FGE

Who Is The Best Hitter in Baseball?

by

Cobb or Ruth?

Williams or Mays?

Bonds or Pujols?

A debate as old as time.

Is there an answer to who the best hitter in baseball is? Probably not.

Am I going to solve the question in this piece? Likely not.

Doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna try though.

Let me define the scope of this piece.

1 – I’m going to name the best hitters in baseball as of today. I’m not talking about the best the last five years (I’ll only go back a year). I’m talking about right now.  

2 – I’m not talking about the best fantasy players. I’m talking about the best hitters.

3 – I’m not going to be confined by fantasy baseball numbers. I’m talking about hitters, and hitters only. I’m not talking about defense, steals etc.

Let’s get to it.

THE LAST CALENDAR YEAR

Name Team G PA HR R RBI ISO AVG OBP SLG OPS wOBA wRC+
Christian Yelich Brewers 154 680 53 129 136 0.357 0.340 0.429 0.698 1.127 0.460 190
Mike Trout Angels 137 599 36 98 82 0.304 0.306 0.472 0.609 1.081 0.441 186
Alex Bregman Astros 159 713 41 113 114 0.280 0.288 0.404 0.568 0.972 0.408 165
Anthony Rendon Nationals 145 635 32 115 116 0.277 0.325 0.400 0.602 1.002 0.416 160
J.D. Martinez Red Sox 146 639 34 106 110 0.256 0.326 0.404 0.582 0.986 0.409 157
Justin Turner Dodgers 143 596 19 84 69 0.189 0.323 0.414 0.512 0.926 0.397 154
Cody Bellinger Dodgers 162 649 33 96 99 0.250 0.309 0.399 0.560 0.959 0.396 153
Mookie Betts Red Sox 155 712 26 129 74 0.221 0.307 0.416 0.528 0.944 0.399 150
Max Muncy Dodgers 159 591 38 95 91 0.284 0.268 0.382 0.552 0.934 0.392 150
Josh Bell Pirates 148 606 27 90 89 0.249 0.304 0.388 0.552 0.940 0.393 148
Ronald Acuna Jr. Braves 149 660 36 100 96 0.250 0.294 0.373 0.544 0.917 0.386 141
Joey Gallo Rangers 132 527 40 88 96 0.341 0.236 0.364 0.577 0.941 0.390 141
Matt Chapman Athletics 147 643 30 102 78 0.254 0.278 0.353 0.532 0.885 0.373 139
Javier Baez Cubs 164 683 37 108 111 0.267 0.306 0.345 0.573 0.918 0.381 139
Anthony Rizzo Cubs 162 700 31 88 102 0.215 0.295 0.394 0.510 0.904 0.381 139
Paul Goldschmidt – – – 160 699 33 92 79 0.209 0.297 0.387 0.506 0.893 0.379 138
Juan Soto Nationals 153 670 28 101 99 0.216 0.287 0.396 0.503 0.899 0.382 138
Tommy Pham – – – 138 599 21 83 66 0.193 0.283 0.386 0.475 0.861 0.370 137
Rhys Hoskins Phillies 166 729 41 96 110 0.266 0.259 0.368 0.525 0.893 0.377 137
Xander Bogaerts Red Sox 152 656 27 96 112 0.236 0.292 0.373 0.527 0.900 0.378 136

Christian Yelich and Mike Trout clearly distance themselves from the pack according to wRC+. The same can be said with wOBA.

THE 2019 LEADERS 

Name Team G PA HR R RBI ISO BABIP AVG OBP SLG wOBA wRC+
Christian Yelich Brewers 61 269 25 53 54 0.404 0.338 0.345 0.446 0.749 0.471 195
Cody Bellinger Dodgers 65 281 20 51 54 0.326 0.352 0.352 0.445 0.678 0.451 187
Mike Trout Angels 64 285 18 51 44 0.332 0.297 0.290 0.460 0.621 0.439 184
Anthony Rendon Nationals 53 230 14 48 46 0.335 0.333 0.320 0.422 0.655 0.438 173
George Springer Astros 48 216 17 41 43 0.335 0.315 0.308 0.389 0.643 0.420 172
Joey Gallo Rangers 50 214 17 41 41 0.376 0.385 0.276 0.421 0.653 0.433 170
Josh Bell Pirates 66 288 19 49 61 0.337 0.358 0.325 0.392 0.663 0.427 169
Austin Meadows Rays 50 218 12 32 38 0.264 0.383 0.326 0.404 0.591 0.410 164
Hunter Dozier Royals 52 216 11 27 33 0.276 0.346 0.314 0.398 0.589 0.407 158
Daniel Vogelbach Mariners 62 243 17 38 39 0.296 0.267 0.261 0.391 0.558 0.396 157
Jorge Polanco Twins 63 284 10 43 35 0.236 0.371 0.339 0.398 0.575 0.404 155
Freddie Freeman Braves 67 302 18 48 44 0.279 0.323 0.309 0.401 0.588 0.411 155
Alex Bregman Astros 67 299 18 45 44 0.267 0.247 0.271 0.398 0.538 0.392 153
Anthony Rizzo Cubs 63 281 17 43 47 0.268 0.274 0.281 0.395 0.549 0.395 147
Peter Alonso Mets 66 273 22 39 49 0.342 0.267 0.254 0.337 0.596 0.382 144
Carlos Santana Indians 66 281 14 42 42 0.244 0.303 0.286 0.406 0.530 0.390 144
Joc Pederson Dodgers 60 217 18 42 33 0.344 0.216 0.242 0.346 0.586 0.383 143
Carlos Correa Astros 50 214 11 26 35 0.253 0.344 0.295 0.360 0.547 0.377 143
Mike Moustakas Brewers 61 266 21 45 45 0.320 0.271 0.278 0.346 0.598 0.390 142
Yasmani Grandal Brewers 61 250 15 34 37 0.274 0.306 0.283 0.380 0.557 0.388 141
Tommy La Stella Angels 63 245 15 39 39 0.226 0.280 0.303 0.361 0.529 0.375 141
Jeff McNeil Mets 53 219 3 24 20 0.133 0.373 0.338 0.411 0.472 0.379 141

A look at wOBA has Yelich and Cody Bellinger as the best hitter going.

Yelich, Bellinger, Trout are in their out stratosphere this year according to wRC+

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THE TOP-10 HITTERS IN BASEBALL

 

10 – Justin Turner

You might be surprised to find his name. He’s not a sexy option in the fantasy game, and he’s seemingly always dealing with some sort of injury. That’s true. But the man can flat out hit. The past calendar years he’s 6th in wRC+ and 7th in wOBA. Turner has a 078 BB/K ratio, and he also owns a .323/.414/.512 line. How many batters in baseball can better all three of those numbers the last year? The answer is one – Yelich.

 

9 – Nolan Arenado

There isn’t a more consistent run producer in baseball, year after year. The last 365 days he has a Triple-Crown line of .304-43-131, and the only man who can match all those numbers is Yelich. Arenado, and Bregman, are the only hitters in baseball to have a 15.0 percent or better K-rate who have hit as many as 36 homers the last year, showing his overall impressive offensive game that includes contact. Arenado is also 8th in baseball in Isolated Power (.278) the last 365. You can ding him for Coors Field if you must, but the man can rake.

 

8 – J.D. Martinez

The last calendar year, JDM is fourth in the game with a .409 wOBA and fifth with a 157 wRC+. He also checks in with an MVP-like line of .326-34-110-106 with a .986 OPS. However, he has slowed a bit in 2019 with 33rd best wOBA (.375) and the 36th best wRC+ (133). Those are obviously still impressive numbers, but they are nowhere near the hurler wrecking production that he posted last season. Can’t remove him from consideration as one of the best in the game, but he’s just not looking as fierce as he has in the past this season.

 

7 – Cody Bellinger

He slightly pulls ahead of JDM because of the fact that his performance this season is better than that of the Boston slugger. Bellinger currently is first in baseball at .352 in the average category, third in OBP (.445), third in SLG (.749) and second in baseball in OPS (1.123). Bellinger and Yelich are also the only men in baseball this season with 20 homers, 50 RBI and 50 runs scored as well. Bellinger also checks in 10th in the league in ISO, second in wOBA and second in wRC+. He was solid last season. This year, he’s been stupendous.

 

6 – Freddie Freeman

Freeman doesn’t have numbers that match others in some categories, but it’s not like he’s a slouch either. Frankly, his approach, his stroke, and his consistent are nearly unmatched. Mention his name to a hurler, and they rave about his consistent approach, and how they can’t seem to find a weakness to consistently attack. Freeman, who even chokes up, has a short, compact and powerful stroke. His slash line the last 365 days is .297/.376/.514. Note that he bettered those marks last season (.309/.388/.505) and has dusted them this season as well (.309/.401/.588) putting him well on pace to have a third season in four years of .300/.400/.565.

 

5 – Alex Bregman

He’s young, but boy is he impressive. Bregman has a .288-41-114-113 line the last calendar year with a .972 OPS. The average is better than Juan Soto. The OBP (.404) is better than Bryce Harper (.390), the SLG is better than Cody Bellinger (.568). Bregman has more homers than Joey Gallo (41), more RBI than Javier Baez (111) and more runs scores than Francisco Lindor (113). Bregman also leads baseball with a remarkable 1.27 BB/K ratio with 107 walks and just 84 walks. Youth, approach, power, run production. Bregman checks off all the boxes. 

 

4 – Mookie Betts

Betts hasn’t quite been up to his otherworldly numbers from 2018 this season, but his work the last two years is exemplary. Betts has a 0.97 BB/K ratio, 5th best in baseball. Betts has a .307 average, 8th best and a .416 OBP which is third. His approach is stellar, his stroke beautiful, and the overall game is stupendous. His .944 OPS falls in as the 8th best mark in the game. His 150 wRC+ mark comes in 9th, and his wOBA is .399, sixth best. Despite his diminutive physical stature, there really isn’t anything that Betts cannot do with the bat in his hands.

 

3 – Anthony Rendon

This one might be a bit surprising. Rendon has been hidden in the shadow of guys like Harper and Soto in Washington, and he’s also dealt with a myriad of injuries from time to time. Those facts have conspired to keep him down in the minds of a few. Let’s look at the numbers. Rendon has hit .325 the last 365 days, the third best mark in baseball. He has a .400 OBP, the seventh best mark in baseball. He has a .602 SLG, the third best mark in baseball. He has a .277 ISO, ninth best. Rendon also owns a 0.74 BB/K ratio. Rendon is also fourth in baseball this season with a 1.076 OPS, and he is one of three men this campaign with a .320/.422/.655 slash line (Yelich & Bellinger).

 

2 – Mike Trout

It’s strange to see Trout’s name and to find it not at the top of any list, is it not? You can still make the case for him to be #1, but he’s slightly behind the top man in this author’s eyes. Perhaps it’s that we’ve just grown accustomed to his greatness? This season Trout is third in baseball with a 1.081 OPS. Trout leads baseball with a .460 OBP, which ties his mark from last season and gives him the top mark in baseball the last 365 at .472. If getting on base, and avoiding outs is the most important thing to you, then Trout is the best offensive player in baseball (his OBP is .043 better than anyone else). Trout’s counting category numbers are a bit low the last 365 days (36-82-98) – he spent some time on the sidelines with only 137 games played – but that’s really a minor quibble with the HOF bound player.

 

1 – Christian Yelich

He’s the best. Just how it is. After years of being on my must draft list, after years of me saying I thought he had a 25-homer season in him if he could only lift the ball a bit more, Yelich has taken his game to astronomical heights few in the game have ever reached. I’m talking he’s walking on the moon kind of unique at this point (to be clear, I never thought he would be this good, though to be fair, no one did). Yelich has been, the last 365 days, as strong a performer as the game has seen in, well, nearly ever. That’s not hyperbole either. Here are some of his astounding numbers: .340-53-136-129 with a 1.127 OPS. He leads baseball in average, homers, runs batted in, runs scored and OPS (this season he is second in AVG, first in homers, fourth in RBI, second in runs and first in OPS). In history, here are the players who have gone .340-53-136-129-1.127 in a season: Hack Wilson, Jimmie Foxx and Babe Ruth (three times). That’s the whole ballgame folks. Yelich is the best hitter on the planet right now. Your counter argument is invalid.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday-Friday, 8-10 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). Follow Ray’s work on Twitter (@baseballguys) and be sure to listen to his podcast work too.