Buster OlneyFeb 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on XMultiple Authors
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.
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), corner outfielders (Wednesday), designated hitters (Friday).
Byron Buxton is coming off his healthiest season — and perhaps best — since 2017 and is entrenched among our top 10 center fielders — yet the 32-year-old is caught in a weird baseball purgatory, which could be referred to as life with the Minnesota Twins.
But minds can be changed. If the roster reality manifests this summer — ahead of what might be a costly labor situation when the current CBA expires in the winter — Pohlad could try to move Buxton’s contract, and Buxton could reverse course, ask to be moved to a contender and waive his no-trade clause. He has noted that, while he says he wants to stay, the people in power within the Twins’ organization haven’t flatly and loudly said that Buxton won’t be dealt.
“All it takes is for somebody at the top to go to the media — ‘We’re not trading you,'” Buxton told The Athletic (and others) after arriving at the Twins’ spring training camp. “Trade rumors stop.”
Until that happens, Buxton will continue to drift into an uncertain future, as one of MLB’s best center fielders. Here are the top 10.
He destroyed left-handed pitching last year, blasting a .676 slugging percentage in 123 plate appearances. Both his success and his struggles were reflected in the Twins’ wins and losses: Buxton hit .332/.396/.692 in Twins’ victories last year but just .213/.272/.444 in the losses in which he played. Of his 126 games last year, he played 118 in center field.
Merrill was on the injured list three different times last season, fighting hamstring, concussion and ankle issues in his second year in the big leagues — and yet he still managed to post decent numbers. He had a .774 OPS and an adjusted OPS of 112, compiling 47 extra-base hits and scoring 59 runs in 117 games. With a full, healthy year, he might well challenge Rodriguez for the No. 1 spot on this list next year.
Jake Meyers, Houston Astros: Meyers was really good at getting on base last year, with a .354 OBP and16 stolen bases.
Cedric Mullins, Tampa Bay Rays: He never seemed comfortable after being traded from the Orioles to the Mets last season. He quickly re-signed to play in the AL East and could be back on the market next offseason.
Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies: With a new front office in place in Colorado, this could be a crossroads year for Doyle, a strong defender who really struggled at the plate last year with an OPS+ of 72.
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers: Jackson Chourio played the most games in center field for Milwaukee, but Frelick had some games out there as well, and we wanted Frelick somewhere in the top 10s. He was a 3-WAR player last year, with another solid season of getting on base (over 200 times) and some power and speed.
Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays: As with Frelick, it just seems as if Lukes, who played center field some last year when Varsho was hurt, deserves a mention on one of these lists.
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates: It’s a pivotal year for him, as he nears his second swing through arbitration. He played in 135 games last year and mustered 0.3 WAR, batting .200/.298/.378.
As with all new owners, there seems to be a learning curve in effect for Pohlad. As this past offseason began, industry members expected Minnesota to continue last summer’s teardown and deal Joe Ryan and perhaps Buxton, following the deep budget cuts. But early in the winter, the team effectively pulled Ryan out of trade consideration, around the incongruent thought that it aimed to contend this year. Then, mere weeks away from the start of spring training, Derek Falvey, the head of baseball operations for Minnesota, departed the organization over philosophical differences.
Buster OlneyFeb 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on X
Today, we rank the best of the best in center field.
The trajectory of his production is not what he wants:
TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds: He generated an above league-average OPS+ of 106 over 152 games.
Vs. right-handers: .271/.315/.523 Vs. lefties: .188/.217/.372
2022: 5.1 WAR 2023: 3.5 WAR 2024: 3.2 WAR 2025: 2.2 WAR