Judge, Soto or Tatis? Buster Olney ranks baseball's best corner outfielders

Spring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2026 MLB season preview, ESPN's Buster Olney surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position as part of his annual positional ranking series.

Today, we rank the best of the best corner outfielders in MLB.

The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2026 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. We will roll out a position per day over the next two weeks. Here's the rest of the schedule: starting pitchers (Feb. 16), relief pitchers (Feb. 17), catchers (Feb. 18), first basemen (Feb. 19), second basemen (Feb. 20), third basemen (Monday), shortstops (Tuesday), center fielders (Thursday), designated hitters (Friday).

During Chipper Jones's career, he was a great source when you wanted a detailed scouting report on any young hitter. That hasn't changed -- as the Hall of Famer recently answered a text about Boston's Roman Anthony, asking for some time to review video of the left-handed hitter and returning within an hour with multiple observations.

"Not gonna lie... I like him," wrote Jones, a master of understatement. "Just watched 20 minutes of video. Bat stays in the strike zone a long time... Looked at stats first, and 84 strikeouts in 257 at-bats is alarming, but that could be a product of learning the league. Would like to see him get into his legs a bit more, because when he does, he hits for power.

"There is a ton of talent there. I see a .300 hitter with home run talent. With more consistent contact, you have a perennial All-Star."

Anthony is 21 years old and has just 303 plate appearances in the big leagues, but Jones's enthusiasm for him is echoed around baseball. Evaluators love Anthony -- and already consider him the anchor of Boston's offense.

"If he stays healthy," former MLB general manager J.P. Ricciardi said, "he's going to go down as one of the greatest Red Sox ever."

Said an American League evaluator: "He's just over 20 years old and takes at-bats with the strike zone knowledge and confidence of a 10-year veteran."

Even Yankees manager Aaron Boone has spoken up about Anthony's prowess, saying in September that he's "going to be a problem."

"He's got such a slow heartbeat at the plate -- an advanced feel for the strike zone, and a willingness to let the ball travel and use all fields," a National League evaluator added. "Just a tremendous understanding of what to do in the box, considering how young he is. The raw power, which is real, certainly helps, too."

A quandary in this top-10 exercise, then, is to figure out where to place Anthony among a powerful group of corner outfielders.

Top 10 corner outfielders

1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Judge will reach 10 years of service time, the bar to quality for Hall of Fame consideration, late in the summer, and of course he should be a unanimous selection when the time comes, as he's doing stuff we've never seen before. He set the AL record for home runs in 2022, and over the past two seasons -- at a time when pitching has never been more dominant -- he has generated 20.5 WAR, with 66 doubles, three triples, 111 homers, a triple slash line of .326/.457/.695 and an OPS+ of 220. On top of all that, he's regarded as a good outfielder, baserunner, teammate and clubhouse leader.

And now it seems very possible, given his history as a hitter who has constantly lost more at-bats because of mistaken calls than any of his peers, that he'll benefit in key spots from the new ABS challenge system this season.

2. Juan Soto, New York Mets

During a game against the Philadelphia Phillies last year, Soto paused at home plate after hitting a home run, and the next time he came to the plate, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto -- with whom Soto shares a running banter -- good-naturedly chided him about his response to the previous homer. Soto explained that this had been a milestone hit -- he had passed another legend in history in some category.

Soto is fully aware of where he is and what he's doing, which is all largely unprecedented for a player with many years ahead. He will play his age-27 season in 2026, a season in which he will surely hit his 250th homer (he's currently at 244) and close in on 300 for his career. Soto led the majors in walks for the fifth time last year, with 127, and reached base 282 times; he has already reached base via hit, walk or hit by pitch 2,001 times in his eight-year career.

3. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks

He could be hampered by hamate surgery in his right hand, particularly early in the year as he regains the strength in his swing. But Carroll has already demonstrated his ability to dig himself out of an early-season hole with the way he bounced back from a slow start in 2024. He is an offensive machine:

4. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

Tatis detailed last season how his father -- a former big leaguer -- had spoken to him bluntly about his approach at the plate, asking him: Do you think you're a great hitter? And when Tatis Jr. said yes, his father countered by noting how many at-bats he had given away by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Tatis Jr. took that to heart and made the kind of overnight improvement last year that you rarely see in a hitter's plate discipline -- he drew a career-high 89 walks, reached base more than 250 times and scored 111 runs. And his defense in right field remains excellent -- he was in the top 10 in a wide range of next-level metrics.

5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves

When he returned to the field last season, he was great again, posting an adjusted OPS of 163, with 21 homers and 71 walks in 95 games. Now, we are destined to hear lots about Acuña's contract situation -- he's nearing the end of that very long-term deal he signed at the outset of his career. He'll make $17 million this year, and then the Braves hold options for 2027 and 2028 at $17 million per season. There have been calls on social media for Atlanta to get ahead of this by negotiating a new long-term deal. That is not typically how the Braves have operated; typically, head of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has declined to pay big deals to retain free agents, letting the likes of Dansby Swanson and Max Fried depart. The Braves might well choose to go year-to-year through the end of Acuña's deal -- decisions that are bound to be scrutinized and debated.

6. Kyle Tucker, Los Angeles Dodgers

As Tucker moved into free agency, there were teams concerned about his recent absences from the field -- he missed 84 games for the Astros in 2024 and then 26 more games with the Cubs last year. Is that going to be a thing for him, as he nears his 30th birthday? We'll see. What cannot be questioned is that when he plays, he is exceptional, with a 179 OPS+ in 2024 and 143 while playing in the challenging conditions of Wrigley Field in 2025. When he plays, he is a difference-maker, and the Dodgers are paying him as such -- his average annual salary of $60 million, minus deferrals, is the highest in history.

7. Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox

Boston manager Alex Cora has already announced that he intends to keep Anthony in the leadoff spot, a nod to his ability to get on base -- he had a .396 OBP in his rookie season -- and to give him as many plate appearances as possible. Some evaluators believe that the Red Sox would be best served to keep Anthony in center field, but Cora is blessed with an abundance of outfield riches, with Ceddanne Rafaela patrolling center field, Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu in right and Jarren Duran in left.

Anthony started 32 games in right field last year, 17 in left and another 17 games at DH. But his best position, some evaluators say, is in center. "He really does have incredible instincts out there," said one, before mentioning that Anthony would benefit from playing as much as possible and collecting experience in Fenway's quirky center field.

8. Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers

Greene blasted 36 homers last year and won a Silver Slugger Award, with an adjusted OPS of 120. This is his age-25 season, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments he makes in the future: His strikeout rate was a whopping 30.7% -- he led the AL in strikeouts with 201 -- and his walk rate dropped from 11% to 7%. He could be another player who benefits from a deeper Detroit lineup as Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark eventually establish themselves in the big leagues.

9. Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees

Bellinger texted with Judge throughout his free agency, with the two of them hoping for Bellinger's return to the Bronx because he was a perfect fit for the Yankees -- big-market experience, a swing suited for Yankee Stadium (18 of his 29 homers last year were at home), excellent defense and versatility. Bellinger, 30, needs 25 more home runs for 250 in his career.

10. Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

Chourio turns 22 in the next couple of weeks, and there is great stuff ahead for him after two impressive seasons to start his major league career. He has gone 20-20 in homers and steals in each of his first two years.

Honorable mentions

Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins: It hurts to leave Stowers out of the top 10 after his breakthrough 2025 in which he posted a 149 OPS+ -- but sadly, because we're combining left and right fielders, we must. Miami's head of baseball operations Peter Bendix has demonstrated an ability to deal at peak value, and Stowers will be an interesting test of that. He's 28 years old, not 22 or 23, and he's also a really popular player who will be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter. Will the Marlins capitalize on his place in the trade market, or will they sign him to a long-term deal?

Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox: Boston talked with other teams about trading him but could not find a deal that could replicate his potential.

James Wood, Washington Nationals: His average exit velocity was 94.3 mph, which is like a pitcher throwing 101 mph. Let's put that into perspective by comparing him to other great hitters:

Aaron Judge: 95.4 mph
Shohei Ohtani: 94.9 mph
Wood: 94.3 mph
Juan Soto: 93.3 mph
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 92.0 mph

Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs: With Kyle Tucker moving on from the Cubs, we'll rank Suzuki among the right fielders. He struggles defensively, but he clubbed 32 homers last year and had an OPS+ of 130. He might be the most important hitter in the Cubs' lineup, with Chicago's need for power and Pete Crow-Armstrong still early in his development.

Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers: He might get some run in center field this year, but we'll rank him in the place where he appeared the most last season. Langford appears on the verge of a breakout entering his age-24 season, as he learns to command the strike zone.

Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs: He'll be eligible for free agency next fall, having demonstrated remarkable consistency -- his adjusted OPS over the past four seasons has been, in order, 117, 118, 120 and 120. Plus, don't forget the great defense.

Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics: He shifted to the outfield with the ascension of Nick Kurtz, but Soderstrom's high-end production continued -- 60 extra-base hits and an OPS+ of 126.

Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians: Kwan is taking reps in center field this spring in preparation for what will be a big year for him. He excels defensively, but his numbers fell last year -- he had an OPS+ of 96.

Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox: Winner of back-to-back Gold Gloves.