Top 5 MLB Outfields

On the heels of the Braves recent acquisition of outfielder Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks, they would seemingly be in prime position to send out one of the better outfields in the bigs on a day-to-day basis. But where does their crew stack up against 4 of the other best outfields in the league?

5. Oakland Athletics 
Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick

After a wild season in Oakland that saw the A's shock the baseball world and win the AL West crown over the vaunted Angels and Rangers, they'll be back with a similar lineup for 2013. One thing that will certainly be the same is their starting outfield which consists of Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, and Josh Reddick.

Cespedes is definitely more recognized for his offensive skillset than his defense, but he's a talented defender as well. He doesn't have the range to get to everything in the field, but he's got an above-average arm and, generally speaking, he plays fundamentally sound. Crisp is also known for his highlight-reel catches, and his incredible speed to track down balls and steal bases. Rounding out their trio is Reddick, who is coming off a breakout season in 2012 which saw him blast 32 home runs to go with 85 RBI. He was certainly something the Red Sox could have used, had they not shipped him to Oakland for Andrew Bailey. He was also awarded for his stellar defense by reigning in his first career Gold Glove Award.

Their defense from left to right should be stout once again in 2013, both offensively and defensively.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers
Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier

Courtesy of Zimbio

The potential of this outfield certainly comes down to health. If healthy, it could be the best in baseball in terms of offensive production and solid defense. In center, you have Matt Kemp who is arguably the best 5 tool player in baseball when healthy. Unfortunately for Kemp, he missed 56 games scattered throughout the 2012 season and was never healthy enough to get a string together a steady campaign. However, if you take a step back and look at his 2011 campaign you see the potential of Kemp. In addition to his 11 outfield assists and respectable 5 errors, Kemp was an offensive machine. He blasted 39 taters to go with his 126 RBI and 115 runs, all of which lead the league in each respective category. He also swiped 40 bags, showing his dynamite speed. If a healthy Kemp is roaming centerfield, the Dodgers will be very happy.

His longtime partner in crime has been Andre Ethier whose defense is certainly sub-par, but he can bring it offensively and is a very nice complementary player to Kemp. Unfortunately he has a very undesirable contract which the Dodgers handed to him prior to last season, and they may be stuck with him as he rides the decline of his career.

Their newest addition will be Carl Crawford in left, whom they acquired after last years trade deadline from the Red Sox. If Crawford plays like he did in Tampa Bay, the Dodgers will be wildly happy. If he repeats his injury riddled performance in Boston, LA will be scrambling to make ends meet all season. At his best, Crawford brings otherworldly athleticism as he's lead the league in triples and steals four times each in his career, and has stellar defense to go with his solid offense. He's never had more than 5 errors in his career, and his 2010 gold glove award is a testament to his defensive prowess.


3. New York Yankees
Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki 

From left to right, the Yankees have potentially the best defensive outfield in the MLB. With Gardner's ability to play left field like a centerfielder and track down everything, there was talks of him making that role official and switching spots with Granderson. While that has yet to be made official, Gardner is currently penciled in as the everyday left fielder, assuming he can stay healthy. Gardner's incredible speed also allows him to steal bases at a stellar rate, as he lead the league in swipes in 2011.

Granderson is also an above-average fielder with great speed. He'll make circus catches from time to time and is as reliable as they come in center. In 3 seasons in the Bronx, he's made only 5 errors, including zero in 2012. He's also a huge power threat in the middle of the Yanks lineup, blasting 84 home runs the last two seasons, but also stealing 35 bases in the same time span to prove his speed on the basepaths.

With Ichiro rounding out the trio in right, you know what you get from him: incredibly fundamentally sound defense, with a cannon of an arm and the ability to leap over walls when it calls for it. Despite just turning 39 years old, Ichiro can still bring it defensively and he's never made more than 5 errors in a single season, including only 1 last year in his time with both Seattle and NY. Ichiro can also still hit, despite his early season struggles in Seattle, as he hit .322 in his stint with NY, and he can still swipe bases with the best of them, having never stolen fewer than 29 bases in a given season.

This outfield should steal a ton of bases, and play sound defense. It's likely that you won't see too many balls find the gap with this trio roaming the outfield.

2. Atlanta Braves
Justin Upton, BJ Upton, Jason Heyward 

Courtesy of USA Today

Now this is one hell of an outfield. First you have the Upton brothers. Separated by almost 3 years to the day, these brothers tend to bring out the best in each other. They're known as two players with immense talent, just sometimes unable to harness it all into one effort. BJ, the elder Upton, began his career as a middle-infielder, but was quickly shifted to the outfield to maximize his skill-set. That proved to be the wise move, as BJ is definitely better suited to be in centerfield and his defense has improved annually. He can also steal bases at a high clip, as he snagged 31 last season and 42 as recently as 2010.  Combine all this with his ever-growing power and you have a new, dynamic centerfielder that the Braves should be excited about.

The younger Upton is a little more raw defensively, but his offensive growth has to be considered far greater than BJ was at the same point in his career. Justin has already topped BJ's career high in home runs, as he clocked 31 in 2011, and his RBI production is also a step-up from his older brother. If these two brothers can add a sibling rivalry to fuel their growth and success, it could make the life of their third outfielder a little bit easier as well.

That third outfielder, Jason Heyward, was tabbed as the next big thing for baseball when he came up as a rookie in 2010. He quickly lit up the league, winning rookie of the year and looking like a stud in the process. Then after a sophomore slump in 2011, Heyward looked good once again in '12. He hit a career high 27 home runs and 82 RBI, in addition to another career high with 21 stolen bases. He also nabbed his first career Gold Glove award, which certainly could be the first of many.

Overall, this is a young and extremely athletic outfield that can do a little bit of everything. The two new acquisitions conveniently came from the same family, and could be pivotal to the Braves overall success in 2013.

1. Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos, Josh Hamilton

Courtesy of Yahoo!

What could, and should, potentially be the best outfield in the bigs comes courtesy of the other team in LA. The Angels should be sitting pretty with arguably the best outfield in the MLB, and they could be together for the forseeable future. Right now, many consider Josh Hamilton the best overall player in baseball. When healthy, Hamilton is a once in a generation type player who can hit for power and average and play stellar defense. Last year, considered a down year for Hamilton, he still hit .285 and hit a career high 43 home runs. Once he hit free agency, however, teams were reluctant to offer him a huge contract due to health concerns and the obvious insanity of handing out a 10 year deal to an outfielder who will be 32 in the second month of the season. The Angels stepped in and handed him a lucrative 5 year deal which will keep him in Anaheim through 2017 to pair with the All-World Mike Trout.

Trout is coming off perhaps the greatest rookie season any MLB player has enjoyed. Everyone knows the story, ranging from his 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases, to his amazing defense robbing just about everyone of home runs. He also finished 2nd in a hotly contested MVP debate, and lead the Angels to the best record in baseball following his call-up from the minors. All of this, and Trout is still only 21 years old. After playing centerfield for all of 2012, Trout will shift to left field in '13 to allow Peter Bourjos to step in center.

Bourjos is incredibly fleet of foot and showed huge upside during his only full-time gig in the majors in 2011. Unfortunately for Bourjos, the Angels outfield was a crowd in 2012 and it saw him ride the pine despite his undeniable skills. Now that things have changed and Vernon Wells is rightfully on the outside looking in and Torii Hunter is in Detroit, Bourjos will get his shot as the everyday centerfielder. If he plays like he did in 2011 and in limited action in 2012, Bourjos will certainly be a favorite for a Gold Glove and will provide a new element to the Angels offense.

This has to be the best outfield in baseball due to the wide-range of skill-sets each of these players brings to the table. There will be home runs abound in LA, along with stellar defense and stolen bases for days. If all are healthy, these 3 alone could help carry the Angels to the West crown.