2/04/2024

The home run leader is?


Shohei Ohtani decided to join the Angles in December 2017. The 2018 season was his first season in the MLB. Since 2018, Ohtani has drawn a lot of attention in the world of baseball. This off-season, Ohtani signed a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's certainly big news in baseball.

One day, I was watching some highlights of Shohei Ohtani over the last 6 seasons. While watching the video, I began to think about a question. Over the last 6 seasons, can we call Ohtani the best hitter in the majors?

 

To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the great Fangraphs website.

 

Home Runs (2018~2023)

Player

HR

Matt Olson

206

Aaron Judge

201

Kyle Schwarber

200

Pete Alonso

192

Eugenio Suarez

182

Nolan Arenado

177

Manny Machado

175

Max Muncy

Mookie Betts

174

Shohei Ohtani

171

Jose Ramirez

168

 

Firstly, I took a look at the number of home runs. From 2018 to 2023, Matt Olson crushed 206 home runs. Over the last 6 seasons, there were 4 times that Olson belted at least 30 home runs in a single season. In particular, Olson led the majors with 54 home runs in 2023.

 

“All Rise.” When it comes to home runs, no one would ignore Aaron Judge, who blasted 62 home runs in 2022 and won the 2022 AL MVP award. Over the last 6 seasons, Judge blasted 201 home runs and he has blasted at least 30 home runs for 3 straight seasons.

 

In addition, Kyle Schwarber is the other player who blasted at least 200 home runs over the last 6 seasons. From 2018 to 2023, there were 4 times that Schwarber smashed at least 30 home runs in a single season.

 

Moreover, Alonso made his MLB debut in 2019 and by far in his career, he already smashed 192 home runs. Furthermore, Eugenio Suarez now has 246 home runs in his career. From 2018 to 2023, Suarez crushed 182 home runs and there were 4 times that he finished the season with at least 30 home runs.

 

Finally, 5 other players each blasted 170+ home runs from 2018 to 2023. Over the last 6 seasons, there were 4 times that Arenado blasted at least 30 HRs in a single season. Interestingly, Machado finished the season with at least 30 home runs 4 times over the last 6 years as well.

 

Well, the number of home runs is not the only factor to decide whether a batter is hitting well or not. It’s certain that we have to take a look at other numbers to precisely say which hitter was the best over the last 6 seasons. Nonetheless, looking at the number of home runs over the last 6 seasons, I found that there’s something quite interesting. From 2018 to 2023, Max Muncy blasted 175 home runs and Mookie Betts had 174 home runs. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani blasted 171 home runs. These 3 players each belted 170+ home runs over the last 6 seasons. In the 2024 season, they will all hit for the Dodgers. These 3 batters have shown their capabilities to crush baseballs over the last 6 seasons. In the new season, it will be very entertaining to see how opposing teams will face the Dodgers. Additionally, can these 3 hitters continue to crush baseballs in the new season? 

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