Center field is a linchpin position in baseball where many legends have stood over the years, players like Joe Dimaggio, Willie Mays, and Ty Cobb. But some of the current generation of center field talent is sure to go down in history alongside them.
Let's go over the best center fielders you have to grab in Franchise Mode in MLB The Show 20.
Mike Trout - 99 OVR
Mike Trout is the diamond card everyone wants to pull in Diamond Dynasty, and he's just as sought in franchise mode. The Angels frontman has run the league for years and he's still just 28 years old.
Trout is such a hot commodity because of how rock solid he is across the board while simultaneously being the game's best hitter. He has 99 Discipline, 99 Power vs R, and 90 Clutch to go along with almost every stat being over 80.
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Trout's not likely to lay down bunts, but for everything else, he's probably your best option.
Ronald Acuña Jr. - 97 OVR
Ronald Acuña Jr. is one of the best center fielders the league has seen in years, and he's still only 22 years old. No other player today has more potential for a stellar hall of fame career.
Entering his third year with the Atlanta Braves, Acuña Jr. presents a lethal threat fielding, batting, and base running. He's a total package player with some very promising stats like 96 Arm Strength and Arm Accuracy, 95 Durability, 89 Clutch, and 86 Speed.
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Players looking to build their franchise up for years should look no further for their center fielder.
Ketel Marte - 88 OVR
Ketel Marte is in a very unique situation being one of the best center fielders in the game while starting in a different position in the MLB. Even weirder? His team's actual starting center fielder shares Marte's last name. And spoilers, he's also on this list.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have liked Ketel Marte so much during his three year run, they brought in another Marte who plays the same position to keep Ketel at second base. But that doesn't mean Ketel Marte shouldn't be your team's center fielder. Quite the contrary, he's a very valuable pickup, and only 26 years old.
Ketel Marte is a great batter and fielder with some alright base running behind him as well. His best stats are his 91 Contact vs L, 88 Durability, and 83 vision. He doesn't have the base running chops of the other Marte, but he's a great fit for any kind of lineup.
George Springer - 85 OVR
George Springer is entering his seventh season with the Houston Astros. He is coming off the best batting avg, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage of his career.
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Springer is the very definition of an all-rounder, making him the one size fits all center fielder for any franchise. He's fantastically consistent, and while he may be outperformed on an individual basis in certain matchups, he's the kind of player you can rely to make your team better across the board.
Springer's best stats are his 81 Clutch, 80 Power vs R, and 80 Reaction.
Starling Marte - 85 OVR
Surprise, it's another Marte. Starling Marte is the starting center fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the unrelated Ketel Marte of the same name who happens to have a higher overall in MLB The Show 20.
Starling Marte is one of the older players on this list at 31 years old. But Starling is still a great pickup for any franchise looking to fill the center field.
What separates Starling most from the pack is the chaos he brings to base running. Starling has 97 Base Running Aggression to go along with his 79 Speed and 75 Stealing. Starling is also pretty good at getting on-base with 93 Clutch, 84 Contact vs R, and 74 Vision.
Add to this impressive list an absolute cannon for an arm in the field, and Starling becomes one of the most unique and versatile prospects in center field.
Kevin Kiermaier - 85 OVR
Kevin Kiermaier is one of the best defensive center fielders around, and will surprise opponents with his ability to turn a big play.
Kiermaier's best stats are his whopping 97 Arm Strength, 96 Reaction, 94 Fielding, and 86 Speed.
While Kiermaier struggles dramatically at the plate, when he gets on base he's fast enough to stay on base, and his lockdown fielding potential makes him an amazing defensive pickup for your franchise.
Byron Buxton - 84 OVR
Byron Buxton is the kind of player you could miss if you blink twice. He's as effective a fielder and baserunner as you can find. He's not the usual power hitter from the outfield, but he's still strong enough to make big throws.
Buxton's best stats are his 97 Speed, 95 Reaction, and 94 Fielding.
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At just 26 years old, Buxton is a valuable pickup for any franchise either as a star that still has room to grow.
Ramon Laureano - 83 OVR
Ramon Laureano might look subpar on this list when you go over his stats overall as an above average all-rounder, but teams bring in Laureano for one thing especially, his unmatched ability to gun down runners from the outfield.
Laureano has the single best arm in center field at 99 Arm Strength and 99 Arm Accuracy. He's also quite fast and a good fielder, pushing batters to the absolute limit. As a young fielding threat from the outfield, Laureano is a solid pickup for your franchise.
Victor Robles - 81 OVR
Victor Robles is one of the brightest center field prospects in the league at just 22 years old. While his batting is spotty, he makes up for it with his strengths elsewhere.
Robles' best stats are his remarkable 97 Arm Strength, 95 Durability, and 89 Reaction. He is a lethal combination of fielding prowess and fielding, and also brings to the table the unique talent of laying down dangerous bunts.
Robles isn't likely to knock many out of the park, but he can get on base pretty consistently. He's also one of the best at throwing out runners that test his arm.
Lorenzo Cain - 81 OVR
Lorenzo Cain is very dangerous in the right circumstances, but he's simply too much of a miss in others to rank higher.
Cain's best stats are his 93 Reaction, 89 Fielding, and 88 Contact vs L. He's a contact-heavy batter with one of the weakest arms on the list despite his strong fielding and quick reads.
Cain's inability to fire balls back into the infield means he seems more formidable than he is as a defender. That leaves him to round out our list.
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