MLB’s best outfielders: Ranking the top 20 for 2024, led by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Good luck finding a position group in baseball more exciting than the outfield, where the best is still ahead for many of the game’s top talents. In the top 13 alone, you’ll find three MVP winners and eight Rookies of the Year.
More than 30 players had strong arguments to make this list of 20, and that’s not including sluggers like Kyle Schwarber, who’s expected to spend the majority of his time in 2024 at designated hitter. Others, such as Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Byron Buxton, fell just short of making the cut after injuries held them back last year. Leaving high-upside talents like that off demonstrates just how deep the field is, but recent production played a major factor while compiling the list, which includes both decorated superstars and a smattering of last year’s rookie standouts who will try to pick up where they left off.
Our position player series wraps up below with the top 20 outfielders entering the 2024 season.
MLB position rankings: Top 20 starting pitchers | Top 10 closers | Top 10 catchers | Top 10 first basemen|Top 10 second basemen | Top 10 third basemen | Top 10 shortstops
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
2023: .337/.416/.596, 41 HR, 170 wRC+, 8.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .304/.403/.590, 43 HR, 163 wRC+, 7.6 fWAR
The unanimous National League MVP last year, Acuña accomplished something never done before, becoming the first player to hit at least 40 homers and steal at least 70 bases in a season. There had never even been a 40/50 player before. Acuña alone stole more bases (73) than the entire Angels (72) and Giants (57) rosters. Certainly, the new rules helped Acuña’s endeavor, but he would have put together an MVP-caliber season even without the wheels.
He led the majors in hits, runs, stolen bases and on-base percentage and paced the NL with a 1.012 OPS. He also had the most hard-hit balls in baseball — with 58 more than the next-closest player, Rafael Devers. That Acuña managed to do that while cutting his strikeout rate by more than half from any previous season is a remarkable feat and demonstrates just how far he has come since the ACL tear that cut his 2021 season short.
2. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
2023: .267/.406/.613, 37 HR, 174 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .271/.384/.575, 40 HR, 160 wRC+, 5.8 fWAR
3. Juan Soto, New York Yankees
2023: .275/.410/.519, 35 HR, 155 wRC+, 5.5 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .275/.421/.516, 33 HR, 160 wRC+, 5.8 fWAR
4. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
2023: .275/.333/.485, 32 HR, 126 wRC+, 5.9 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .274/.336/.488, 32 HR, 128 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR
Rodríguez said he wasn’t happy with his 2023 season, a year in which he hit 32 homers, stole 37 bases and finished fourth in MVP voting as a 22-year-old. Imagine how good he could be when he feels good at the plate. After a substandard first half, Seattle’s All-Star festivities seemed to ignite something in him, as he went on to post a .941 OPS after the break. His numbers were buoyed by an outrageous month of August in which he slashed .429/.474/.724 and knocked in 30 runs. Over a four-game stretch, Rodríguez set a major-league record with 17 hits. Entering his age-23 season, there’s no reason to believe he can’t pick up where he left off with the bat. But even when he’s not producing the way he’s capable of at the plate, his elite defense makes him one of the most valuable outfielders in the game.
5. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
2023: .293/.407/.583, 31 HR, 170 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .298/.393/.592, 36 HR, 167 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR
6. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
2023: .285/.362/.506, 25 HR, 133 wRC+, 6.0 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .272/.354/.460, 20 HR, 121 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR
7. Fernando Tatis Jr, San Diego Padres
2023: .257/.322/.449, 25 HR, 113 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .268/.342/.528, 36 HR, 137 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR
8. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
2023: .284/.369/.517, 29 HR, 140 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .275/.353/.505, 28 HR, 133 wRC+, 4.2 fWAR
One of the more underrated stars in the game, Tucker is one of five major-league players — along with Soto, José Ramirez, Marcus Semien and Austin Riley — coming off three straight seasons worth at least 5 bWAR. He played in at least 140 games in each of the past three seasons, averaging a 139 OPS+ while hitting at least 29 percent better than league average each of those years.
While his 2023 season ended on a sour note, with a rough postseason performance, it was otherwise another dashing success. Tucker’s 140 wRC+ trailed only Acuña, Soto and (now shortstop) Mookie Betts among all qualified outfielders. He knocked in more runs than any player on this list, earning his first Silver Slugger Award while finishing fifth in MVP voting. Entering his age-27 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tucker climb even closer to his first MVP award.
9. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
2023: .263/.367/.490, 18 HR, 134 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .257/.366/.511, 21 HR, 137 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR
10. Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
2023: .264/.315/.542, 38 HR, 128 wRC+, 5.0 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .267/.319/.496, 28 HR, 119 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR
11. Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers
2023: .245/.328/.508, 39 HR, 124 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .247/.310/.474, 31 HR, 110 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR
12. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays
2023: .254/.364/.425, 23 HR, 126 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .264/.355/.451, 22 HR, 128 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR
13. Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves
2023: .293/.331/.477, 18 HR, 115 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .279/.322/.463, 20 HR, 109 wRC+, 3.7 fWAR
14. Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets
2023: .274/.363/.466, 24 HR, 130 wRC+, 4.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .266/.361/.429, 17 HR, 122 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR
15. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
2023: .278/.370/.447, 19 HR, 122 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .251/.354/.415, 18 HR, 110 wRC+, 2.0 fWAR
16. Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
2023: .263/.330/.460, 24 HR, 110 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .264/.343/.447, 21 HR, 112 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR
17. Nolan Jones, Colorado Rockies
2023: .297/.389/.542, 20 HR, 135 wRC+, 3.7 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .277/.368/.488, 22 HR, 116 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR
In only 106 games, Jones finished the 2023 season with 20 homers, 20 steals and the 11th-most bWAR (4.3) among all outfielders. His .931 OPS was the highest mark among all qualified rookies at any position. And before you attribute that solely to the Coors effect, note that he had an even better .935 OPS in his 54 road games than he did at home (.928). ZiPS projects Jones, who finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting last year, to be a top-20 outfielder in 2024. If he maintains his trajectory, he will be.
18. Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
2023: .306/.413/.645, 5 HR, 180 wRC+, 1.3 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .259/.358/.412, 15 HR, 113 wRC+, 2.8 fWAR
19. Chas McCormick, Houston Astros
2023: .273/.353/.489, 22 HR, 133 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .258/.333/.444, 18 HR, 114 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR
20. James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023: .248/.353/.437, 23 HR, 118 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
2024 ZiPS: .245/.337/.442, 23 HR, 114 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
After ranking in the top 10 in fWAR among all qualified outfielders last year, ZiPS projects Outman to be the 14th most valuable outfielder in the big leagues in 2024. Outman followed his electric but brief call-up in 2022 with 23 homers and 16 steals in a much more extended look in 2023. He finished the year as the best defender on the Dodgers by outs above average and ranked 10th in the category among all major-league outfielders.
He is prone to peaks and valleys — he had an OPS over .900 in April and July and an OPS under .600 in May and June — due to the swing-and-miss in his game, but Outman became more selective as the year progressed, lowering his whiff rate from 43.8% in May down to 37.4 in June, 34.8 in July and 33.5 in August and September. He went from having one of the lowest walk rates on the Dodgers in the season’s first half to the highest walk rate on the team after the All-Star break and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Honorable Mentions: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miami Marlins; Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins; Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers; Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs; Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs; Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies; Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles; Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants; George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays; TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds; Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals; Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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