Olson coming for Ohtani in Hitter Power Rankings

Matt Olson is coming for Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani has had a lock on the top spot in MLB.com's Hitter Power Rankings for weeks -- and he was a unanimous No. 1 choice in the last three polls. But now Olson is closing in on him.

The Angels two-way superstar is still No. 1 in this week's Hitter Power Rankings, but he's not unanimous anymore. Olson received several first-place votes from the MLB.com panel and finished a close second to Ohtani.

There are other names rising up the rankings, too, including two newcomers in the top 10. Here are the latest Hitter Power Rankings.

(All stats are through Wednesday's games.)

1) Shohei Ohtani, Angels (Last poll: 1)

Ohtani leads the American League with 42 home runs and leads the Majors with a 1.071 OPS. He's closing in on the 46 homers he hit in his MVP season in 2021, as well as Troy Glaus' Angels single-season record of 47 set in 2000.

2) Matt Olson, Braves (4)

Olson has overtaken Ohtani in the MLB home run race, with 43 on the season to go along with his MLB-leading 107 RBIs. So it's no real surprise that he's shooting up the Hitter Power Rankings. Olson's slugged 14 homers already in the second half and is now on a 58-homer pace. Could he hit 60?

3) Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (2)

Acuña is in the top three in the Hitter Power Rankings for a ninth straight poll. The National League MVP frontrunner is batting .335 with 27 home runs and leads the Majors with 55 stolen bases and 109 runs scored. With a few more homers, he'll join Barry Bonds (1990) and Eric Davis (1987) as the only players with a 30-50 season. With a few more steals on top of that, he'll become the first 30-60 player in AL/NL history.

4) Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (3)

Mr. Consistency is rolling along with a .339 batting average, 23 home runs and a 1.003 OPS. Always a doubles machine, Freeman has an MLB-high 44 in 2023 -- he could lead the Majors for the third time in the last four seasons and lead the National League for the fourth time in the last six.

5) Mookie Betts, Dodgers (7)

Are Olson and Acuña the best duo in baseball right now, or are Freeman and Betts? It's a close call. Betts is having one of the best seasons of his career, batting .293 with 31 homers, 81 RBIs and a .973 OPS. He's batting .404 in August with multiple hits in nine of 14 games.

6) Cody Bellinger, Cubs (9)

Bellinger isn't slowing down in his resurgent season and is pushing his way toward the top five in the Hitter Power Rankings. He's batting .327 with 18 home runs, 17 stolen bases and a .933 OPS; and with the Cubs still in playoff contention, he's rewarding them for holding onto him at the Trade Deadline.

7) Corey Seager, Rangers (Not ranked)

Seager has picked up right where he left off since returning to the Rangers' lineup a couple of weeks ago, and that puts him right back into the Hitter Power Rankings. Seager is batting .348, putting him on course to win his first career batting title in the AL, with 22 home runs and a 1.072 OPS.

8) Kyle Tucker, Astros (8)

Tucker's go-ahead ninth-inning grand slam off Orioles closer Félix Bautista last week was the signature moment of his season … and that season was already great. The Astros slugger is up to 24 home runs to go along with 24 stolen bases, and he's batting .297 with an .903 OPS.

9) Luis Arraez, Marlins (6)

Arraez has cooled off a little in recent weeks, but he's still leading the MLB batting race with a .361 average. He's also still leading the Majors with 164 hits. If the Marlins can claim a Wild Card spot, it will be because they have Arraez.

10) Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (Not ranked)

Witt's breakout has thrust him into the Hitter Power Rankings top 10. The Royals' 23-year-old rising star has been red-hot all summer, batting .327 with a .992 OPS since the start of July. Witt is one of the most dynamic power-speed threats in baseball, with 23 home runs and 34 stolen bases on the season.

Others receiving votes: Juan Soto, Austin Riley, Jose Altuve, Luis Robert Jr., Yandy Díaz, Triston Casas, Kerry Carpenter

Voters: David Adler, Brett Blueweiss, Paul Casella, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Sarah Langs, Travis Miller, Ricardo Montes de Oca, Brian Murphy, Sweeny Murti, Henry Palattella, Manny Randhawa, Efrain Ruiz, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, David Venn