When Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels shined as two of the best players in baseball last season nobody overlooked the fact that they were both outfielders. In fact, it was Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals that had one of the best seasons in baseball the year before and he was also an outfielder. The clear trend of outfielders shining brightest at the major league level has influenced us to look forward to the next wave of outfield stars with a focus on the American League in particular. Here is a look at the next wave of AL outfield stars.
Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox
The No. 7 pick in the 2015 MLB draft is now baseball’s top-rated prospect and he is primed for a big year as the starting left fielder for the Red Sox this season. Benintendi has more than enough athleticism to hold his own defensively but the real reason for his immense potential is his work with the bat. Benintendi his .295 in 34 games with Boston last season and he has flashed surprising power throughout his career for a player listed at 5’10’’ and 170 pounds.
It’s somewhat scary to think about how the Red Sox offense could get any better this year as they were already one of the best in the big leagues. They led the major leagues with a .282 batting average – only one other team batted better than .270 last year – and they led the league in runs scored. The one area where they could use some improvement, though, is power. The Red Sox were merely ninth in the majors in home runs with 208.
Benintendi has spent the offseason putting on some more size in order to improve his strength and if he can even slightly improve his power totals at the plate then he could be in for a massive season from the plate.
Clint Frazier, New York Yankees
Frazier was drafted fifth-overall by the Cleveland Indians in 2013 and he is close to making his debut for the Yankees after he was moved to New York in a trade for Andrew Miller. Frazier is an excellent athlete who plays all three of the outfield spots but his real potential is at the plate. Frazier has an outstanding bat and his pure bat speed is among the best for the next wave of top prospects. New York will keep Frazier in Triple-A to start the season but it’s only a matter of time before they bring him up to join the AL.
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Judge is the opposite of Benintendi in terms of size as he is 6’7’’ and 275 pounds. Judge has incredible power and he showcased it with four home runs on just 84 at-bats for the Yankees last season. However, while the power was there it is clear that Judge needs to improve his overall game as he hit just .179 with New York with a 44.2K%. Judge has the potential to be special but he must improve his hit rate in order to be something special.
Bradley Zimmer, Cleveland Indians
Zimmer could remain in the minors until 2017 but Cleveland is thrilled about his immense potential. Zimmer is an amazing athlete that can start at any of the three outfield positions but the key for him will be improving his contact rate after struggling at times last season. Zimmer’s swing rate has actually declined as he has climbed towards the majors, so he will need a strong season in Triple-A to reach his potential and prove he belongs in the AL and the big leagues.
If he was able to give the Indians an offensive boost, that would be great. This is a team that is World Series-caliber as they made it all the way to the Fall Classic, but their offenses simply couldn’t do enough to get the job done. They added Edwin Encarnacion in the offseason but they’ll need more from the lineup and prospects that they have, so getting a boost from Zimmer would be great.
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