The Best Defensive NL East Centerfielder: Part 1

Who is the best defensive NL East centerfielder? Check out my ranking of the Top 7-13 centerfielders below and come back on Thursday for Part 2 to find out who made the cut for the the Top 6.

13. Harold Ramirez (Miami Marlins)

Despite missing the opening day roster in 2019, Ramirez proved himself valuable after being promoted to the majors in May. However, his defensive ability remains questionable and does not put him in the best position to be named the Marlins starting centerfielder.

While Ramirez is top 8% of the league in speed, he does not get good outfielder jump and has an average to below-average arm. He also ranked bottom third of the league in terms of Outs Above Average (OAA). He particularly struggled going back on the ball.

Ramirez is a good player, but his defensive ability is not up to the level of most other on this list at this point in his career.

12. Jonathan Villar (Miami Marlins)

Typically a middle infielder, the Marlins plan to use Villar in centerfield. Villar joined the Marlins during the 2019 offseason, and has not played centerfield since 2017 when he was with the Brewers. Even in 2017, Villar only played centerfield for 39 games.

Villar has above average speed, which is part of the reason why the Marlins are willing to try him in the outfield. The Mariners held a similar experiment with Dee Gordon (who is faster than Villar). Gordon did not perform as well as hoped defensively in center. Hopefully the results will be better for Villar, but I don’t expect him to become a star centerfielder anytime soon.

11. Jon Berti (Miami Marlins)

Entering his second year, the Marlins are still figuring out what Berti’s role on the team will be on the team. Berti split his time during 2019 between the majors and minors, but his performance at the major league level may have earned him a more permanent spot. He is a talented utility player, playing the infield and all three outfield positions last season. His performance surprised some and has allowed him to join the running as a potential starting centerfielder.

His speed is top 2% of the league, which is one of the reasons why the Marlins feel he would be successful in centerfield. However, of all three outfield positions that Berti played last season, centerfield was his worst. Combine that will all the other Marlins in the mix, and I don’t see Berti as a starting centerfielder for the Marlins. He will get some time there, but more as a utility player.

10. Brandon Nimmo (New York Mets)

Brandon Nimmo’s played all three outfield positions, but spent the majority of his time in 2019 in centerfield (switching over from rightfield in 2018).  Defense is not the strongest part of Nimmo’s game, but he has above average sprint speed (top 20%) which helps a lot.

While Nimmo has an above average Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) in the corner outfield positions, he’s consistently remained below average in UZR in centerfield. He also does not typically make plays that are too far out of his zone, plays that an above average defender would make more often than not. If you want to read more about UZR, check out this article.

Nimmo is a great player with a lot of potential. At this time, it seems like Nimmo would be better suited for a corner outfield position. Nimmo and Marisnick will most likely split time in centerfield based on hitting matchups.

9. Magneuris Sierra (Miami Marlins)

Playing only 15 games at the major league level in 2019, Sierra is a candidate for the starting centerfielder role on the Marlins. Sierra spent the majority of his time in the majors during the 2018 season. During that time, he played right and centerfield and did not perform that well defensively in center.

In 2019, however, Sierra turned his defensive performance around and was a more reliable centerfielder. He’s really fast, top 2% of the league, and has an arm that has above average strength and is accurate. If he can keep up this performance, he will be a very good defensive centerfielder.  

Sierra is out of minor league options, so the Marlins will have to keep him on the roster to start the season when baseball returns. Increased roster size for 2020 helps his chances, but he needs to focus on maintaining consistency with his defense in order to be successful.  

8. Adam Haseley (Philadelphia Phillies)

First round pick for the Phillies, Haseley joined the major league roster in 2019 and played all three outfield positions. He only played centerfield in 40 of the games so far but performed well. Haseley is expected to be the Phillies regular centerfielder (sharing time with Roman Quinn when he is healthy).

Haseley has slightly above average speed and made a couple of tougher plays during the 2019 season. He gets good reads off of the bat and has efficient routes. The Phillies have high expectations for him, and I believe he has a lot of potential. Once he is more adjusted to the majors, I’m sure he will continue to impress. (Maybe even go up a few spots on this list)

7. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves)

The young superstar Acuña Jr. continues to be a fan favorite player. He’s played all three outfield positions for the Braves during the past two years.  The majority of Acuña Jr.’s time is in center because of Ender Inciarte’s injuries. While Acuña Jr. is a fantastic player, he performs better in the corner outfield positions over center.

One thing I found particularly odd about Acuña Jr.’s centerfield ability is that his defensive stats don’t seem to line up with his physical ability. Acuña Jr.’s speed is top 4% of the league, but he isn’t getting to balls that I would expect someone with his speed to reach. This can be due in part to his outfielder jump (reaction time) and his routes to the ball. While his sprint speed is up there with the best of them, Acuña Jr.’s jump is only slightly above average,

Acuña Jr. has a plus arm, throwing the ball close to 100 mph a handful of times. While his UZR is well above average in right field, in center field it falls below average at -3.1 for the 2019 season. Acuña Jr. is an amazing player, but at this time he is not performing to his full potential in centerfield.

Check back on Thursday to find out who made the cut for Top 6! Who do you think is the best defensive NL East centerfielder? Let me know in the comments below.