In today’s games, baseball fans and professional analysts use different stats to determine where a certain hitter ranks among the whole MLB. Some use old stats like batting average and OBP (on-base percentage). The new way analysts determine how good a hitter is by advanced stats like WAR (wins above average). Using WAR stats to judge, here is my list of the ten best hitters since 2023.
Fernando Tatís Jr., right fielder for the San Diego Padres, is in the tenth spot because 2023 was a down year. Tatís batted .257 with .322. Tatís also came back from suspension in 2023 for using Clostebol, a performance-enhancing drug. In 2021, before his suspension, Tatís recorded a 6.5 WAR. Tatís has a higher floor than a lot of players above him but he has dealt with injuries that have affected his stats. His WAR in 2022 was 0.6 because of injuries and controversy in the locker room, which hurt a lot of the Padres roster.
Matt Olson, first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, is in the ninth spot because of his 2023 breakout year, leading the National League in home runs and also batting .293. Matt Olson recorded a 0.4 WAR last year even though he led the entire National League in home runs. In the 2023 postseason, he batted .250 with zero home runs, which contributed to losing to the Philadelphia Phillies. The reason he is lower on the list is because of his war and also his underperforming playoff appearances.
Bryce Harper, right fielder and first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is eighth in the ranking because of his playoff performances in the Philadelphia Phillies World Series. Harper had 6 home runs with a .349 batting average. Bryce Harper is high on the list for his past two playoff performances.
Corey Seager, shortstop for the Texas Rangers (and 2023 World Series MVP), is the seventh-best hitter in baseball. Corey Seager batted .327 with 33 home runs. In the Texas Rangers playoff run last year Corey Seager batted .318 with six home runs.
Mookie Betts, outfielder, and second baseman for the LA Dodgers, is the sixth-best hitter in baseball. In 2023, Betts batted .307 with 35 home runs. Mookie finished as runner-up in National League MVP voting.
Freddie Freeman, first baseman for the Dodgers, is the fifth-best hitter in baseball history. For the past four seasons, Freeman has batted over .300. In the past three seasons, he had over a 430 OBP. In the 2023 season, Freeman hit 29 home runs.
Tied for fourth are Juan Soto, outfielder for the New York Yankees, and Mike Trout, center fielder for the LA Angels. Juan Soto is the outfielder for the New York Yankees. Currently in the current season of 2024 after getting traded from the San Diego Padres. Juan Soto is batting .328 with three home runs and 16 runs batted in. Mike Trout, in the past decade, has batted over .300 five different times, his last time being in 2021. Right now Mike Trout is batting in .290 with seven home runs.
Shohei Ohtani, pitcher and designated hitter for the Dodgers, is the third-best hitter in baseball. Ohtani signed a 700-million-dollar deal with the Dodgers this past offseason. Ohtani batted .304 with 44 home runs.
Ronald Acuña Jr., right fielder for the Braves, is the second-best hitter in baseball. Acuna batted .337 with 41 home runs.
The best hitter in all of the MLB is Aaron Judge, outfielder for the Yankees. Judge has the all-time record in home runs: 62. In the last healthy season, Judge played he batted .311 with 62 home runs and 131 runs batted in.
