Sports Illustrated is ranking the top MLB players at each position. So far, we’ve covered catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen. and shortstops. Today, we're focusing on outfielders.
Outfielders come in all shapes and sizes. There are sluggers, elite defenders, speedsters and guys who can do every aspect of the job. The usual suspects populate the top of this list, but there is a growing group of younger outfielders forging their way up the ladder. In fact, the list is so crowded that we had to expand it to 15 to do justice to the exercise.
Here are our picks for the top 15 outfielders across baseball.
15. Andy Pages, Dodgers
Pages clips the back end of this list after a solid 2025 that was followed by a dreadful run in the postseason. He has arguably been L.A.’s best hitter this year, however, and he remains an outstanding defender. More consistency will see him climb these ranks quickly.
Pages slashed .272/.313/.461 last year with 27 home runs, 86 RBIs and a wRC+ of 113. The 25-year-old crumbled at the plate in the playoffs, as he hit .078 with a .211 OPS and 11 strikeouts and no walks in 51 at-bats. There were genuine questions about his future with the Dodgers after that performance. He's erased them by slashing .299/.351/.514 with 10 home runs, 41 RBIs and a wRC+ of 141.
Pages is finally living up to the billing that made him a top prospect before his debut in 2024.
14. Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox
Abreu is rising rapidly on this list. He's won back-to-back Gold Gloves and has become one of Boston’s most reliable hitters. Throughout the first 46 games of 2026, he’s slashing .291/.362/.446 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 20 walks against 37 strikeouts. The 26-year-old also helped lead Venezuela to a World Baseball Classic title in March.
Since he became a regular starter for the Red Sox in 2024, Abreu has slashed .258/.328/.460 with a wRC+ of 115. He has also racked up 18 outs above average and a fielding run value of 22, which ranks fifth among all MLB outfielders.
Abreu has a big up arrow next to his name as his work at the plate is finally matching what he’s done in the field for so long.
13. Mike Trout, Angels
Trout once held the top spot on this list for years without any protest. While injuries have certainly made the second half of his career look ordinary compared to the superhuman beginning, 2026 has proven one thing: the 34-year-old still has it.
Not only has Trout returned to the grass—he’s nearly played more innings in the outfield in 2026 than the previous two years combined—but his production at the plate has resembled that of his prime, both above and under the hood.
The Angels star has belted 11 home runs and already swiped five bases while posting a .234/.393/.473 slash line through the first 47 games of the season. Under the hood, Trout is squaring up the baseball as well as any hitter in the big leagues, as he ranks top-10 in barrel rate and expected wOBA, and top-25 in isolated power, hard-hit rate and launch angle while making pitchers work to the tune of the second-highest walk rate of his career (19.4%).
Of course, just like old times, Trout’s Angels have a losing record. But that doesn’t change the fact that Trout is still among the best outfielders in the game, even in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.
12. Riley Greene, Tigers
For the last two years, Greene has been among the best power hitters in baseball. During that span, the Tigers outfielder ranks among the top 30 players in home runs (40), slugging percentage (.493), isolated power and barrel rate (16.3%). He’s been an All-Star in both seasons and won a Silver Slugger in 2025.
If Greene has a bugaboo as a hitter, it’s his sometimes impatient approach at the plate, though it’s an area he’s made immense strides in this year. The Tigers star has dropped his chase and strikeout rates while increasing his walk rate by 6.6%. The resulting changes have made an already dangerous hitter even more fearsome, as evidenced by his robust .327/.422/.485 slash line through 48 games. While Greene’s defense does not rise to the level of his offense, he still carries the versatility to play in both left and center field.
Greene is still only 25 years old and should continue to climb this list.
11. Cody Bellinger, Yankees
Since the Yankees lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes and effectively replaced the slugger with Bellinger, he's actually been a more valuable—and well-rounded—player than Soto. And it’s difficult to find a better fit for the Yankees than Bellinger. The lefty’s swing was tailor-made for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. He’s a smart base runner on a team sometimes pilloried for its boneheaded mistakes on the base paths, and he’s a versatile player capable of playing plus-defense at all three outfield spots and at first base if needed.
At the dish, Bellinger combines a rare blend of plate discipline and power—his walk rate (15.7%) is higher than his strikeout rate (12.7%) and he ranks 20th in baseball in isolated power. He’s also immune to opposing managers’ platoon maneuvers, as he’s become one of the best left-handed batters against southpaws. Since joining the Yankees before the 2025 campaign, the former NL MVP is slashing .272/.344/.479 with 35 home runs, 130 RBIs and a wRC+ of 129.
In many ways, Bellinger is among the best outfielders—and most underrated players—in the game.
10. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Last July, Crow-Armstrong would have been in the top five on this list, but after falling into baseball’s worst slump to end 2025 and start ‘26, he’s tumbled to here. Since Aug. 2, PCA is slashing .207/.202/.328 with nine home runs, 37 RBIs, a strikeout rate of 25.7% and a wRC+ of 68. His stellar defense in center field is providing virtually all of his value.
That being said, despite grading as a below-average hitter this season with a .229 batting average and a wRC+ of 92, his incredible defensive prowess has led him to produce 2.2 bWAR.
The Cubs gave Crow-Armstrong a six-year, $115 million extension in March, so they clearly believe his hitting woes are a blip on the long-term radar. We’ll see if they’re right.
9. James Wood, Nationals
If you like to see balls hit very hard, James Wood is your guy. The 23-year-old ranks in the top percentile in average exit velocity (96.5), barrel rate (25.7%) and hard-hit rate (61.9%), and his xwOBA of .425 ranks third in baseball. There’s a ton of swing-and-miss in his game and his strikeout rate (31.1%) is among the worst in the league, but the man can hammer baseballs and has been extremely productive for the Nationals.
Since debuting on July 1, 2024, Wood ranks third among outfielders in xwOBA (.370), fourth in runs (171), fifth in home runs (52) and RBIs (165) and eighth in wRC+ (130). He has a career OPS of .828, and this season he’s up to .911, with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs through the first 41 games.
Despite having ample athleticism, Wood has been an awful defender in his young career, producing -17 outs above average. That’s unlikely to change, and a move to first base could be in his future. For now, his offense makes him one of the most valuable outfielders in the game.
8. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Acuña only knows one way to play—as if his hair is on fire. His aggressive style on the base paths and in the field has sometimes been at the expense of his health, as he’s only played more than 120 games twice. But when Acuña is healthy, few outfielders are better.
In 2019, Acuña played in 156 games and belted 41 homers, swiped 37 bases and finished fifth in the NL MVP vote. Four years later, he authored a season for the ages, becoming one of just six players in MLB history to record a 40-40 season—he clubbed 41 homers and stole 73 bases—while leading MLB in hits (217), runs scored (149) and OPS (1.012) en route to being named NL MVP.
Acuña has dealt with persistent injury issues since that magical 2023 season, but when active, he remains among the best outfielders in the game.
7. Kyle Tucker, Dodgers
The Dodgers inked Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal this offseason, handing him the highest AAV in MLB. That's because since 2021, Tucker has been one of the best-hitting outfielders in baseball when he’s been on the field. Since that year, the lefty with a sweet swing ranks fourth in bWAR (26.5) among primary outfielders behind only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Mookie Betts, who no longer plays the outfield. In that time, he has slashed .275/.364/.506, with a 141 wRC+.
The Astros selected Tucker with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 MLB draft, and he won a World Series with the team in 2022 while also snagging a Gold Glove. He’s not an elite fielder anymore, but he’s a four-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and led the AL in RBIs in 2023. Last season as a member of the Cubs, Tucker slashed .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and a wRC+ of 136, but he dealt with a calf injury that hampered him late in the season.
Tucker is off to a decent start with the Dodgers, though he's only had four home runs and a 116 wRC+ through his first 46 games. Those numbers are well below his standards. You can bank on the track record here, though.
6. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
The 2026 campaign has largely been a nightmare for Tatis, who's still without a home run through 47 games and has also been caught stealing a league-high six times. In what is a bit of a paradox, he's hitting the ball harder than ever, but is no longer pulling or lifting the ball often, which has eliminated his power. This is a player who's averaged roughly 25 home runs and 27 doubles per season even since returning from his 2022 PED suspension, so you figure the 27-year-old will figure it out.
In right field, Tatis is one of baseball’s best defenders at any position. The two-time Gold Glove winner also won Platinum Gloves as the National League’s best fielder in 2023 and ‘25. He racked up 27 defensive runs saved in ‘23 and 15 in ‘25. At the plate, Tatis remains dangerous. In 2024 and ‘25 combined, he posted a wRC+ of 133, which was third among MLB outfielders behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
While he hasn’t been himself so far this year, Tatis remains one of baseball’s best all-around players.
5. Byron Buxton, Twins
Another five-tool player, Buxton flashed his immense talents for many years but hasn’t been able to stay on the field consistently due to repeated injuries.
In 2025, we finally got a glimpse of what a near-full season of prime Buxton looks like. The Twins star played in 126 games—the second-most in his 12-year career—belting a career-best 35 home runs, scoring the sixth-most runs in the AL (97), swiping 24 bases and playing stellar defense in center.
Buxton has picked up right where he left off last season, as he’s among the leaders in home runs (15) and runs scored (33) despite currently dealing with a sore hip.
4. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
Listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, Carroll might not look like one of the most feared sluggers in the game. But that’s exactly how he’s produced since entering MLB back in 2022. During that span, only four right fielders—Judge, Soto, Kerry Carpenter and Mookie Betts—have posted higher slugging percentages than his mark of .496. He’s an extra-base hit machine capable of driving the ball to all fields.
Since first hitting the big league field in 2022, Carroll has produced a 129 wRC+ and 18.0 bWAR. Only one right fielder has stolen more bases in that span than Carroll’s 129 and only six outfielders have racked up more Outs Above Average.
It’s no wonder Carroll, who's been one of the best hitters in MLB this season despite breaking the hamate bone in his right hand in February, is in the NL MVP conversation.
3. Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
In four-plus MLB seasons, Rodriguez has already won a Rookie of the Year Award (2022), has been named to three All-Star teams and owns a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season. Yet, if it sometimes feels as if the Mariners star hasn’t fully put it together yet, it’s merely a testament to the incredible five-tool skill set he possesses.
At a time when the league-wide batting average has hovered under .250, Rodriguez has batted .273 for his career thus far. There’s one tool (hitting for average). He owns two 30-plus homer seasons and ranks fourth among full-time center fielders in slugging percentage since 2022 (power). He ranks in the 90th percentile in Statcast’s sprint speed in 2026 and has stolen 20 or more bases four times (base running).
Rodriguez, a gifted outfielder who takes strong routes to the ball, hasn’t been as sharp defensively in 2026 as in past years, but still ranks among the top five center fielders in Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved since 2022 (fielding). Oh, and he ranks in the 93rd percentile in arm strength, making him one of the few stars in today’s game equipped with the ability to impact the game in five different ways. Since he debuted in the big leagues, Rodriguez ranks fourth among outfielders in bWAR (23.8).
After a slow start to the season at the plate, something that's become somewhat of a tradition for Rodriguez, he's started to pick things up with a better performance in May.
2. Juan Soto, Mets
Since 2018, only two qualified hitters have walked more times than they’ve struck out: Arráez and Juan Soto. While it says a lot about Arráez’s contact hitting ability, it says even more about Soto’s elite control of the strike zone, given that he’s a power hitter who has belted 30 or more homers in a season four times. In that time, Soto leads all of baseball in on-base percentage (.416), is fourth in wRC+ (157) and fifth in slugging (.530).
A year ago, The Athletic polled 64 anonymous pitchers and asked them whom they’d least like to face in Game 7 of the World Series, and the hitter with the most votes was Soto. It speaks to his elite blend of plate discipline and power, two traits that have him producing like a modern-day Stan Musial or Jimmie Foxx. He has won a Silver Slugger in each of the last six seasons and is a four-time All-MLB first-teamer.
Soto’s defense leaves a lot to be desired, and he’ll eventually be ticketed for DH, but his ability to impact games in so many different ways as an offensive player more than makes up for it. Case in point, his career-best 38 stolen bases in 2025, despite his below-average speed on the base paths.
Soto may not be hitting like a $765 million player for the disappointing Mets in 2026, but a calf strain cost him 15 games earlier in the season. It’s simply a matter of time before he gets hot at the dish.
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
Back-to-back American League MVP awards. Three MVP awards in four seasons. An AL-record 62 home runs in 2022. What more can you say about Judge? Since 2022, he’s posted a 201 wRC+, meaning he’s been 101% better than a league-average hitter, during a time when hitting has been perhaps more difficult than it’s ever been. He owns more home runs (226) than any player during that span, and his .308 batting average is second to only three-time batting champion Luis Arráez.
Judge’s insatiable desire to improve has extended from his abilities as a pure hitter—he won a batting title in 2025—to his control of the strike zone—his strikeout rate dropped each year from ’23 to ’25—to his baserunning—he’s already swiped five bases this season after naming it a point of emphasis before the season.
Add Judge’s plus-defense and arm in right field to his world-class hitting, and you have the best outfielder in the majors.
