1. Arizona Diamondbacks
Justin Upton hovered on the edges of the National League MVP race last
season, eventually finishing fourth in the voting, yet there is a sense
among the Arizona talent evaluators that Upton, now 24, has barely
scratched the surface of what he could be. And this is a slugger who
racked up 75 extra-base hits last season and had an OPS-plus of 141, while
playing in 159 games; the D-backs believe that as he reduces the emotional
peaks and valleys of his at-bats, as he gains more consistency, he'll win
an MVP award.
But Upton is just part of why the Arizona outfield is so good. Chris Young
ranked second among center fielders in UZR/150, and had 20 homers and 22
stolen bases. Jason Kubel was signed to play left field and to balance a
D-backs' lineup that has generally been right-handed-heavy, and while the
addition of Kubel would seem to nudge Gerardo Parra out of a regular spot
in left field, where he won a Gold Glove last season, Parra figures to get
a lot of playing time as a strong No. 4 outfielder for Arizona. He'll
finish some games for Kubel in left and get a decent amount of starts,
sometimes filling in for Young against right-handers with good breaking
balls. It's a great group, with offensive production, speed, defense,
balance and depth.
2. New York Yankees
The Yankees' outfielders scored 322 runs last year, with Curtis Granderson
leading the way; he compiled 136 runs, 41 homers, 119 RBI, 25 stolen
bases. But the other parts of the Yankees' outfield excelled in other
ways, too