Baseball metrics tracker Statcast on Thursday released its leaderboard for position player arm strength for each of the past three seasons.
The metric calculates the average velocity of a given throw and averages out a certain percentage depending on the player’s position. For example, first basemen are ranked based on the average of the top 1% of their throws. The rest of the infield is averaged out by their top 5% of throws, while it’s the top 10% for outfielders.
Statcast position player arm strength metrics are available beginning with the 2020 season. Given that there is no rulebook definition of “a throw where the player is trying hard,” and many non-competitive lobs are captured, we have elected to take the average of the top portion of a player’s throws. Since the demands of each position grouping are different, the averages and qualifiers are different as well.
So where do notable Arizona Diamondbacks players rank at their respective positions? Let’s find out.
Outfielders
- Jordan Luplow — 93.9 mph — tied for eighth in average velocity
- Alek Thomas — 87.6 mph — 85th
- Daulton Varsho — 84.4 mph — tied for 127th
- Jake McCarthy — 82.3 mph — 144th
There were 153 outfielders that qualified with a minimum of 100 attempted throws.
Non-1B infielders
- Sergio Alcantara — 92.2 mph — tied for second
- Josh Rojas — 86.7 mph — tied for 21st
- Geraldo Perdomo — 86.7 mph — tied for 21st
- Ketel Marte — 83.8 mph — 55th
- Nick Ahmed — 83.2 mph — tied for 69th
- Jake Hager — 82.5 mph — tied for 79th
- Buddy Kennedy — 80.2 mph — tied for 119th
There were 157 non-first baseman infielders that qualified with a minimum of 100 attempted throws.
First basemen
- Christian Walker — 75.1 mph — tied for 24th
There were 53 first basemen that qualified with a minimum of 100 attempted throws.
Arm strength isn’t the be-all, end-all of evaluating defensive ability. However, it can never hurt to see how players measure up against the rest of the league.