MLB Top-10 Center Fielders Right Now 2026: Andy Pages Debuts In Rankings

3 Min Read

Andy Pages quietly had himself a breakout season in 2025 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the secret is out this year with his placement as the No. 6 center fielder on The Shredder’s list of the top-10 center fielders right now.

Pages had an up-and-down rookie season in 2024 but showed significant growth this past season. He improved in many major categories at the plate, batting .272/.313/.461 with 27 doubles, 27 home runs and 86 RBI, which translated to a 113 wRC+.

The right-hander demonstrated his potential to be a building block of the future for the Dodgers. His 27 homers were seventh-best in the Majors among players 24 or younger.

His development wasn’t limited to the batter’s box, as things really began to click for him on defense as the season went on. He showed the inherent physical tools to blossom into a good defender during his rookie season, but he wasn’t able to quite put it all together.

An under-appreciated element of his sophomore season was the progress he made in this department. The data from 2024 tells a story of a highly athletic player who is still learning to harness his talents to their full potential.

Pages showed off elite arm strength, but his arm value metric was just above the middle of the road. Arm value measures how well an outfielder prevents baserunners from taking extra bases, which requires arm strength and making good reads on the ball. He utilized his good speed for a 73rd percentile outs above average, but there was reason to suspect room for more.

All of this combined for a fielding run value in the 56th percentile.

Pages took massive strides last season, exhibiting truly elite range and arm value. Although he had a fielding run value in the 95th percentile, his -1 defensive runs saved shows room to grow on high-level plays and the nuances of playing the position.

Still, it’s a massive upgrade on the -8 defensive runs saved he recorded in 2024.

What makes Pages’ 2025 season all the more impressive was his slow start out the gate. The young outfielder struggled defensively and on the base paths on multiple occasions during the opening stages. Things weren’t much better at the plate, as he hit .171/.306/.341 with a 32.7% strikeout rate through 13 games.

Pages credited the mentorship he received from Teoscar Hernández during this difficult time as a factor in his success last season.

MLB Top-10 Center Fielders Right Now for 2026

RankThe ShredderChris Young
1Julio Rodríguez (Mariners)Julio Rodríguez (Mariners)
2Wyatt Langford (Rangers)Byron Buxton (Twins)
3Byron Buxton (Twins)Jackson Merrill (Padres)
4Jackson Merrill (Padres)Wyatt Langford (Rangers)
5Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs)Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs)
6Andy Pages (Dodgers)Andy Pages (Dodgers)
7Trent Grisham (Yankees)Trent Grisham (Yankees)
8Dalton Varsho (Blue Jays)Dalton Varsho (Blue Jays)
9TJ Friedl (Reds)Michael Harris II (Braves)
10Oneil Cruz (Pirates)Jo Adell (Angels)

If you love our reporting, choose DodgerBlue.com as a preferred source on Google.

Sebastian Ibarra covers the Los Angeles Dodgers as a staff writer for DodgerBlue.com. He previously worked as a Marketing/Communications intern for the Ontario Jr Reign. Sebastian graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022 from ULV with a major in Communications and graduated with an MBA in 2026. His love of sports stems from his baseball career starting at tee-ball and ending his senior year at Servite High School. He enjoys video games and DC comics in his spare time. Follow him on Twitter: @sebas_abdon.
Exit mobile version