2025 NL East Positional Rankings: Center Field

Because the National League East is a powerhouse division, home to three of the best teams in all of baseball, the center field talent within the division is not what you’d expect. It is a group that generally sports some pretty great defense, but the offense leaves a lot to be desired.

Continuing our NL East position rankings, here are the center fielders within the division.

No. 5 Dane Myers, MIA

The Marlins are an absolute mess, which is pretty shocking considering they were just in the postseason in 2023. Nevertheless, they enter 2025 with a depleted roster, evidenced by the fact that Dane Myers is set to be their starting center fielder.

Myers actually impressed in limited action last year, though he missed much of the summer due to a fractured ankle that was the result of kicking a clubhouse door. In 44 games with the Marlins, he recorded a .775 OPS with an impressive barrel percentage and hard-hit percentage. He also possesses a strong arm, which ranked in the 97th percentile of players a year ago.

Still, Myers is 28 years old and has no real track record of success in the big leagues. In fact, he’s only had 178 career big league plate appearances. There’s certainly a chance he breaks out, but it’s more realistic to figure he experiences growing pains if given regular playing time.

No. 4 Jacob Young, WAS

Jacob Young established himself as one of the best defensive players in all of baseball in 2024. He recorded 20 outs above average (100th percentile) and has a 97th percentile sprint speed. If there’s a ball hit to center field, there’s a good chance Young is making a play.

His defense catapulted him to a 2.6 fWAR last season, which is incredibly impressive considering he provides almost no offensive upside other than on the basepaths. The 25-year-old ranked in the 10th percentile or lower in several categories, including xSLG (fourth percentile), average exit velocity (sixth percentile), and barrel percentage (first percentile). He hit just three home runs in 521 plate appearances a year ago, but, he did bat .256 while stealing 33 bases.

No. 3 Jose Siri/Tyrone Taylor, NYM

Much like last year, with Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor, the Mets are again going with a tandem in center field, this time with Taylor and Jose Siri. Both players are defense-first outfielders, but each provides offensive upside as well.

In 2024, Taylor and Siri both ranked in the 90th percentile or better in outs above average, arm strength, and sprint speed. As great as Taylor was in the outfield (90th percentile in all three categories), Siri takes the outfield defense to another level with 99th percentile range, sprint speed, and 97th percentile arm strength.

Taylor was an average bat in 2024 (.701 OPS, 99 OPS+) while Siri was much worse (.620 OPS, 76 OPS+). Siri, though, is just two years removed from 25 home runs and a slugging percentage just south of .500. Siri might start the year as the day one center fielder given his defense, but it’s likely the Mets will ride with the hot bat at the plate throughout the year, just as they did last year.

No. 2 Brandon Marsh, PHI

Brandon Marsh is coming off of back-to-back three-win seasons with the Phillies. Marsh is not the defensive wizard that many of the other players on this list are (though his backup Johan Rojas is), at least last year anyways (44th percentile OAA in 2024, 92nd percentile OAA in 2023), but he is still more than competent at his position. He provides much more value with the bat, though, than all but one player on this list.

Marsh strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot as well. His average exit velocity last season was in the 86th percentile of players, while his launch angle sweet-spot percentage (recording a launch angle between eight and 32 degrees) was in the 97th percentile. He recorded an .829 OPS in 2023, which dropped off to a still-good .747 OPS in 2024.

If his offensive production drops off further, it may spell trouble for the Phillies. Though, he will likely find it defensively, as last year appeared to be a one-off average season in terms of range. Regardless, if he stays productive offensively, plus the bounce back on defense, he’ll continue to be a valuable player for one of the league’s best teams.

No. 1 Michael Harris II

It goes without saying that Michael Harris II is the best center fielder in the division and one of the best in baseball. He’s been worth at least three wins in each of his first three seasons in the league, even despite a not-so-good year at the plate by his standards in 2024.

He recorded a .722 OPS in just 110 games as he battled a hamstring injury in the middle of the season. That number was a drop from his previous two years in the league when he had an OPS above .800 both years. Harris may have gotten unlucky at times last year, as his xBA of .284 (.20 points higher than the .264 he ended with) was in the 94th percentile of players. He was above average in most offensive metrics except chase rate and walk rate, which he has always struggled with.

Defensively, Harris recorded eight outs above average, putting him in the 93rd percentile in range. He is known to consistently make dazzling plays in the field, as many of the players on this list are. Harris’ upside, though, particularly offensively, makes him the runaway best center fielder in the National League East.