3 of MLB's hottest hitters play for one team

The Cardinals have been an offensive juggernaut this month, hitting more homers (36) than any other team through Wednesday. So it should come as no surprise that St. Louis is well represented in our new Hitter Power Rankings.

These rankings take into account both season-long excellence and recent performance, along with compelling storylines and a bit of "fun factor."

It certainly has been fun watching the Cardinals of late, with Paul Goldschmidt making a run at the NL MVP Award and possibly the Triple Crown, Albert Pujols turning back the clock in pursuit of his 700th home run and Nolan Arenado doing Nolan Arenado things. All three made our list, with Goldschmidt grabbing the top spot for the first time this season.

Here are the latest Hitter Power Rankings.

Stats are entering play Thursday.

1) Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (Last poll: 4)
DraftKings MVP odds: -400 (Bet $400 to win $100)

As good as Goldschmidt was before the All-Star break, he’s somehow been even better in the second half, recording 11 homers with a 1.153 OPS in 27 games. He leads MLB in batting average (.339) and on-base percentage (.420) and OPS (1.057), and he has already reached the 30-homer and 100-RBI plateaus, giving him a shot at the NL Triple Crown.

2) Alex Bregman, Astros (not ranked)
DraftKings MVP odds: 100-1

Bregman was unranked in each of the first nine Hitter Power Rankings of 2022, but he grabbed the attention of our voters with a sizzling stretch spanning multiple weeks. The third baseman has hit .382/.462/.836 with six homers and 19 RBIs in his past 15 games.

3) Aaron Judge, Yankees (1)
DraftKings MVP odds: -1000 (Bet $1,000 to win $100)

Judge, who leads MLB in homers (48), RBIs (105) and is second to Goldschmidt in OPS (1.053), is the only player who has topped the Hitter Power Rankings more than once this season. He’s done so four times, including each of the past two editions. However, a nine-game homerless drought from Aug. 13-21, coupled with the Yankees’ second-half swoon, was enough to knock him from the No. 1 perch. That said, Judge still received enough support to finish third.

4) Nolan Arenado, Cardinals (3)
DraftKings MVP odds: 12-1

While Arenado has been a bit overshadowed by Goldschmidt this season, he’s neck and neck with his teammate in wins above replacement -- 6.7 to 6.6, per Baseball-Reference. The third baseman’s glove work is a big part of his value, but he put up an OPS over 1.000 in two of the first four months this season and is on track to do it again in August (1.088 OPS).

5) Albert Pujols, Cardinals (not ranked)

With his legendary career drawing to a close, Pujols has looked like his old self (or, rather, his younger self) of late, recording an eye-popping .487 average with seven homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.626 OPS in his past 13 games (nine starts). The 42-year-old slugger is now just seven home runs from 700.

6) Manny Machado, Padres (not ranked)
DraftKings MVP odds: 30-1

The Padres have been stuck in neutral since their big Trade Deadline bonanza, but it’s not Machado’s fault. The 30-year-old had eight straight multihit games from Aug. 9-17 and has recorded a .338 average with four homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.003 OPS over his past 20 games.

7) Andrés Giménez, Guardians (not ranked)

After making his first All-Star team and entering the break with a .296 average and an .835 OPS, Giménez has taken his game to another level since the calendar flipped to August. The second baseman has put up a .373/.447/.567 slash, three homers, 10 RBIs and seven stolen bases this month, helping the Guardians go 14-7 to reclaim possession of first place in the AL Central.

8) Vaughn Grissom, Braves (not ranked)

Much like teammate Michael Harris II did earlier this year, Grissom has burst onto the scene and given the Braves’ lineup a jolt. The rookie second baseman has gone 21-for-55 (.382) with four homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.024 OPS in 15 games since his callup. Atlanta owns a 13-2 record and has averaged more than six runs per game with Grissom in the lineup.

9) Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (not ranked)
DraftKings MVP odds: 16-1

Freeman is as consistent as they come, posting a .299 average or better in every month this season. The first baseman leads all players in hits (156) and doubles (41) and has put himself in the mix for the NL batting title with a .392 average over his past 39 games.

10) Trea Turner, Dodgers (not ranked)
DraftKings MVP odds: 30-1

The 2021 NL batting champion is right behind his teammate, Freeman, with 155 hits this season, and he’s reached base at a .583 clip while hitting .474 in his past five games to raise his slash to .311/.354/.493 on the year.

Also receiving votes: José Abreu (White Sox), Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Randy Arozarena (Rays), Luis Arraez (Twins), Mark Canha (Mets), Rafael Devers (Red Sox), Jake Fraley (Reds), Evan Longoria (Giants), Starling Marte (Mets), Jeff McNeil (Mets), Sean Murphy (A’s), Lars Nootbaar (Cardinals), Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Matt Olson (Braves), Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals), Kyle Tucker (Astros)

Voters: Nick Aguilera, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Sarah Langs, Ted Lee, Mike Petriello, Manny Randhawa, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru