Teammates climb to top of Hitter Power Rankings

Teammates climb to top of Hitter Power Rankings

September 14th, 2023

The Braves continue to pile up impressive feats in 2023. Now, here’s another one.

This is our 13th edition of the Hitter Power Rankings in 2023 and the first in which a team claimed both of the top two spots. That’s thanks to Atlanta’s and besting the Dodgers duo of and in a contest that is sure to play out again in NL MVP Award voting -- and possibly in the NL Championship Series as well. (It should be noted that 's recent absence due to an oblique injury also opened the door for the Braves’ fearsome twosome.)

Here are the latest Hitter Power Rankings, via our MLB.com panel, which took into account career track record, season-long success and recent performance. All stats are through Tuesday’s games.

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (Last poll: 3)
Since last reaching No. 1 in late May, Acuña had ranked second or third each time, with Luis Arraez, Ohtani (five times) and Betts all earning the top spot in that span. Now Acuña is back, and it’s hard to argue. He’s closing in on MLB’s first 40-40 season since 2006, its first 70-steal campaign since 2009 and its first 140-run season since 2007.

2. Matt Olson, Braves (6)
It speaks to how incredible the Braves’ season has been that a guy with more than 50 home runs gets second billing, but here we are. Olson’s latest power binge -- eight homers over a 10-game span -- pulled him into a tie with Andruw Jones for the Braves' single-season franchise record of 51 homers. He is also the only player on this list who is a 2023 Roberto Clemente Award nominee.

• The 'Unspoken Bond' between Olson and longtime friend

3. Mookie Betts, Dodgers (1)
Entering 2023, no player had ever hit 40 home runs in a season out of the leadoff spot. Acuña is on track to do it this year -- but Betts may get there first. Entering Wednesday, all 39 of his big flies had come out of the No. 1 position, including 12 to begin the first inning (one off Alfonso Soriano’s record from 2003).

• Most career leadoff home runs in MLB history

4. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (4)
Steady Freddie has ranked either third or fourth for five consecutive polls. He’s on track to lead the Majors in doubles for the third time in four years, with a real shot to become the first player to reach 60 since 1936. Freeman also is heading toward his second straight NL OBP title and could track down Arraez for the batting title over the last couple of weeks as well.

5. , Phillies (not ranked)
Turner is putting on a clinic on how to rewrite the narrative of your season. As recently as Aug. 5, he entered the day with a .656 OPS -- not exactly what the Phillies were looking for when they signed him to an 11-year, $300 million deal over the winter. Since then, he’s been the best hitter in the Majors, helping Philly push for a playoff spot. He also is closing in on some stolen base history.

6. , Rangers (8)
When all is said and done, Seager is going to have produced one of the best seasons ever by a player who appeared in fewer than 120 games. As of now, he’s on track for the AL batting title and could lead AL position players in WAR (per Baseball-Reference) despite the injury-induced deficit in playing time.

7. , Mariners (5)
Like Turner, Rodríguez quickly turned around the tenor of his season with a recent surge. After posting a 25-25 campaign as a 21-year-old rookie in 2022, he has followed that up by going 30-30 at age 22 this year. J-Rod’s 11.8 career WAR at ages 21-22 is reminiscent of two other young Mariners superstars: Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez.

8. , Cubs (not ranked)
For now, the main question is if Bellinger can help the Cubs solidify a spot in the playoffs -- and then make an October run. But looking ahead a bit, this is setting up for one of the more fascinating free agent cases in recent memory. How much will clubs buy into Bellinger’s amazing 2023 resurgence, especially when his quality-of-contact metrics don’t back up his superb results?

9. , Astros (not ranked)
Alvarez, now healthy and clicking again at the plate, is back in the top 10 for the first time since early June. The Houston slugger had a .978 OPS before spending several weeks on the injured list with an oblique issue, and now he has a 1.010 OPS since returning on July 26. Is another dramatic postseason moment or two coming up next?

10. , D-backs (not ranked)
The NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner played his 162nd Major League game on Sept. 1. The final numbers from his first “season”? A .277/.357/.517 slash line, a 135 wRC+, 35 doubles, 10 triples, 27 homers, 109 runs scored and 43 stolen bases in 49 attempts. That’ll work.

Others receiving votes: Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Yandy Díaz (Rays), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Jose Altuve (Astros), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs), Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox), Marcus Semien (Rangers), Davis Schneider (Blue Jays)

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