5/01/2023

Heat up early?


The 2023 season began on March 30. In the first month of the regular season, there are several players who hit very well and contributed a lot to their teams. So, let’s take a quick look at those batters who had a great April.

Hits (April, 2023)

Player

H

Nico Hoerner

38

Bryson Stott

Ronald Acuna Jr.

36

Luis Arraez

Randy Arozarena

35

Matt Chapman

Bo Bichette

34

Thairo Estrada

Alex Verdugo


First, let’s see who is leading in hits this April. The Phillies selected Bryson Stott in the first round of the 2019 draft. Last season, he made it into the big leagues. In total, he slashed .234/.295/.358 across 127 games in 2022. This year, Bryce Harper began the season on the IL. But, the Phillies are leading the NL in hits. A main reason is that Bryson Stott has a great start this year. In April, Stott collected 38 hits in 27 games. At the same time, Nico Hoerner is the other player who collected 38 hits in April. By far this season, Hoerner hits .328/.367/.437 with 2 home runs and 17 RBI.

In addition, Ronald Acuna Jr. collected 36 hits in April. By far this season, he has 38 hits in 27 games. Back in 2020, which was a shortened season. He had 40 hits in 46 games. It’s quite clear that he has a very good start this year. Acuna now slashes .352/.440/.546 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI. Meanwhile, Luis Arraez had 36 hits in April as well. He was traded to the Marlins in January. So far, Arraez slashes .438/.500/.551.

Furthermore, Randy Aarozarena and Matt Chapman each collected 35 hits in April.

Home Runs (April, 2023)

Player

HR

Max Muncy

11

Rafael Devers

10

Patrick Wisdom

Pete Alonso

9

Brent Rooker

Adolis Garcia

8

Matt Olson

Rowdy Tellez


Now, let’s take a look at those players who frequently went deep in April. In the first 2 games of the 2023 season, Max Muncy had only 1 hit in 10 at-bats and he didn’t crush any home runs. However, in April, he gradually heats up. Muncy’s first home run in the 2023 season came on April 4. And, in April, he crushed 11 home runs in 23 games. Now, he’s the home run leader in the majors. He used to smash 35 home runs in 2018 and in 2019. Additionally, in the 2021 season, he blasted 36 home runs. Is it possible to see him finish a season with 30+ home runs again?

At the same time, Rafael Devers and Patrick Wisdom each had 10 home runs this April. These 2 players each had 20+ home runs last season and they heated up early this April. Devers used to finish a season with 30+ home runs twice. However, Wisdom never finished a season with 30 home runs. It will be worth watching whether both of them will be able to hit 30+ home runs this season.

Moreover, Pete Alonso now has 10 home runs this season. He blasted 9 HRs in April. Back in 2019, it was Alonso’s first season in the majors. He crushed 9 home runs in April. Alonso finished the 2019 season with 53 home runs. Meanwhile, Brent Rooker has a great start in 2023. He now hits .353/.465/.779 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI in 22 games. All those 9 home runs were hit in April.

We have seen some players who are off to a great start in 2023. Nico Hoerner, Luis Arraez and Bryson Stott are leading the majors in hits. They each had more than 35 hits in April. Additionally, there are 4 players who already blasted at least 10 home runs this season. And, 3 of them each blasted 10+ home runs in April. Coming into May, will these players stay hot as well? 

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