EAST LANSING-The MLB season is now in full swing, and one-third of the way into the season we have seen many great offensive campaigns to this point.
Many familiar names, with a few new young budding stars, here are the current power rankings for best hitters in baseball. (All stats used are recorded as of the end of play on May 26).
- Aaron Judge
AVG: .279 HR: 17 RBI: 39 OPS: 1.039
Aaron Judge has been the best hitter in baseball for the past three or four seasons, and it’s been pretty difficult to debate that point.
When Judge has been on the field, his offensive production has been unmatched, and that has been no different this season, as he heads into the end of May as the hottest hitter in the league this month.
Judge is hitting .383 this month, to go along with 11 home runs and 12 doubles, recording 21 RBI while slugging .938 to go along with a 1.443 OPS this month.
The Yankee’s captain is leading the league in many offensive categories including OPS, walks, doubles, OBP, and slugging.
He has also started all 55 games so far this season for New York, as he continues his torrid pace, providing value in many ways for the Yankees.
2. Kyle Tucker
AVG: .280 HR: 18 RBI: 39 OPS: 1.033
Even with the Astros early season struggles and ups and downs, Kyle Tucker has remained a constant for Houston in their lineup.
Tucker is currency, leading all of MLB with 18 home runs, and is second in OPS only behind Aaron Judge. Tucker has remained consistent all season, as his OPS has not dipped below the .800 mark since April 1st, and he has shared or held the lead in home runs nearly all season long.
Tucker has gone deep twice in a game four times already this season, and if the Astros look to take back the division crown for the fourth straight season, Tucker will need to continue to produce at this MVP-caliber level.
3. Shohei Ohtani
AVG: .336 HR: 13 RBI: 35 OPS: 1.024
What’s a list of the top hitters in the game without including the best overall player in baseball, Shohei Ohtani?
Ohtani has been everything as advertised for the Dodgers this season at the plate, leading all of baseball with his .336 batting average, and leading the National League in OPS and slugging as well.
Shohei has been a force for the first-place Dodgers all season long and it goes without question that he has been a top player in the league this year, even though he is not pitching.
The Japanese superstar has cooled down as of late, with a .577 OPS in his last eight games, but even with this small blip, Ohtani has been undoubtedly the best hitter in the National League so far this season.
4. Gunnar Henderson
AVG: .264 HR: 17 RBI: 37 OPS: .950
Second-year shortstop Gunnar Henderson has been excellent in the first third of the season for the red-hot Baltimore Orioles, showing everyone why he was the American League Rookie of the Year last season.
Henderson is currently tied with Aaron Judge for the second-most homers in the league so far this year (17) and is doing it all while playing one of the toughest positions in the field, while only 23 years old.
Last year’s silver slugger has been the best hitter in an impressive Orioles lineup and has remained consistent through the early going, as his OPS has not dropped below .900 since April 16.
From May 17-20, Henderson hit four home runs in as many games, and that level of production is what could set the Orioles apart in the American League playoff picture late in the season.
5. Juan Soto
AVG: .310 HR: 14 RBI: 44 OPS: .979
New Yankees right fielder Juan Soto has come to New York and picked up right where he left off earlier in his career as one of the best hitters in the league.
The 25-year-old is leading the Yankees in RBI and leading all of MLB in plate appearances. He has started in all 55 games for New York this year, a key part of his consistency, and has knocked two multi-home runs games in the last two weeks for the Bombers.
Soto provides a boost for the Yankees lineup, hitting in front of Judge which lengthens their order and makes it a whole lot deeper, and it is no question that he has played a major role in the Yankee’s early season success.
On April 5, Soto had a .819 OPS, the lowest it’s been all season. The lefty is showing why he has already won four silver sluggers and a batting title at such a young age.
6. Mookie Betts
AVG: .335 HR: 8 RBI: 30 OPS: .973
Mookie Betts has been one of the best hitters in the league for the better part of a decade now, and that has continued this season in a deadly Dodgers lineup.
Betts is leading the National League in plate appearances and is also top 3 in the NL in OPS, batting average, hits, and walks.
Betts is a great all-around offensive player, and although his power stroke has not come around just yet as it was last year, he has still been one of the best hitters in baseball in the early going.
Betts has eight home runs and nine stolen bases in the early going, and if he can bring those totals even higher, we may be looking at another MVP season from Mookie, as his batting average has not dropped any lower than .330 at any point this season, some insane perspective on how great he’s been.
7. Rafael Devers
AVG: .272 HR: 10 RBI: 24 OPS: .902
Rafael Devers has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the month of May and has absolutely earned the seventh spot on this list for how he has played lately.
Devers has seven home runs and 17 RBI in May to go along with a .923 OPS in a month where the Red Sox have desperately needed to find offense.
From May 15-20, Devers went deep in six straight games, propelling his numbers into the top 10 in the American League in many categories including walks, OPS, on-base percentage, and slugging.
If the Red Sox want to make a push at a playoff spot this year, Dever will need to remain a constant in the lineup and play MVP-caliber baseball as he has for most of the month of May.
8. Bryce Harper
AVG: .276 HR: 13 RBI: 41 OPS: .922
Bryce Harper has been leading the charge for the first-place Philadelphia Phillies all season long ranking top five in many categories in the National League including home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Harper is batting .333 in the month of May and sporting a 1.069 OPS, leading the Phillies to a 17-5 record in the month so far. He has also hit seven home runs and recorded 23 RBI in May, and if he continues this hot pace, it’s hard to see how the Phillies won’t finish first in the National League East.
Harper has been one of the best players in the league for the past decade-plus, and the first third of this season has been no different.
9. Marcel Ozuna
AVG: .311 HR: 15 RBI: 47 OPS: 1.008
The list wouldn’t be complete without including the man who leads the National League in both Home Runs and RBI so far this season, Marcel Ozuna.
Ozuna is currently one of four qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.000, joining Judge, Tucker, and Ohtani.
Ozuna has been consistent in the Atlanta lineup all season, with his OPS remaining above .950 every day since April 5, and with the Braves getting off to an underwhelming start, it’s hard to imagine where they’d be without Ozuna.
If he can continue at this pace he has a serious argument at securing his third silver slugger of his career, and he will definitely need to continue to step up more now, with the news of Ronald Acuña Jr. being out for the season.
10. Brent Rooker
AVG: .286 HR: 11 RBI: 34 OPS: .933
An unlikely name rounds out this week’s list as Brent Rooker will once get some of the love and spotlight he deserves.
Rooker ranked ninth in the American League in batting average, as well as fifth in slugging percentage and OPS, and is looking to become an All-Star for the struggling Oakland Athletics for the second straight year.
Rooker’s OPS in May is 1.062, and his six home runs and 21 RBI in the month lead his team and are some of the best marks in all of baseball.
Rooker is a player we may see moved at the deadline if Oakland continues to fall deep out of the race in the American League West, and has been a pleasant surprise in a year where the organization has not expected to compete, amidst off-field and ownership drama.
Some honorable mentions for this week’s ranking include Bobby Witt JR, Salvador Perez, Alec Bohm, and Luis Arraez.
