MLB The Show 22: 9 Best Center Fielders

Who knows why, but center field has long been the position that children have dreamed of playing when they get to the big leagues. It is immortalized in songs, literature, and, most importantly, in youthful ambition. MLB The Show 22 is a chance for gamers to live out this dream.

Not just any player will make the reality live up to the hype, however. Playing as a center fielder in MLB The Show 22 means needing to cover a ton of range, then back it up by hitting for contact and turning on the jets on the basepaths. These center fielders are the elites and the kind of people young athletes everywhere dream of being someday.

Updated on July 18th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: This list first came out before the season started. All-Star week marks the halfway point of the season. So, how did the analysts do? Of course, nobody is perfect. Some players that were expected to do poorly ended up putting together a fantastic first half, so they needed to be added to the list. Others that were well-hyped didn’t quite hit the expectations of the experts, so they had to be dropped. A hot or a cold streak could see even the worst-ranked player make this list or the number one ranked player fall out of favor entirely. This is how things have shaken out so far.

12 Kevin Kiermaier – 83 OVR

When managers are choosing their prototypical center fielder, they start by asking how much ground they can cover. A good center fielder steals away a few hits in most ballgames by getting to the gaps quicker than his counterparts. Nobody embodies this archetype like Kevin Kiermaier.

Kiermaier gets three 99s on the defensive side of the ball for his fielding, reaction time, and throwing accuracy. The other defensive statistic, arm strength, is an 88, strong even for a right fielder. This hitting is nothing to write home about, but Kiermaier makes up for it by deleting hits the other team would ordinarily get.

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10 Harrison Bader – 83 OVR

It might be too soon to start predicting that first-time Gold Glove award winner Harrison Bader will win a Platinum Glove at some point in his career. But fans were pushing for it in 2021 as he had some of the most unbelievable highlights the league has seen. On the player card, this is reflected through perfect 99s in fielding and reaction time.

That speed of 92 sure doesn’t hurt either. It helped him hit the first inside-the-park home run by a Cardinal in Busch Stadium III this year. Players that improve in Road to the Show will need to take advantage of some timely hitting if they want Bader’s job anytime soon.

9 Adolis Garcia – 84 OVR

Having been an All-Star last year, Adolis Garcia was an odd omission from this list to start the year. The ratings adjusters at Sony San Diego have corrected the area, which is fortunate since Garcia has improved on the defensive part of the ball in 2022.

As a fielder, Garcia has gone from great to terrifying. All four attributes are at least a staggering 88. All this is capped off by his 99 accuracy. Tagging up from third is a remarkably poor idea if the ball is caught by Garcia.

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7 Michael A. Taylor – 84 OVR

When it comes to being a complete five-tool player, there is no better player on this list than Taylor. Across all categories, offense, defense, and baserunning, Taylor does not have lower than a 53 in any attribute. If that sounds like a jack of all trades, master of none situation, take a closer look.

Taylor is one of the best defensive players in the game, with at least an 86 in all categories. The cherry on top is that perfect 99 arm rating. He’ll toss out a player on the basepaths as well as any outfielder in the game. Runners who aren’t aware of his abilities make for easy fodder.

6 Julio Rodriguez – 85 OVR

If somebody said the Mariners were going to be one of the hottest teams in baseball going into the All-Star break, they would have been laughed off before the season started. But players on the squad have been exceeding expectations, none more so than Rodriguez who currently is the highest-ranked player in Seattle.

Aside from bunting, Rodriguez has at least a 50 in every attribute, doing everything at an above-average level. The highlight is the speed at a blistering 98. The other two baserunning categories aren’t far behind, both at 84 or better.

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4 Luis Robert – 87 OVR

Last year, Luis Robert was on pace for an astounding season before injuries derailed him. In his limited time, Robert hit for a .338 average with 13 dingers and 43 RBIs in just 68 games. Given a full season, Robert had a chance to compete for the MVP.

His hitting against lefties is amazing, especially with that more-than-perfect 110 in contact. On the basepaths, Robert has got a 70+ in each attribute, making him more of a prototypical center fielder than some of the others on this list.

3 Byron Buxton – 95 OVR

After years of being worthy of an All-Star nod but missing out with fans, Byron Buxton has made himself, his position, and his team unignorable this year and received his first nomination. Those looking to get called up in Road to the Show as soon as possible should not play center field for the Twins. Buxton somehow has triple-digit attributes in both power categories.

He has also been clocked as the fastest player in baseball before. His card reflects this with a 98 in speed and two perfect 99 ratings in reaction and fielding. Take a careful look at his bunting and drag bunting, which are an eye-popping 83 and 79, respectively.

2 Aaron Judge – 96 OVR

Usually, to get over that 99 attribute cap, player characters will have to slap on some elite equipment. It should surprise nobody that Aaron Judge seems to have done just that when it comes to power hit 109+ in these attributes against righties or lefties.

Judge didn’t start off the year on this list. This wasn’t an oversight, his excellent arm, with a perfect 99 accuracy rating, had him playing in right field. The switch to center has been nothing short of fantastic. The Yankees get the defensiveness of a right fielder to cover the largest part of the field.

1 Mike Trout – 98 OVR

Only those living under a rock wouldn’t recognize the most decorated ballplayer of the last decade. With a monstrous three MVP awards and ten All-Star game appearances (including another in 2022), Trout is deservedly a high 90s player.

Of the seventeen attributes, Mike Trout only has under a 70 in four of them. Every part of Trout’s game is notable, but it’s worth pointing out his 116 over-the-limit power against righties. Trying to be a starter for the Angels in center field? Change positions, Trout’s not going anywhere.

MLB The Show 22 was released on April 5th, 2022, and is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5.