MLB Hitter Power Rankings
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts of the L.A. Dodgers (GettyImages)
With the 2024 season underway, we’ve seen some big numbers posted by several stars around the league, despite one of the lowest league-wide OPS and batting average numbers in the last few decades. So far this month, the Dodgers, Braves, and Orioles are easily the top three offenses in baseball, followed by clubs like the Yankees and Astros. On the individual side, there are five guys hitting .350 in the National League and two of them are on the Dodgers. We’ve seen some big numbers from seemingly-declining veterans, such as Salvador Perez, who’s hitting .350 with 26 RBI this season. There have also been big performers from somewhat under-the-radar youngsters, such as Jordan Westburg, who’s 8th in the AL with a 162 wRC+. Who are the five best hitters in the MLB right now? We present our Painting Corners hitter Power Rankings.
5) Salvador Perez, Royals
Salvador Perez is leading the American League in hitting as of Sunday morning, and he’s already pacing the Junior Circuit with 26 RBI as well. Perez hasn’t had great offensive output since he led the league with 48 bombs and 121 RBI back in 2019. His Baseball Savant page is painted red this year with a .444 xwOBA, and an insane barrel rate of 18.4%. It was hard to take Perez over Elly De La Cruz, but Perez is the heart of a Royals club that’s put the league on notice this month. He’s always going to have that chase rate north of 40%, but the power numbers and barrels more than make up for it.
2024 Salvador Perez (Baseball Savant)
4) Marcell Ozuna, Braves
Ozuna has the best numbers on the best team in baseball right now; to me, he had to be on this list. Marcell has had a career resurgence that’s been a sight to behold, putting up monster numbers in 2023, and now even better numbers this season. Ozuna hit .222 with a .675 OPS in 2021 and 2022, before exploding for 40 homers and 100 RBI last year for the Braves. So far this season, he’s pacing the Senior Circuit in dingers and RBI, while ranking 97th percentile in hard hit rate and 94th in barrel rate.
2024 Marcell Ozuna Baseball Savant
3) Juan Soto, Yankees
While Soto isn’t hitting .350 like Perez, he is leading the American League in OBP, wOBA, and wRC+. Even with the eye test, Soto has been playing at an MVP level in his contract year and might be playing the best defense we’ve seen in his MLB career. The Yankees clearly are feeling good about pulling the trigger for the superstar, and now they have to court the future Hall of Famer to stay long-term to get the real ROI on this blockbuster trade. By my math-backed estimate, Soto’s been the best hitter in the AL this season, despite facing a lot of good pitching in the American League East.
Juan Soto Career Stats (Baseball Reference)
2) Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Shohei is hitting .347, but his xBA is .370. His .492 xwOBA is only behind Marcell Ozuna, and he ranks in the 98th or 99th percentile in most categories. Another reason for ranking Shohei so high here is his performance despite outside stressors early on in the season. He has the superstar pedigree to compete for a batting title, one-dot on his baseball card, and get dangerous enough as a DH to flirt for the most valuable player, anyway. He’s already won two in three years; we can’t rule out the possibility, given his opportunity to focus solely on hitting for the first time in his professional career.
Shohei Ohtani Career Stats (Baseball Reference)
1) Mookie Betts, Dodgers
The reason I didn’t say I thought Ohtani would win the MVP, is because frankly Mookie seems to be the Dodger in the driver's seat. Mookie is hitting .391 and he’s a generational outfielder who was talented enough to fill in at shortstop this year. Betts also has a .489 OBP, thanks to an absurd 16.1 BB % and a 10.2 K%. He’s scored 29 runs already in April in this loaded lineup because he’s always on base. It speaks volumes that he’s being pitched around with Ohtani and Freddie Freeman behind him. How does the guy hitting in front of Ohtani have a 16% walk rate? When he's even more dangerous.
2024 MLB Batting Average Leaderboard (Fangraphs)