The 10 greatest outfield arms in Texas Rangers history

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: Nos. 10-6

The top ten players on this list feature plenty of prominent Texas Rangers outfielders, but the back five may have the two biggest names of all.

Kevin Mench rounds out the top ten, preceded by David Murphy, Josh Hamilton, Lance Nix and Gary Matthews Jr.

GMJ led the group with a 0.9 ARM rating

Lance Nix followed Matthews with a 2.8 ARM rating.

I was thoroughly surprised that Hamilton (0.8 ARM) and Murphy (0.3 ARM) finished so low given their natural abilities.

Kevin Mench rounded out this group with his 0.3 ARM rating.

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: No. 5- Ian Desmond

The Texas Rangers signed Desmond late in the 2016 offseason with the intent for him to move from the infield dirt to the outfield grass.

Desmond wasted no time getting adjusted to left fieId, and soon after, became the Rangers everyday centerfielder.

He’s always had the athletic ability, and put it on full display after making the transition.

Over the course of 1,360 innings, Desmond sported a 4.1 ARM rating in his first season as an outfielder.

Not too shabby for a converted shortstop, who would go on to sign a huge deal with the Colorado Rockies to roam the expansive Coors Field outfield.

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: No. 4- Nomar Mazara

Nomar Mazara was once a highly-coveted prospect in the Texas Rangers system, but he never panned out with the bat.

Mazara did, however, contribute to some huge throws over his time in Arlington, more specifically one throw in Seattle to end a game.

Mazara finished his career with the red, white and blue with a 6.5 ARM rating.

Ask Robinson Cano. He knows better than to run on the powerful arm of the Big Chill.

Unfortunately, Mazara’s strong arm was the only notable aspect of his game that really clicked while down in Arlington.

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: No. 3- Craig Gentry

Craig Gentry really never made a name for himself with Texas, other than his elite baserunning skills.

One thing he did have, though, was a cannon for an arm.

Over the course of his Rangers career, Gentry had a 9.0 ARM rating, good enough to place him third on the list of Texas’ all-time great outfield arms.

Although he didn’t contribute much with the bat, he was an excellent defensive player with an elite arm.

Those types of players can be invaluable to a team making a playoff run, which the Texas Rangers were doing with regularity while Gentry was part of the squad.

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: No. 2- Joey Gallo

The Texas Rangers knew when they drafted Joey Gallo in the first round in 2012, that he had a cannon for an arm and huge power in his bat.

Although intially at the hot corner to begin his career, Gallo has since moved to the outfield and successfully played all three spots, including winning a Gold Glove in right field in 2020.

Yes, his towering home runs are incredible, but watching Gallo field a ball off the wall and throwing a missile into the infield is a thing of beauty.

Just watch the video above to get an idea of just how powerful his arm truly us.

That means giving Joey Gallo a 14.7 ARM rating is fitting, and he still has time to raise that stat, somehow.

Texas Rangers best outfield arms: No. 1- Leonys Martin

Rounding out the best outfield arms in Rangers history is none other than Leonys Martin.

The Rangers signed Martin out of Cuba, knowing he had huge upside with the bat and a great glove.

Little did they realize that in five seasons with the club, he would lead them in ARM rating.

Sitting atop the Rangers leaderboard with a 28.5 ARM rating, Martin has proven his dominance in the outfield with just his throwing arm alone.

Anytime you can double Joey Gallo’s positive stats, you can and should be considered elite, especially when it comes to superior outfield defense.

Leonys Martin was just that in the Texas outfield, ready to throw out a baserunner at any moment’s notice.