A few weeks ago, I was just browsing on Facebook and I saw an interesting post on a page. The post showed the batters with a high batting average over the last several seasons. To be qualified, a batter needs to have at least 1500 plate appearances over the last few seasons.
While reading the stats, I just randomly think about a question. The statcast data has been available since 2015. Over the last few seasons, who is the leader for xwOBA?
To know the answer, the best way is to check on the statcast website.
When we check on the leaderboard, the result might not be so surprising. Aaron Judge made his MLB debut in 2016. By far in his career, his xwOBA is .428. In 2022 and 2023, Judge had an xwOBA over .460 each season. In particular, in 2022, Judge won the AL MVP award. In that season, his xwOBA was .463 and he crushed 62 home runs. He can make solid contacts, no doubt.
David Ortiz made his MLB debut in 1997 and his final season was in 2016. In his great career, he slashed .286/.380/.552 with 541 home runs and 1768 RBI. In 2022, Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2015 and 2016, Ortiz had a .425 xwOBA. In 2016, Ortiz was 40 years old and his xwOBA was .430, which was the second highest among qualified batters. Furthermore, Ortiz led the majors with an OPS of 1.021 in 2016. Well, he might be able to play one more season, right?
In addition, Yordan Alvarez made his debut in 2019. Since then, he has been one of the most dangerous hitters in the majors. Alvarez has recorded 3 consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs. By far in his career, his xwOBA was .425. In particular, his xwOBA was .462 in 2022 and he crushed 37 home runs, which are the highest in his career thus far.
Moreover, we can’t ignore Mike Trout, who’s a 3-time MVP. Trout already blasted 368 home runs in his career. From 2015 to 2023, Trout’s xwOBA was .424. The last time that Trout won the MVP award was in 2019. Back then, his xwOBA was .460 and he finished the season with a .291/.438/.645 slash line. He smashed 45 home runs and collected 104 RBI in 2019.
Finally, Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Jr. each made it into the big leagues in 2018. By far in their careers, Soto’s xwOBA is .409 and Acuna Jr. 's xwOBA is .407. In 2020, Soto’s OPS was over 1.000 and his xwOBA was .475. Furthermore, Acuna Jr.’s xwOBA was .460 in 2023 and he slashed .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs and 106 RBI. Ronald Acuna Jr. won the 2023 NL MVP award. Additionally, Freeman won the 2020 NL MVP award and back then, his xwOBA was .466. From 2015 to 2023, Freeman’s xwOBA was over .400.
Looking at the xwOBA leaderboard, there’s little doubt that those hitters can make solid contact and they are pitchers’ nightmares. Moreover, several of those hitters won the MVP awards. In 2024, it will be worth watching to see whether some of them will finish the season with an xwOBA over .400.
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