023, though, he had just a 104 wRC+ and 1.8 fWAR in his age-33 season.
Springer had already taken a noticeable step back defensively. He moved from center field to right field in 2023 and had just 2 DRS and 0 OAA after putting up 13 DRS and 6 OAA in center field from 2017-21. With the bat, though, he had a 130 or better wRC+ in each season from 2019 to 2022 before falling to 104 in 2023. The biggest step back was with his slugging. He had 21 home runs, but just a .147 ISO compared to his career .225 mark. The 2024 season is a big one for Springer; is 2023 just a down year or a sign of decline?
7. Adolis Garcia, TEX (NR)
Adolis Garcia has been a good MLB player ever since the Texas Rangers gave him his first real opportunity at 28 years old in 2021. Each of his three years has been better than the last and he was a crucial piece in winning the World Series in 2023, hitting a walk-off home run in Game 1. In 2023, Garcia made his 2nd all-star team and finished the season with 39 home runs, 108 runs scored, 107 RBI, and a 124 wRC+. He was one of just eight players with 100 runs and RBI.
Garcia isn’t just an elite bat. He’s also a Gold Glover in right field. He has 23 DRS, 5 OAA, and 17.6 UZR (ultimate zone rating) over the past three seasons. He won the AL Gold Glove in right field in 2023 and will play primarily right field once again in 2024. Garcia was a late bloomer but he’s gotten better in each of his MLB seasons. Does he have another step forward coming in 2024?
6. Seiya Suzuki, CHC (8)
From 2016 to 2021, Seiya Suzuki was one of the best players in the Japanese Major League, NPB. He was a five-time All-Star, five-time Gold-Glover, and led the league with a 1.072 OPS in 2021. Through the 2023 All-Star Break, Suzuki looked like a solid – not great – MLB player.
After a short benching in early August last year, Suzuki took off. In his final 198 PAs, Suzuki hit .356/.414/.672 (187 wRC+) while leading the Cubs back into the playoff race. All in all, Suzuki had a 122 wRC+, .811 OPS, 34 home runs, and a 4.9 fWAR across his first two MLB seasons. He’s been an average defender in right field and a slightly below-average baserunner. But if Suzuki hits like he did last we saw him, nothing but the bat matters.
5. Kyle Tucker, HOU (5)
There is quite a jump from the bottom half of these MLB rankings to the top half. Kyle Tucker‘s emergence has helped the Astros lengthen their reign atop the American League. In 2023, he had a third-straight elite season, putting up a 140 wRC+ and 5.0 fWAR.
Since breaking out in 2021, Tucker has been a rock for the Astros. He has had 5.0, 4.9, and 5.0 fWAR in 2021 to ’23, respectively. Over the last three years, he has missed just 39 games and hit .278/.353/.517 (138 wRC+) while providing elite baserunning (69 SB, 10.2 BsR) and defense (26 DRS, 2 OAA). Based on what we’ve seen the last three years, pencil Tucker in for another five-win season in 2024.
4. Corbin Carroll, ARI (9)
Corbin Carroll is a superstar and he has been since the moment he stepped on a Major League diamond. He got a small taste of the majors in 2022, hitting .260/.330/.500 (131 wRC+) in 32 games. Then he won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2023 with a 133 wRC+, 54 stolen bases, and 5.4 fWAR.
Carroll is already living up to the top prospect hype and he led his team to the World Series in his rookie year. His offensive game is as elite as it gets. He hits for a high average, walks at a decent rate, and slugs. On the bases, his 12.3 BsR was the best mark in baseball. In the outfield, he’s a solid defender (career 9 OAA, 1 DRS) and has split time fairly evenly across the three positions.
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. (1, LF)
Fernando Tatis Jr. has had quite the start to his career. He looked like an absolute superstar through his first three years, including leading the National League in home runs in 2021 as a 22-year-old. That offseason, he signed a 14-year, 340-million-dollar contract. Then he missed the entire 2022 season after getting injured in a motorcycle accident and then getting busted for PEDs.
In 2023, Tatis Jr. disappointed a bit in his return. He had just a 113 wRC+ but turned in an absolutely spectacular defensive season. He won the Platinum Glove in 2023 after posting 27 DRS and 9 OAA. If Tatis Jr. can find the offensive output that he had through 2021, he’d be the best player in baseball. Don’t be surprised if Tatis Jr. wins the NL MVP Award in 2024.
2. Juan Soto, NYY (3)
Juan Soto, welcome to New York. Like Carroll, Soto has been a superstar since the moment he stepped on a Major League diamond. And Soto debuted as a 19-year-old who played 8 games of AA ball. Since his debut in 2018, Soto has been a top-five hitter in baseball. He is perhaps the most disciplined hitter in baseball; he has a career .421 OBP and 19.0% BB%. On top of that, he has 160 career home runs and a .240 ISO. Did I mention that he’s only 25 years old?
1. Ronald Acuña Jr. (4)
Ronald Acuña Jr. moves up to #1 on this edition of the right field MLB rankings by virtue of an MVP season combined with Mookie Betts moving to shortstop. Acuña Jr. took a massive step forward in 2023, even after putting up 18.2 fWAR and a 134 wRC+ in his first five seasons. Through 2022, Acuña Jr. had a 25.3% K%. In 2023, that strikeout rate plummeted to just 11.4%. He slashed .337/.416/.596, good for a 170 wRC+. The scariest part? He had a .460 xwOBA that he underperformed by 32 points.
Acuña Jr. might be the best hitter in baseball. With his newfound elite bat-to-ball skills, he is perhaps the toughest at-bat for pitchers, especially given the dangerous hitters looming behind him. On top of his elite bat, Acuña Jr. led the entire league with 73 stolen bases. He’s not a great defender, especially since coming back from his 2022 ACL tear. But even still, Acuña Jr. is the best right fielder in baseball.
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