Which team had the best outfield corps in 2014? Based on consistent WAR performance at each outfield position, the answer is Miami’s trio of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, each recording over 3.5 WAR (Baseball-Reference version) last season, a claim no other team can make.
What makes this development particularly encouraging for the Marlins is that Stanton, still only 25 as he starts his 6th major league season this year, was the old man of that group. How unusual are a trio of under 25 outfielders contributing at that level? You’ll find out after the jump.
If you’re thinking top young outfielders and the Marlins don’t seem to go together, well you’re right. Prior to last season, the Marlins had never had more than one under-25 outfielder with a 3.5 WAR season and had only down that four times, with Stanton (twice), Miguel Cabrera (2005) and Mark Kotsay (1998). But, it wasn’t just the Marlins. Over that same period (since 1993), no team has had more than one such outfielder, as there have been only 72 such seasons, more than one quarter of those turned in by just 6 players: Andruw Jones with 4 seasons; and Stanton, Mike Trout, Jason Heyward, Grady Sizemore and Carl Crawford who each did it 3 times.
The 2014 season saw no fewer than nine age 24 or younger outfielders post a 3.5 WAR season: Miami’s three; three more you know (Trout, Heyward and Yasiel Puig); and three more, all rookies, whom you may not have heard of (Ender Inciarte, Kevin Kiermaier and Danny Santana). Those nine are the most in any season since 1901, and mark the fifth straight season with at least 4 such outfielders, a confluence not seen since a run of 8 straight years from 1973 to 1980. There were also 4 or more such outfielders in 4 straight seasons in 1967-70 and, pre-expansion, from 1955 to 1958. Those player seasons, by year, are noted in the table below that can be sorted or searched according to your preferences.
[table id=242 /]
.
Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna are the youngest of just three outfields comprised of 3 players aged 24 or younger with a 3.5 WAR or better season. The other two were the 1978 Expos with Warren Cromartie, Andre Dawson and Ellis Valentine; and the 1984 Padres with Tony Gwynn, Carmelo Martinez and Kevin McReynolds. The Padres, of course, were NL champions that season while the Expos would be a top NL East contender the next two seasons before claiming that title in 1981. In fact, if you look below at every team with two such outfielders (there are only 15 of those), all but the 1974 Astros were championship or defending championship clubs, or were on the cusp of becoming at least a playoff team.
Based on that track record, Miami’s future prospects seem promising, especially with what would seem to be very solid pitching that includes a rotation of Henderson Alvarez, Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Jarred Cosart (plus, returning in June, one Jose Fernandez), and a bullpen anchored by returning vets Steve Cishek, A.J. Ramos and Mike Dunn (and augmented by new acquisitions David Phelps and Aaron Crow).
An aside: Miami’s fourth outfielder this season will apparently be Ichiro Suzuki. While that is probably a good role for him, and a good player (and person) for Miami to have in that role, it may not produce much in the way of playing time (especially absent the DH) for Ichiro in his quest for 3000 hits.
