From Willie Mays to Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider to Ken Griffey Jr., center field has been the primary position of many of baseball’s biggest stars. It is where five-tool super-talents roam the outfield, stealing hits and robbing homers.
These players often have elite speed, making them a threat on the bases. If that is paired with above-average production at the plate, you can easily have a five or six win player. Take that to a wRC+ of 135 or higher and it is an MVP candidate, as Mike Trout was for a decade.
Trout has vacated center field for a more forgiving role in the corner. Who is next in line as the best center fielder in Major League Baseball?
1. Julio Rodríguez
With Trout and Aaron Judge spending the majority of their time in right field, Julio Rodríguez is the best center fielder in baseball despite a .734 OPS in 2024.
A Gold Glove caliber defender, Rodríguez is only a couple of years removed from notching 32 home runs and 37 stolen bases, an effort which earned a fourth-place MVP finish.
There was considerable batted-ball misfortune in his 2024 season. Rodríguez’s underlying metrics did not show much meaningful change in his contact levels or plate discipline, which suggests another MVP contending season is on the cards for the Seattle Mariners’ latest outfield sensation.
2. Jackson Merrill
Just two full-time center fielders are projected for a better wRC+ than Jackson Merrill in 2025. Merrill earned a runner-up placing for Rookie of the Year and received MVP votes in 2024 after posting 4.4 bWAR.
Hitting 24 home runs and stealing 16 bases, Merrill also had 11 outs above average to immediately become one of MLB’s premier outfielders.
Excellent bat-to-ball skills mean his strikeout rate stays relatively low by current standards, and there is enough power for 20 homers to become a formality.
3. Jung Hoo Lee
A shoulder injury limited Jung Hoo Lee to 37 games in his rookie season. Lee walked more than he struck out en route to a .340 batting average and .898 OPS across seven seasons in the KBO.
Nicknamed Grandson of the Wind, he has good speed and a near elite glove. The contact-hitting skills give him the upside of a plus defending Luis Arráez with extra power. That is a great ballplayer.
4. Michael Harris II
Michael Harris had 3.2 bWAR despite underperforming at the plate and missing 52 games last season. He is projected for the second-best wRC+ among full-time center fielders, and only the player in first place is projected for more fWAR.
It might sound like fourth is a bit harsh. Then again, Harris had a 98 OPS+ in 2024 and has declined as a hitter year over year since making his big-league debut. The low walk rate is concerning.
5. Cody Bellinger
Expected to fill in all over the field as a New York Yankee, Cody Bellinger could have slotted into one of our other rankings. Bellinger is likely to spend a lot of time manning center field, so this felt like a fair spot.
Reinventing himself from slugger to contact hitter, Bellinger has reduced his strikeout and walk rates. He is getting the ball in play much more frequently, but his power has waned after clearing the fence with ease earlier in his career. He is a candidate to drop down this list given his year-to-year inconsistency.
6. Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong is a phenomenal defender and baserunner. At worst, he is an elite glove and base stealer who bats in the nine hole. There are signs he could be more than that, with a marked reduction in his whiff rate at the start of the 2025 season.
This ranking for Crow-Armstrong is partly a gamble on his upside. He also has a relatively high floor thanks to his defense, ensuring he will be worth at least a couple of wins per season.
7. Luis Robert Jr.
With an 87 OPS+ in 100 games in 2024, Luis Robert Jr. was a difficult player to rank. Robert is projected to post a 112 wRC+ in 2025 and had a 130 OPS+ between 2021 and 2023.
The challenge has always been health with the Chicago White Sox star. Robert has had one big-league season playing more than 100 games, and his lack of walks and high strikeout rate mean he has a relatively low floor compared to many other players at his position.
8. Brandon Marsh
Brandon Marsh quietly had a 117 wRC+ over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He is a good defender in center and he exhibited a much stronger arm in 2024 than he has shown in previous seasons.
A high walk rate and 10 percent barrel rate is a successful combination. Add in the speed to steal 19 bases last season, and the Philadelphia Phillies have one of the better center fielders in the majors to go along with their other elite players like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner.
9. Daulton Varsho
In the 99th percentile in outs above average with solid speed and good bat speed, Daulton Varsho is a true glove-first center fielder. Defensive metrics love Varsho across the board, and he is good for a few highlight plays per season.
His 92 wRC+ over the last two seasons is a long way off what others on this list have been posting, but his glove more than makes up for it. He was an above-average hitter in 2021 and 2022, and his bat speed gives him the raw power to hit 15 or more homers per year, which is a solid return for a player of his archetype.
10. Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz’s tools are outrageous. He has Stanton-level power, a rocket arm, and can match any big-league player in a foot race. His eye looks to be gradually improving, contributing to a career OPS+ of 111.
Cruz still strikes out far too much, over 30 percent of the time, and remains a work in progress as a center field defender. There have been too many defensive mishaps, leaving him with negative value on that side of the ball despite his arm and speed.
ZiPS has Cruz as a fringe top 10 center fielder for the 2025 season, which feels about right given his first few years in the majors. He could quickly break into the top five if he gets anywhere near his potent ceiling.
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