Top left fielders

Tyler O’Neill and Randy Arozarena top the rankings for a weak position

May 11, 2023

Left field isn’t exactly a strong position in the major leagues these days.

Baseball’s top-rated left fielders, as determined by my new rankings, are uniformly respected as fine players. But not one of them could truly be called a star.

At the very top of the standings is Tyler O’Neill, currently in his sixth year with the St. Louis Cardinals. O’Neill enjoyed a breakout season in 2021, batting a solid .286, launching 34 homers, driving home 80 runs, and winning his second Gold Glove. He seemed to be a superstar in the making.

But his stock fell in 2022, dragged down by a .228 average and a disappointing 58 runs batted in. Observers began to wonder if O’Neill remained on the path to becoming one of baseball’s best players, or if he was more likely destined to be a journeyman.

Yet it remains true that he outperformed everybody else in these rankings, which encompassed the 28 players who made a minimum of 750 plate appearances over the past three seasons and spent at least half of that time in left field. (The entire record for each player was considered, even those games when he played other positions.)

My formula assessed three years (2020-2022) of statistics in 10 categories. It ranked the 28 left fielders from best to worst, then assigned scores of 1,000 points to the leader and 0 points to the tailender. The score for every other player was determined by his relative position between top and bottom. (Click here for a detailed explanation.)

Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays ran a close second to O’Neill among left fielders, finishing with 985 points. Rounding out the top five were Alex Verdugo of the Boston Red Sox, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs.

Look below for a rundown of the 15 left fielders who are currently ranked as the best in the game. Three-year statistical breakdowns are provided for the top five.

Subscribe — free — to Baseball’s Best (and Worst)

A new installment will arrive in your email each weekday morning

1. Tyler O'Neill (2020-2022)

Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 8.4 total, 3.9 per 500 PA, 1.2 defensive
Averages: .249 BA, .472 SLG, .798 BPO
Scoring: 267 R generated, 124 per 500 PA
Totals: 284 G, 238 H
Notes: O’Neill capped his strong 2021 season by finishing eighth in the balloting for the National League’s Most Valuable Player. He gunned down seven baserunners that year, the highest number of kills for any NL left fielder.

2. Randy Arozarena (2020-2022)

Score: 985 points
WAR: 7.8 total, 2.9 per 500 PA, -1.7 defensive
Averages: .269 BA, .462 SLG, .812 BPO
Scoring: 303 R generated, 114 per 500 PA
Totals: 317 G, 317 H
Notes: Arozarena seemingly came out of nowhere in 2020. He played only 23 games in the regular season, yet starred in the playoffs. He bashed 10 postseason home runs, propelling the Rays to the World Series. He added the Rookie of the Year Award in 2021.

3. Alex Verdugo (2020-2022)

Score: 934 points
WAR: 5.4 total, 1.8 per 500 PA, -0.8 defensive
Averages: .288 BA, .425 SLG, .711 BPO
Scoring: 321 R generated, 109 per 500 PA
Totals: 351 G, 385 H
Notes: Verdugo rotates among all three outfield positions, but he played frequently enough in left field to qualify for these rankings. His batting averages from 2020 to 2022 testified to his consistency: .308, .289, and .280.

4. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2020-2022)

Score: 893 points
WAR: 6.0 total, 2.4 per 500 PA, -0.6 defensive
Averages: .288 BA, .452 SLG, .720 BPO
Scoring: 274 R generated, 109 per 500 PA
Totals: 319 G, 334 H
Notes: Gurriel settled in with the Toronto Blue Jays after they called him up in 2018. He peaked in 2021 with 21 homers, 84 runs batted in, and a .276 batting average. But the Jays dealt him to Arizona last December as part of a retooling of their roster.

5. Ian Happ (2020-2022)

Score: 868 points
WAR: 7.4 total, 2.6 per 500 PA, 0.2 defensive
Averages: .252 BA, .448 SLG, .770 BPO
Scoring: 274 R generated, 97 per 500 PA
Totals: 363 G, 311 H
Notes: Happ won his first Gold Glove and made his first All-Star team in 2022. His .271 batting average last year was the best of his six-year career, as were his matching totals of 72 runs scored and 72 runs batted in.

Baseball's Best (and Worst)