District on Deck is ranking the NL East to see how the Washington Nationals stack up at each position. We continue our series by comparing the NL East center fielders.
As we continue our National League East 2017 Preview by ranking the top performers at each position, we take a look at stacked group that makes up the division’s center fielders. Read on to see where the Washington Nationals Adam Eaton ranks among his positional peers in the NL East.
Last season, Yoenis Cespedes topped our rankings, but the New York Mets are moving him to his preferred position in left. Ender Inciarte, who returns to the fold again this season, and Marcell Ozuna, who now plays left field, rounded out the top three. Ben Revere and Peter Bourjos sat at the bottom two slots. Neither of the light-hitting outfielders are still with their previous teams.
The NL East’s crop of center fielders this season is deep. Eaton was acquired by the Nationals in a blockbuster deal at the Winter Meetings and figures to play a big role at the top of the lineup. Inciarte had a strong season in his first year with Atlanta, earning him a five-year, $30.53 million extension. Christian Yelich and Odubel Herrera are budding superstars for the Marlins and Phillies, and both are just 25 years old. Not to be forgotten is the veteran Curtis Granderson, who hit 30 home runs last season and has played less than 136 games only once in the past 11 years.
So, let’s take a look at how we rank the center fielders in the division, starting with number five.