Time to reveal the Top 6! You can read Part 1 (Top 7-13 NL East centerfielders) here. Who do you think the best defensive NL East centerfielder is?
6. Lewis Brinson (Miami Marlins)
Former top prospect Lewis Brinson was a major component of the deal that sent now superstar Christian Yelich to the Brewers. He spent the past two years splitting time between the majors and the minors, but is hopeful to remain on the major league roster once baseball returns. There’s been a lot of pressure on Brinson to perform, as he was considered the centerpiece around the Marlins rebuild in 2018.
Brinson has been performing well defensively. He is really fast (top 3% of the league) and makes the most “remote” plays. Notably, he is above average when he has to make plays going back on a ball.
If Brinson can recreate his 2018 numbers at the plate, Marlins fans should expect to watch him play more frequently. He is a very talented centerfielder and has a lot of potential for success at that position.
5. Roman Quinn (Philadelphia Phillies)
Roman Quinn has been back and forth between the majors and the minors over the past three years. He was competing with Adam Haseley in spring training for the starting centerfield role before baseball was postponed.
Quinn is a very talented player and one of the fastest in the league (top 1%). He made some great plays last year, including a handful that were deemed “remote”. He also has a plus arm. Unfortunately, Quinn can’t seem to stay off of the injured list. During his professional career, Quinn has experienced injuries, including torn quadriceps, a torn Achilles tendon, strained elbow, broken toe, concussion, and a torn ligament in his middle finger.
I believe Quinn has potential to be a very good centerfielder but the injuries present a concern for the Phillies. Quinn needs to stay healthy to reach his full potential.
4. Michael A. Taylor (Washington Nationals)
Michael A, Taylor’s been with the Nationals since 2014 and is a reliable and consistent defensive centerfielder, He has great range, an above average arm and is top 7% of the league in speed.
During his best year, 2017, he had 10 Outs Above Average (OAA) and was able to reach balls in all directions, including those behind him. His Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) also peaked in 2017, at 10.3, which is well above average. (For both OAA and UZR, the higher the better). While he didn’t quite reach these numbers in 2018, his stats were still up there with the best defenders in the league.
Taylor in 2019 was sent down to the minors for the majority of the season, but proved valuable during his time in the majors. While he is not a starter anymore, Taylor is a great defensive replacement and could easily fill in should any of the Nationals starting outfield get injured.
3. Ender Inciarte (Altanta Braves)
Ender Inciarte is a three time gold glove winner with great defensive ability. He’s on the faster side but has recently slowed down a little bit due to injuries. Unfortunately, Inciarte has been dealing with a number of injuries lately that seem to keep piling up.
In the time that Inciarte does play centerfield, he does a great job at completing the most “remote” plays. Remote plays are plays that have less than a 10% chance of being completed. His best year for making those tough plays was in 2016. Since then, Inciarte makes remote plays less frequently, but still more consistently than an average centerfielder.
His UZR peaked in 2018 at 7.2 and has been above average throughout his entre major league career. Inciarte also has a plus arm, meaning you can catch some great throws coming from center when he’s playing.
The most important thing for Inciarte going forward is finding a way to stay healthy. Hopefully when baseball returns we’ll get to see some exciting plays from him again.
2. Jake Marisnick (New York Mets)
Coming from the Astros, Jake Marisnick is a very talented defensive player. During his 6 year major league career, his UZR has remained above average with one exception (2017). He’s also consistently shown the ability to make the toughest plays and reach those “remote” balls.
Marisnick ranks 12th in the league for Outs Above Average (OAA). He’s great at getting to balls behind him and has above average range overall. He’s also really fast (top 5% in the league for speed), has a plus arm, and gets great outfielder jump. In terms of defensive ability alone, Marisnick makes a solid and dependable centerfielder. He’s a great addition to the Mets and fans should be excited to watch him play.
1. Victor Robles (Washington Nationals)
Leading centerfielder in Outs Above Average with 22 in 2019, Robles is a defensive gem. Robles gets great reads and is good at getting balls in all directions. He’s top 5% of the league in speed and gets a great jump. His UZR for 2019 was also well above average, at 5.3. Robles also has an above average arm, with throwing speeds nearing 100 mph at times.
Robles is fun to watch and makes exciting plays. He gets to 1/5th of the balls deemed “remote” (way more than most players who play the whole season) and gives Nationals fans a show every time he is on the field. And he’s only been in the majors for one year! Truly a very talented player with a lot of potential. Even though he missed out last year, Robles has a couple of gold gloves coming his way in the future.
Who do you think is the best defensive NL East centerfielder? Let me know in the comments below!