The 2024 MLB Season continues to cruise along as the final few days of July have arrived leaving just over two months of baseball to play and the hunt for October to heat up. As you start to look around Major League Baseball a long list of players is putting together strong cases to take home some hardware this season including Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees who is currently in the driver’s seat to another AL MVP Award. Judge’s strong start to the season lands him atop the Top 10 Best MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings list.

Judge, who took home his first MVP award back during the 2022 MLB season is atop the MLB leaderboards in multiple statistics over his first 106 games played this season.

Currently the Yankees leader leads all Major League Baseball with 39 home runs and 99 runs batted in while potentially becoming the first player in baseball this season to top the 40-home run mark and 100 runs batted in mark.

While Judge is having a great season, he is joined among the list of the best center fielders in baseball by Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres, Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies, and Heliot Ramos of the San Francisco Giants.

Here is a look at the Top 10 MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings

Honorable Mention

Jake Meyers

Team: Houston Astros

Just missing the Top 10 MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings list is the Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers. Meyers, who emerged as an everyday player for most of the 2023 MLB schedule has anchored down the center fielder for the Astros for 97 of the team’s 106 games played this season.

With just a few days left in July, Meyers is currently batting .236 on the season with 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in. Overall, the Astros outfielder currently ranks 11^th in home runs, seventh in runs batted in as well as 12^th in WAR (1.5) among all center fielders.

Jacob Young

Team: Washington Nationals

One young center fielder that is slowly emerging on the scene among the center fielders is the Washington Nationals 25-year-old star Jacob Young. Young, who appeared in 33 games last season, has taken over full-time playing duties for the young Nationals team this year while posting 96 games to start the season.

While the Nationals star has just one home run on the year, the young speedy outfielder has provided solid defense while also using his speed to post 26 stolen bases, picking up 77 hits as well as 15 doubles. The strong overall performance has yield Young the sixth best WAR rating at 2.2 among all MLB center fielders.

Top 10 MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings

10. Julio Rodriguez

Team: Seattle Mariners

Sliding in at number 10 on the Top 10 MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings list is the Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriguez.

Rodriguez who has put together an impressive resume to start his young MLB career, has had a slow and down season to start the current season however despite the down numbers, Rodriguez continues to rank among the center fielder leaders in multiple statics including ranking ninth in WAR with a 2.1 mark.

The speedy outfielder who has been out since July 21 battling an ankle sprain is currently batting .263 on the season with 11 home runs to go along with 37 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases.

Since being called up during the 2022 MLB season, Rodriguez has posted 71 career home runs to go along with 215 runs batted in over 387 career games played.

9. Cedric Mullins

Team: Baltimore Orioles

The offensive numbers might not rank up among the best center fielders in baseball for Cedric Mullins however the former 30 home run and 30 stolen base member (30/30 club), continues to rank among the best if not the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.

Among the long list of web gems and potential MLB best catch of the year catches, Mullins has been solid at the plate as well picking up 65 hits including 13 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs while adding 38 runs batted in and 17 stolen bases.

Over each of the past four seasons, the Orioles center field has posted at least 17 stolen bases including 30 and 34 back during the 2021 and 2022 MLB seasons.

8. JJ Bleday

Team: Oakland A’s

As the Oakland A’s look forward to another potential rebuild, one of the team’s top young stars JJ Bleday is off to the best start of his young career while setting a career high currently with 106 games played to start the season.

Through 106 games, Bleday currently leads all MLB center fielders with 30 doubles while also ranking seventh in hits (89), eighth in run scored (47), and tied for sixth with 12 home runs.

The 26-year-old center fielder has currently emerged as one of the best young center fielders in baseball while having an opportunity to post 40 plus doubles and hit 20 home runs in what would be his first full season in Major League Baseball.

7. Ceddanne Rafaela

Team: Boston Red Sox

The youth movement continues around Major League Baseball as teams look to find the next young stars of the game including the Boston Red Sox who have turned to the 23-year-old center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.

Rafaela, who played in 28 games last season, has taken over the everyday duties of center fielder playing stellar defense to include multiple web gems over the season.

At the plate Rafaela has also been solid posting a .253 batting average over his first 371 at bats on the season while adding 16 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs. In addition, the Red Sox young star has added 55 runs batted in while also adding 52 runs scored and 15 stolen bases on the season.

6. Byron Buxton

Team: Minnesota Twins

Once a former top overall prospect, Byron Buxton has settled into a strong everyday center fielder with a solid bat despite battling injuries for the most of his 10 MLB seasons.

Buxton who has appeared in just 100 games one time in his career (140, 2017 MLB Season), has played in 80 games this season posting 77 hits including 21 doubles and 12 home runs while also driving in 43 runs on the season.

While Buxton has yet to live up to his prospect hype, the Minnesota Twins center field still currently ranks tied for sixth among center fielders in home runs, tied for seventh in runs batted in, and third in doubles through the end of July.

5. Jackson Merrill

Team: San Diego Padres

Rounding out the Top 5 on the Top 10 MLB Center Fielders 2024 Rankings list is the San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill. Merrill who is currently the second youngest player in the majors currently at just 21 years old continues to develop into one of the best young players in all of baseball.

The San Diego Padres center fielder currently trails only Aaron Judge among center fielders in batting average posting a .284 mark over his first 366 at bats of the season. To go along with the strong average Merrill has posted 16 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs while scoring 47 runs and posting 52 runs batted in. 

4. Heliot Ramos

Team: San Francisco Giants

Despite missing out on the top overall center fielder in baseball during the off-season in Aaron Judge, the San Francisco Giants have found their center fielder of the future in Heliot Ramos.

Ramos, who is one of a solid young core of players in Major League Baseball sitting under 25, is off to a great start in his first full time role in baseball after appearing in 34 games during the 2022 (9) and 2023 (25) MLB seasons.

In 70 games this season, Ramos is batting .292 with 81 hits, 13 doubles, 15 home runs while also adding 53 runs batted in and posting a .353 on base percentage mark. Despite having just 70 games under his belt this season the Giants center fielder currently ranks fourth among center fielders in home runs and runs batted in on the season.

3. Brenton Doyle

Team: Colorado Rockies

One of the next waves of young great players in Major League Baseball, Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies has emerged as not only one of the best young center fielders in baseball but one of the best overall center fielders in baseball.

Doyle, who turned 26 back in May, currently ranks second among all MLB center fielders while posting a 2.9 WAR mark over his first 102 games of the 2024 MLB schedule.

Doyle who appeared in 126 games during his rookie season last season has improved his overall play while improving nearly every offensive metric mark including improving his current batting average from .203 last season to .274 this season while also surpassing his totals in doubles, home runs, and runs batted in from last season.

Through 102 games, Doyle has posted 102 hits, 59 runs scored, 18 doubles, 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in.

2. Teoscar Hernandez

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

The move by the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire for the former Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder has been a smart one to start the season. Making the jump to the National League, Teoscar Hernandez has continued his success both at the plate as well as in the field over his first 105 games played.

Through 105 games, Hernandez has 22 home runs, 69 runs batted in, 20 doubles, 53 hits and a .265 batting average. The 22 home runs mark the four straight 20 plus home run seasons of his career and sixth overall time since becoming a full-time outfielder back during the 2018 MLB season.

In addition to those strong numbers Hernandez took home his first T-Mobile Home Run Derby Crown at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

1. Aaron Judge

Team: New York Yankees

In at number one is the New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge who is currently on pace to take home his second AL MVP Award in just the past three seasons.

Through 106 games this season, Judge is on pace to top the 50 plus home run mark for the third time during his MLB career while also sitting just one run batted in from reaching 100 plus runs batted in for the third time of his career.

Not only does Judge rank among the statistical leaders of all center fielders in baseball, but the Yankees center fielder also currently leads all MLB players with 39 home runs and 99 runs batted in on the season. To go along with those numbers Judge is currently third in baseball with a .315 batting average while posting a 1.142 OPS mark and 7.4 WAR mark.

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