In Buster Olney’s latest ESPN Insider piece, he ranked the current top left fielders in baseball. In conjuction with the opinions and analysis provided by unnamed scouts and team executives, Olney concluded Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes was the best left fielder in the major leagues.
The top five left fielders in baseball was rounded out by Starling Marte (#2, Pirates), Ryan Braun (#3, Brewers), Kyle Schwarber (#4, Cubs) and Matt Kemp (#5, Braves).
Of course, Mets fans already knew that.
Since joining the Mets, Cespedes is a .282/.348/.554 hitter with 48 homers and 130 RBI. Last season, the team went 72-54 when Cespedes was in the starting lineup and 15-21 when he wasn’t.
For the most of the duration of Cespedes’ time with the Mets, he has played center field where he is ill suited. Next year, he will be returning to his home in left field. Cespedes won the American League Gold Glove for left field in 2015 despite his playing the final two months of the season in the National League. Yes, with his arm and his range, Cespedes is that good defensively in left field.
Between his offense and his defense, Cespedes is the best left fielder in all of baseball. This is why the Mets gave him a four-year $110 million contract making him the highest paid outfielder in baseball. This is part of the reason why the Mets have World Series aspirations.
