Outfielders have significant roles on defense.
An outfielder must be able to judge the trajectory of fly balls and have enough speed to run to the point where the ball will come down.
Batted or thrown balls that pass beyond the infielders along the ground must be run down and picked up by the Outfielders.
A strong throwing arm is essential, as is accuracy in throwing the ball to the right point in the infield.
Outfielders must be able to run down fly balls and make plays on balls hit over their heads.
Some of the best batters in the league play the Left Field position.
Below, we break down the top 10 Left Fielders entering the 2023 MLB season.
The Top 10 Left Fielders Entering The 2023 MLB Season
Some of the best batters in the league play the Left Fielder position
Unfortunately, some talented Left Fielders had to be left off the top 10 list.
Christian Yelich has never matched the Hall of Fame caliber production that he produced between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He won the NL MVP in 2018 and was the MVP runner-up in 2019. While he may not be performing at that level, Yelich still posted a .358 OBP over the last three seasons. Yelich is still a productive player but not at an MVP-caliber level. He had 93 runs, 145 hits, 25 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, a .252 batting average, .355 OBP, .383 SLG, and .738 OPS last season. Yelich just missed out on cracking the top 10 list.
Austin Hays played over 130 games for the second straight season in 2022. He had 66 runs, 134 hits, 35 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .250 batting average, .306 OBP, .413 SLG, and .719 OPS last season. Hays was impressive in his second full season in the big leagues. He will have an even better 2023 campaign on a young and talented Orioles lineup. While Hays didn’t crack the top 10 list, he will have a very good season.
We look at the top 10 Left Fielders entering the 2023 MLB season.
Ian Happ kicks off the top 10 list of LF for the 2023 MLB season.
10. Ian Happ
Ian Happ is a former first-round pick and he is coming off the finest season of his career.
He was an All-Star and captured his first Gold Glove award in 2022.
Happ will enter a contract season in 2023 and he has the potential to set himself up for a very lucrative multi-year deal.
He was able to stay healthy last season, playing in 158 games.
Last season, Happ had 72 runs, 155 hits, 42 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBIs, a .271 batting average, .342 OBP, .440 SLG, and .781 OPS.
He ranked seventh in runs, third in hits, first in doubles, tied for sixth in home runs, and fourth in RBIs among Left Fielders last season.
Happ ranked fourth in batting average, sixth in OBP, third in SLG, and second in OPS among Left Fielders that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
The Cubs have an improved batting lineup around Happ.
Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson will bat first and second in the lineup, followed by Happ batting third.
Happ will have numerous opportunities to knock in runners with Hoerner and Swanson batting ahead of him in the batting order.
Expect Happ to have over 75 runs, 155 hits, 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 80 RBIs, and to keep his batting average to approximately .270 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Happ will once again have a very good season and be among the top 10 Left Fielders in the MLB.
9. Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward is a former first-round pick in 2015.
He finally reached his potential last year, performing at an All-Star caliber level in 2022, playing in over 100 games for the first time in his career.
Before the 2022 MLB season, Ward did not play in more than 65 games in any year.
The Los Angeles Angels have not caught many breaks in recent years but Ward emerging as a productive player was good for the team.
Ward is expected to bat leadoff for an Angels team that if they can manage to stay healthy, which they have not been able to do, can do damage on offense.
The expected top four batters in the Angels lineup is Ward, followed by Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon.
If those four players can manage to stay healthy, this is a dangerous lineup but the Angels just can’t catch a break and Trout and Rendon always seems to miss time.
Last season, Ward had 73 runs, 139 hits, 22 doubles, 23 home runs, 65 RBIs, a .281 batting average, .360 OBP, .473 SLG, and .833 OPS.
These numbers can improve tremendously if Ward, Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon can all play over 125 games.
Expect Ward to have over 90 runs, 145 hits, 25 doubles, 25 home runs, and 65 RBIs, and to keep his batting average to approximately .280 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Ward has the potential to have a big season if he, Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon can stay healthy.
8. Kris Bryant
Injuries last season basically made Kris Bryant’s first season with the Colorado Rockies a wash.
He was limited to just 42 games.
However, despite only playing in 42 games, Bryant was productive in his limited action.
If Bryant can stay healthy, he can return to solid form after having a very good 2021 MLB season.
In 2021, Bryant had 86 runs, 136 hits, 32 doubles, 25 home runs, 73 RBIs, a .265 batting average, .353 OBP, .481 SLG, and .835 OPS.
In just 42 games last season, he had 28 runs, 49 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, 14 RBIs, a .306 batting average, .376 OBP, .475 SLG, and .851 OPS.
Bryant gets the offensive benefit of playing half his games in Colorado, which will surely help his offensive numbers.
He will have good batters around him to help him produce.
Charlie Blackmon is expected to bat leadoff for the Rockies, followed by Bryant, Ryan McMahon will bat third, and C.J. Cron will bat cleanup.
If Bryant can remain healthy this season, expect him to have a big year.
Expect Bryant to have over 90 runs, 145 hits, 30 doubles, 20 home runs, and 70 RBIs, and to have his batting average to approximately .280 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Bryant will have a big year offensively, playing half his games at home in Coors Field.
7. Steven Kwan
Steven Kwan was a very valuable player in 2022, despite not being much of a power threat.
His 21 defensive runs saved were third among all defenders in 2022 and his .373 OBP made him an ideal leadoff batter for the Cleveland Guardians.
He was able to stay healthy last season, playing in 147 games.
Last season, Kwan had 89 runs, 168 hits, 25 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 52 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, a .298 batting average, .373 OBP, .400 SLG, and .772 OPS.
He ranked tied for third in runs, first in hits, tied for 11th in doubles, first in triples, tied for 39th in home runs, and tied for 17th in RBIs among Left Fielders last season.
Kwan ranked second in batting average, second in OBP, eighth in SLG, and fourth in OPS among Left Fielders that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
Take out a miserable May, when he seemed to become overly power conscious, and he was a .318 hitter in 2022.
Every other month besides May, in which he had a .173 batting average, Kwan hit .314 or better in each month except August when he hit .296.
Kwan will once again bat leadoff for the Guardians with Jose Ramirez batting third, which will help Kwan collect runs.
Expect Kwan to have over 95 runs, 170 hits, 25 doubles, five home runs, and 55 RBIs, and to keep his batting average over .300 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Kwan will once again have a very good season and be among the top 10 Left Fielders in the MLB.
6. Randy Arozarena
Randy Arozarena hit 10 home runs during a run to the World Series for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 and he has become a very good player.
His WAR since the start of the 2021 regular season is 6.5.
He was able to stay healthy last season, playing in 153 games.
Last season, Arozarena had 72 runs, 154 hits, 41 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 89 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, a .263 batting average, .327 OBP, .445 SLG, and .773 OPS.
He ranked tied for seventh in runs, fourth in hits, second in doubles, tied for sixth in triples, third in home runs, and second in RBIs among Left Fielders last season.
Arozarena ranked sixth in batting average, ninth in OBP, second in SLG, and tied for fourth in OPS among Left Fielders that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
He will bat third with Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco batting one and two.
Diaz and Franco get on base frequently, which will set up Arozarena to knock in runners.
Expect Arozarena to have over 75 runs, 155 hits, 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 95 RBIs, and to keep his batting average to approximately .260 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Arozarena has a better batting lineup around him and he will have an excellent 2023 MLB season.
The Top 5 Left Fielders Entering The 2023 MLB Season
Now, we get to the top-five Left Fielders in the MLB.
Daulton Varsho kicks off the top-five list of LFs entering the 2023 MLB season.
5. Daulton Varsho
A rare combination of being a Catcher and Outfielder, Daulton Varsho was one of the best-kept secrets in the MLB during his three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Acquired in a trade by the Toronto Blue Jays back in December, Varsho joins a stacked lineup featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr, George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Alejandro Kirk.
With the Diamondbacks last season, Varsho played in 151 games last season.
He had 79 runs, 125 hits, 23 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, a .235 batting average, .302 OBP, .443 SLG, and .745 OPS.
Playing in a much better lineup, Varsho is set up to have the best season of his career.
He is expected to bat seventh in a dangerous Blue Jays batting lineup.
Expect Varsho to have over 80 runs, 140 hits, 25 doubles, 25 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, and to improve his batting average to approximately .250 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
Varsho will be a legitimate threat to have over 20 doubles, home runs, and stolen bases.
If he proves to be a productive player, he could move up the batting order list to maybe bat fifth or sixth, which will only further help his offensive production.
Varsho is a rare commodity playing Catcher and Outfielder and he will have his best season in the Majors.
Varsho will have a top-five season among Left Fielders.
4. Tyler O’Neil
Tyler O’Neil played like a star in 2021, winning his second consecutive Gold Glove award and finishing eighth in NL MVP voting.
Unfortunately for O’Neil and the St. Louis Cardinals, injuries limited him to just 96 games in 2022.
In 2021, O’Neil had 89 runs, 138 hits, 26 doubles, 34 home runs, 80 RBIs, a .286 batting average, .352 OBP, .560 SLG, and .912 OPS.
In just 96 games last season, he had 56 runs, 76 hits, 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .228 batting average, .308 OBP, .392 SLG, and .700 OPS.
O’Neil gets the offensive benefit of playing in a stacked Cardinals lineup that also features Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
He is expected to bat sixth with Goldschmidt batting third, Arenado batting fourth, and Brendan Donovan batting fifth against righties.
Against southpaws, O’Neil may see himself batting second with Goldy and Arenado batting behind him.
O’Neil just couldn’t stay healthy last season and his numbers suffered.
He will look to get back into 2021 form this season and he is a legitimate threat to hit 30 or more home runs and have 20 or more stolen bases.
Expect O’Neil to have over 75 runs, 140 hits, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, and 95 RBIs, and to improve his batting average to approximately .280 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
O’Neil plays in a very good batting lineup and if he can remain healthy, O’Neill will have a big 2023 MLB season.
3. Kyle Schwarber
While Kyle Schwarber struck out 200 times and graded out poorly defensively in his first season with the Phillies, he led the NL with 46 home runs last season and he hit six more home runs in the playoffs last year.
Schwarber is an all-or-nothing batter but he provides tremendous power.
The ban on shifts will help Schwarber increase his batting average.
He was able to play 155 games last year.
Last season, Schwarber had 100 runs, 126 hits, 21 doubles, three triples, 46 home runs, 94 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, a .218 batting average, .323 OBP, .504 SLG, and .827 OPS.
He ranked first in runs, home runs, and RBIs, 11th in hits, 18th in doubles, and tied for seventh in triples among Left Fielders last season.
Schwarber ranked 15th in batting average, 10th in OBP, and first in SLG and OPS among Left Fielders that qualified with at least 3.1 plate appearances per team game played last season.
The Phillies have a very good batting lineup and Trea Turner will bat leadoff with Schwarber batting second.
This will give him more RBIs than last season with Turner now batting leadoff.
Expect Schwarber to have over 100 runs, 125 hits, 20 doubles, 40 home runs, and 100 RBIs, and to improve his batting average to approximately .240 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
One of the best sources of power in the league, Schwarber is set for a huge 2023 MLB season.
2. Juan Soto
Juan Soto is arguably the best pure hitter in baseball.
The ban of the shift will only help Soto and he will look to bounce back after hitting only .242 last season.
In 2021, Soto had a .313 batting average and he has not hit under .282 in any of his five seasons in the big leagues until last year.
Last season, Soto had 93 runs, 127 hits, 25 doubles, two triples, 27 home runs, 62 RBIs, six stolen bases, a .242 batting average, .401 OBP, .452 SLG, and .853 OPS.
This season, Soto will play in a much better and more stacked batting lineup.
His numbers will vastly improve this season with the Padres.
Soto is expected to bat second and he will have Manny Machado and the returning Fernando Tatis Jr batting behind him. Tatis is expected to return from his suspension on April 20.
Soto has a walk rate of 23.78% in his career. He has a total of 2,136 at-bats and he has walked 508 times.
It will be very difficult for pitchers to walk Soto with Tatis and Machado batting behind him.
Soto will take advantage and possibly have the best season of his young career.
He has a career OPS of .950, which is ridiculous.
Expect Soto to have over 100 runs, 150 hits, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, and 75 RBIs, and to improve his batting average to approximately .285 in the upcoming 2023 MLB season.
One of the best pure hitters in the league, Soto is set for a huge 2023 MLB season and he will be one of the very best players in the MLB.
1. Yordan Alvarez
One of the best left-handed batters in the league, Yordan Alvarez essentially clinched a World Series title for the Houston Astros in 2022 with a home run off of Jose Alvarado in game six of the World Series.
While he may never hit a bigger home run, hundreds of longballs are in the future of Alvarez, who is a Hall of Fame caliber talent.
He was able to play 135 games last year.
Last season, Alvarez had 95 runs, 144 hits, 29 doubles, two triples, 37 home runs, 97 RBIs, a .306 batting average, .406 OBP, .613 SLG, and 1.019 OPS.
He has tremendous power but also has a very high batting average.
Alvarez bats cleanup in an excellent lineup with Jose Altuve batting leadoff, Michael Brantley batting second, and Alex Bregman batting third ahead of him.
He will turn 26 in June, which means Alvarez may even get better, which is scary for opposing pitchers.
Alvarez’s 1.019 OPS was second in the entire MLB, trailing only Aaron Judge last year.
Despite playing in just 135 games last season, Alvarez ranked sixth in the league in home runs.
If Alvarez was able to play 150 or more games last season, he would have ranked top five or 10 in runs and RBIs.
Alvarez is one of the best mixes of power and a very good hitter and he will have the best season of any Left Fielder.
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