When you look at the MLB teams and their center fielders, you will notice that a well-seasoned player will be leading a group of young ones. Since it is one of the crucial roles, only players with talents can pull it off.
The 2021 season has just ended, and with all the stats in, we have come across some of the brilliant center fielders pulling this role impressively.
Therefore, today we are ranking some of the top center fielders right now in the MLB.
So, without further delay, let’s check our list of top center fielders right now.
Top 10 Center Fielders Right Now in MLB
The list has been prepared with the help of various trusted sources like the Bleacherreport, DodgerBlue, etc. Let’s have a look at the list before diving into the details.
| Players Name | Team |
| 10. Byron Buxton | Minnesota Twins |
| 9. Starling Marte | New York Mets |
| 8. Luis Robert | Chicago White Sox |
| 7. Ramón Laureano | Oakland Athletics |
| 6. Kyle Lewis | Seattle Mariners |
| 5. Brandon Nimmo | New York Mets |
| 4. Trent Grisham | San Diego Padres |
| 3. Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 2. George Springer | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1. Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels |
10. Byron Buxton
We will be starting our list with Minnesota Twin’s Byron Buxton. Although he was ranked at the bottom the previous year, he has re-emerged as a star center fielder this season.
The 30– year-old player was considered the most talented player available during the 2012 MLB draft. Similarly, in 2015, MLB and Baseball Prospectus rated him as the second highest-rate prospect in baseball.
Minnesota drafted Buxton as the second overall pick in the 2012 draft and made his first professional debut in the Minor League. Similarly, he made his major league debut on June 17, 2015.
In 2018, he suffered from sloppy performance and was disabled with a toe injury and migraine. It wasn’t a season for Buxton, but he has redeemed himself since then.
In 2021, he was named AL Player of the Month when he hit .426 with 8 home runs and 14 RBIs. Similarly, Buxton’s MLB statistics through the 2021 season states a .248 batting average, 70 home runs, 204 runs batted in, and 71 stolen bases.
9. Starling Marte
The next center fielder on our list of top center fielders right now is New York Mets’ Starling Marte. He is a Dominican professional player who made his MLB debut in 2012 with Pittsburgh Pirates.
Signed with the Pirates in 2007, he played in the minor league before making his professional debut in MLB. After a low rating among the center fielders in 2019, the Pirates traded Marte to Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since then, he has also played for Miami Mariners and Oakland Athletics. While playing with the two teams, Marte stole MLB-leading 47 bases in 2021.
New York Mets have since signed him on a four-year contract worth $78 million on November 30, 2021.
Although there is a splitting review about Marte’s performance between the Diamondbacks and Mariners, he has since been able to bounce back a little. However, the two-time Golden Glove Award winner still has a lot to prove to the fans and critics alike.
Marte’s MLB statistics through 2021 read .289 batting average, 126 home runs, 502 runs batted in, and 296 stolen bases.
8. Luis Robert
Luis Robert is a Cuban professional player who made his MLB debut in 2020. The Chicago White Sox signed him in a six-year, $50 million worth contract on January 2020, just before his MLB debut.
In 2017, Roberts signed his first contract with the Sox that included a $26 million signing bonus. He played in the minor league team and soon climbed his ranks.
After making his debut, Roberts immediately made a difference in the team. His impressive performance made him the AL Rookie of the Month Award winner.
He batted .233/.302/.436 over 202 at-bats in his 2020 season overall. Similarly, Roberts became the second Sox player to win a Gold Glove Award for center field in history in his rookie season.
In 2021, Roberts was placed on a 60-day injury list as he suffered a complete tear of his right hip flexor. He has since been taken off the injury list, and his MLB statistics through 2021 state a .294 batting average, 24 home runs, and 74 runs batted in.
7. Ramón Laureano
On number 7 of our top center fielders right now is a Dominican center fielder for Oakland Athletic, Ramón Laureano. The 29– year-old baseball player made his MLB debut with Oakland in 2018.
While he played college baseball at the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Houston Astros drafted Laureano in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB draft. Laureano played in the minor league teams.
However, Laureano never made it to the major league with the Astros. Instead, the Astros traded him with Oakland on November 20, 2017. Then he played his debut game in 2018.
His debut game didn’t make much impression; however, he hit two home runs on August 20. Additionally, he hit two more on September 7, and Laureano became two multi-homer players to achieve the feat in his first 30 career games.
Similarly, he had an AL-leading 12 hit-by pitches in 2020. Yet, despite his good play, in 2021, MLB suspended Laureano for 80 games after he tested positive for nandrolone.
His MLB statistics for the 2021 season read a .263 batting average, 49 home runs, and 150 runs batted in.
6. Kyle Lewis
When Kyle Lewis made his debut in MLB, he was already a top-100 prospect in the MLB draft. He played college baseball and already had big titles under his name.
The Seattle Mariners drafted Lewis in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his minor league debut, but just after 30 games, he suffered a terrible knee injury.
Although he made it back to the minor league and was able to debut in the major league in 2019, Lewis’s debut match did not garner much interest. He even struggled to stay on the field.
However, 2020 proved to be a good one for the centerfielder. He became the first Mariners to win the AL Rookie of the Year since 2001. He finished the season with a .262/.364/.437 slash line, 11 home runs, and 28 RBIs.
Again, on June 2021, Lewis tore his right meniscus. This subsequently placed him on the injury list and missing out on the rest of the season. His MLB statistics through the 2021 season state a .258 batting average, 22 home runs, and 52 runs batted in.
5. Brandon Nimmo
On our number 5 of the top center fielders is Brandon Nimmo. The New York Mets drafted him in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft.
After being drafted by the Mets, Nimmo played several seasons in the minor league. In 2013, he was fourth among the Mets prospects and had become one of the leading hitters in the minor league.
However, during his minor league season, Nimmo suffered from several injuries. This also hindered his debut in the MLB. Finally, in 2016, he made his debut in the MLB.
Even after making his MLB debut, he has been plagued with injuries. But despite this, Nimmo is an excellent center field. In addition, he has the knack for the strike zone, which has helped him become the MLB’s 7th highest walk rate since 2017.
Additionally, in 2020, he put forward the best offensive season of his career. He has recorded .280/.404/.484 with 8 home runs and 18 RBIs.
Although in 2021, Nimmos again suffered injuries twice and missed a few games, he racked up a .266 batting average, 47 home runs, and 149 runs batted in throughout MLB 2021 season.
4. Trent Grisham
Currently playing for the San Diego Padres, we have Trent Grisham next up on our list. The 27– year-old player made his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019.
Milwaukee drafted him in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft. The Brewers traded Grisham to Padres in 2019. He soon proved to be important for the Padres.
In 2020, he hit his first career multi-home run and won the Gold Glove Award as the centerfielder. He finished the season with .251/.352/.456 hits, ten home runs, and 26 RBIs in 59 games.
His 2021 MLB statistics state a .242 batting average, 31 home runs, and 112 runs were batted in. Grisham may not be one of the fastest center fielders; however, he has the best defense.
In addition, there are no better center fielders with better jumps than him. He might soon be making it to the very top from his performance.
3. Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger is the son of the former MLB player Clay Bellinger. But it is not that makes him stand out among the rest of the center fielders; the 28 years old has proved himself to be an elite hitter in the league.
The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Bellinger in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft. After playing many seasons in the minor league, he debuted in 2017, where he won the Rookie of the Year after the season. The same year he won an All-Star.
In 2019, Bellinger had the best season. He finished the season with career-high statistics and an All-Star, NL MVP, All-MLB first team, Gold Glove Award, and Silver Slugger Award.
Likewise, in 2020, Bellinger won the World Series Champion title. After ending the season, he signed a one-year contract worth $16.1 million with the Dodgers.
Unfortunately, his 2021 was obstructed with injuries. As a result, the athlete missed several games, but Bellinger proved to be one of the best center fielders.
His MLB statistics through the 2021 season state a .257 batting average, 133 home runs, and 354 runs batted in.
2. George Springer
Counting at number 2 on our list of the top center fielders right now is George Springer. Currently playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, the 34 year old was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft.
When playing in the minor league, Baseball America ranked Springer as the 18th best prospect in baseball. Soon after that, he made his MLB debut with the Astros on April 16, 2014.
However, his debut season did not garner much hype. Then in September, it was announced that Springer would not be playing the rest of the season. His breakthrough came in 2017 after he took the center field position.
In 2017, he won an All-Star, Silver Slugger Award and became World Series champion and World Series MVP. But then a sign-stealing scandal surfaced, which has since stained his career.
Springer made a comeback in 2020, where he posted a hit of .265/.359/.540 with 14 home runs and 32 RBIs. His performance has continued to be one of the best in the league.
In 2021, he signed with the Blue Jays in a six-year contract worth $150 million. Springer’s MLB statistics throughout the 2021 season state .269 batting average, 196 home runs, and 508 runs batted in.
1. Mike Trout
The number 1 center fielder on our list of the top center fielders right now is Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout. The Angeles drafted him in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft.
Trout was selected by the Angels using their compensation pick from the New York Yankees. He played in the minor league, and before the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the Angles third-best prospect and the 85th in all.
In 2011, Trout made his MLB debut. The following year he won the Rookie of the Year Award. The 30 year old has been on a roll since, winning various titles and awards.
Furthermore, he signed a 12-year contract with the Angles in 2019 worth $426 million. This was the second-richest contract in the history of North American sports while being the third-highest in professional sports.
Trout’s MLB statistics throughout the 2021 season read a .305 batting average, 1,419 hits, 310 home runs, 816 runs batted in, and 203 stolen bases.
Trout is regarded as one of the most outstanding young players in baseball. Anyone having doubts about his skills can look at the long list of career highs and awards he has accumulated over the year.
Conclusion
The players on the list all have proved that they deserve the position with their statistics. While few of the center backs have made a comeback, some have climbed their ranks.
MLB is a tough league, and the players will have to be in their top game. We can only hope that these players can continue to win the fans and critics with their performance.
