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2017’s Best Hitters

I may sound like a broken record but there are dozens of ways to evaluate a hitters ability. I prefer using advanced metrics because, while the math may be biased towards a skill or set of skills it removes individual preferences (I stubbornly like Joe DiMaggio over Ted Williams or vice versa, regardless of what numbers tell me). Below is a list of the best offensive players from the 2017 season based on wRC+. If you’re unfamiliar with the stat you should read about it here. I believe, as the article says, it is the most comprehensive offensive stat we have. Take a look at the names and the numbers and see if you agree.


  • T – 10. Nelson Cruz

  • Nelson Cruz
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    146 4.1 155 645 91 160 28 0 39 119 1 70 140 .288 .375 .549 .924

  • T – 10. Kris Bryant

  • Kris Bryant
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    146 6.1 151 665 111 162 38 4 29 73 7 95 128 .295 .409 .537 .946

  • T – 8. Jose Ramirez

  • Jose Ramirez
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    148 6.9 152 645 107 186 56 6 29 83 17 52 69 .318 .374 .583 .957

  • T – 8. Tommy Pham

  • Tommy Pham
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    148 6.4 128 530 95 136 22 2 23 73 25 71 117 .306 .411 .520 .932

  • 7.Justin Turner

  • Justin Turner
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    151 5.7 130 543 72 147 32 0 21 71 7 59 56 .322 .415 .530 .945

  • 6. Freddie Freeman

  • Freddie Freeman
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    152 4.5 117 514 84 135 35 2 28 71 8 65 95 .307 .403 .496 .989

  • 5. Giancarlo Stanton

  • Giancarlo Stanton
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    156 7.6 159 692 123 168 32 0 59 132 2 85 163 .281 .376 .631 1.007

  • 4. Jose Altuve

  • Jose Altuve
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    160 8.3 153 662 112 204 39 4 24 81 32 58 84 .346 .410 .547 .957

  • 3. Joey Votto

  • Joey Votto
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    165 7.5 162 707 106 179 34 1 36 100 5 134 83 .320 .454 .578 1.032

  • 2. Aaron Judge

  • Aaron Judge
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    173 8.1 155 678 128 154 24 3 52 114 9 127 208 .284 .422 .627 1.049

  • 1. Mike Trout

  • Mike Trout
    wRC+ WAR G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    181 6.7 114 507 92 123 25 3 33 72 22 94 90 .306 .442 .629 1.071

2 Comments »

  1. Great, but it leaves off the epic season of JD “The Hammer” Martinez. He had a decent season until you realize he missed more than a month on the DL. He stats project to 116 runs, 61 HRs, and 142 RBIs. He played in both leagues so he actually dropped of a little while he learned NL pitching.

    Like

    • Scott P, I agree he did have a great season. The cutoff for qualifying for this list was 501 PA and Martinez had 489. His wRC+ was 166 which would have placed him 3rd a tick above Joey Votto and behind Aaron Judge.

      Like

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