MLB Players Power Rankings: Top 10 Hitters in May 2019

Who was the best MLB hitter during the month of May? Find out in this latest edition of MLB Players Power Rankings.

In any given week, you might see the unlikeliest of players make the MLB Players Power Rankings. However, during the span of a month, you can really get a sense of who the real top-notch hitters are.

before we jump into this week’s top 10 hitters, let’s understand how we make our determinations.

1. Typically, we base our weekly rankings on a Monday through Sunday schedule. This, however, is an assessment of the top 10 hitters for a month. In this case, we’re lookingat May 2019
2. Then, using advanced stats (SLG, wOBA, wRC+) that best represent a players performance, we created a rubric.
3. As a tiebreaker, we used fWAR to determine which player is ahead of who.
4. If the tiebreaker is a tie, then we delve deeper into the weekly stats.

With that being said, let’s jump right to it! Here’s the 10th ranked hitter in MLB for the month of May:

MLB Players Power Rankings (10): Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

May Stats: 0.552 SLG | 0.402 wOBA | 150 wRC+ | 1.5 fWAR

This offseason, Xander Bogaerts became the highest paid shortstop in baseball. In the month of May, he proved why he deserves every penny of the contract the Red Sox gave him. For the rest of the season, despite the Sox flirting with .500 just about all season, Bogaerts will have to continue performing at this level in order to at the very least get a chance at making the postseason.

MLB Players Power Rankings (8): Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins

May Stats: 0.582 SLG | 0.422 wOBA | 167 wRC+ | 1.5 fWAR

Jorge Polanco has been a regular in these weekly MLB Players Power Rankings. After placing in the top 10 in weeks 6 and 7, Polanco has managed to make himself one of baseball’s best hitters for the month of May.

Polanco has undoubtedly been the best player on a Twins team that owns the best record and run differential in baseball. His 2.7 fWAR for the 2019 MLB season is almost a whole win above the next best Twins player, Byron Buxton (1.8 fWAR). It also makes him the 8th best offensive player in MLB this season.

He leads MLB with 74 hits, AVG (.338), and total bases (124), making him the 11th ranked run creator in baseball (160 wRC+). What’s been most impressive for Polanco is that he has exhibited an increase in power this season.

In fact, over the course of his career, prior to this season, his average SLG was .420. This season, that number catapults to .590, which is top 20 in all of baseball. His OPS of 1.000 ranks in the top 15 in the league.

MLB Players Power Rankings (7): Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

May Stats: 0.604 SLG | 0.425 wOBA | 174 wRC+ | 1.8 fWAR

Mike Trout has held the reputation of the best MLB player since just about his rookie season, and with good reason. In fact, since breaking into the league in 2012, Trout has a higher fWAR (68.1) than any other MLB player. The next best player, Buster Posey, only has 46.5 fWAR.

The impressive thing about Trout’s play is that he’ll very rarely light up the stat sheet in a given week. Especially if you focus your attention on traditional stats like batting average and strikeouts. As a matter of fact, compared to all the hitters on this list, Trout features the lowest AVG (.275) for the month of May.

However, what makes his game great is that he is the master of creating runs. In fact, since his rookie season, Trout leads baseball in wRC+ (175). The next best player, Joey Votto has a wRC+ more than 20 points lower.

Quite similarly, on this list, while Trout isn’t the top run creator, in wRC+ he ranks higher than he is placed in this ranking. Having a 174 wRC+ for the May is the fifth best in this MLB Players Power Rankings.

This season, the 2x MVP is likely headed to yet another AL MVP award, and when it’s all said in done, we may even consider him the G.O.A.T.

MLB Players Power Rankings (6): Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

May Stats: 0.635 SLG | 0.405 wOBA | 161 wRC+ | 1.4 fWAR

Alex Bregman quietly put together one of the best performances in the month of May. After Astros teammate George Springer went on an unprecedented power-hitting tear last month, Bregman was able to slip through the cracks, amassing his own, more impressive tear.

In fact, Bregman led the American League in home runs in May with 12. The next best home run hitting AL hitter for the month of May was Jose Abreu, who had 10.

This season, Bregman is looking to take the next step on his journey to superstardom. Much like Jorge Polanco, the next step comes in the form of power production.

So far this season, Bregman is posting a career-high slugging percentage of .553 and OPS of .944. At 17 home runs, he’s also on pace to obliterate his career-high home run total from last season of 31.

With Springer on the IL with a left hamstring issue and Carlos Correa‘s unprecedented injury during a massage, Bregman will be expected to perform as the best offensive player on the Astros. So far, Bregman has delivered the goods and then some.

MLB Players Power Rankings (5): Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox

May Stats: 0.640 SLG | 0.417 wOBA | 161 wRC+ | 1.4 fWAR

Raffy Devers has finally emerged as the surefire hitter the Boston Red Sox once thought he was. For a moment, there, many speculated if the child-faced third baseman was a bust. Especially after slashing .240 / .298 / .433 in 2018.

This season, however, Devers has returned to form, slashing .316 / .372 / .498. Much of the stats can be attributed to a monstrous month of May in which he slashed .351 / .380 / .640, drilling 8 HR and scoring the 3rd highest number of runs of the players on this list.

What’s more, not only has Devers improved his offensive performance, he has also drastically improved his play at the hot corner. Last season, Devers ranked as one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league, featuring a DRS of -13 and a defensive rating of -2.7.

Sure, he’s still no Matt Chapman at third, but he has improved his DRS to 0 and now features a defensive rating of -1. What this means is that he’s just about league average at third. Pair this with his massive increase with the bat, and you have yourself one of the best players in the league.

MLB Players Power Rankings (4): Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs

May Stats: 0.688 SLG | 0.460 wOBA | 188 wRC+ | 1.5 fWAR

Anthony Rizzo has quietly been one of baseball’s best players ever since his rookie season. Most impressively, he does it without the flashy stats.

In fact, never has Rizzo ever exceeded more than 32 home runs in a single season. And while he drives 100 RBI regularly, it has never exceeded more than 109. What’s more, his elite level of play comes while he averages and .860 OPS.

Rizzo is proof that you don’t need to play at Aaron Judge levels to help your team get into the postseason on a regular basis. Instead, consistency works just as well, and Rizzo is your number one model of consistency.

Rizzo has never won an MVP award, has only made three All-Star appearances, and doesn’t get featured on the highlight reel regularly. Instead, he does what is necessary to help his team win games, drawing comparisons to players like Mark Teixeira and Paul Konerko.

When it is all said and done for the veteran first baseman, there may not be a speech in Cooperstown, but there is likely multiple World Series titles. This begs the question, what’s more important: an induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame or being known as a champion.

MLB Players Power Rankings (3): Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

May Stats: 0.719 SLG | 0.472 wOBA | 196 wRC+ | 1.8 fWAR

Kris Bryant was down in the dumps to start the season. Through the first 28 games of the 2019 MLB season, Bryant was slashing just .229 / .359 / .419 and was only able to manage 3 home runs.

Then, beginning in his 29th game, Bryant turned things up a notch. In fact, since then, through 26 games, Bryant is slashing .323 / .422 / .687. In that time span, he has also managed to hit 10 home runs, three of those came in a single game on May 17th.

The former NL MVP and Rookie of the Year is the key to success for a confused Cubs team who just fell to 2nd place in the division again. With Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers surging in the standings, Bryant will have to continue playing like he is superhuman.

In the month of May, Bryant delivered the goods. Ranking third in this list, Bryant ranked 3rd in all advanced metrics used to make our determinations. Not only that, but his traditional stats were at an elite level as well, slashing .333 / .443 / .719 in 26 games played in May.

MLB Players Power Rankings (2): Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

May Stats: 0.783 SLG | 0.509 wOBA | 206 wRC+ | 2.1 fWAR

Nolan Arenado has been flirting with the title of the best player in baseball for quite some time now. While most, including me, consider Mike Trout the owner of that title, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Arenado could share it with the “Fish.”

Arenado doesn’t only possess the flashy offensive numbers, advanced and traditional, but he also features the defensive attributes as well. In fact, Arenado has won a Gold Glove award in each of his big league seasons. Not only that, he’s earned a Silver Slugger award in the last four consecutive seasons and is well on his way to another this season.

Sure, he doesn’t possess an MVP award yet, but he’s placed in the top 10 in the NL MVP voting over the last four consecutive seasons. In that same time span, he’s led the league in home runs three times (2015, 2016, and 2018), RBI twice (2015 and 2016), and doubles and hits once.

This season, is posting career-highs across the board, slashing .345 / .395 / .638. His OPS of 1.032 is over 100 points higher than it was last season, and over 70 points higher than his career high of .959 in 2017.

People will point to his career home/away splits to downplay his level of play, but this season, his away stats alone should qualify him for an NL MVP award. In away games, Arenado features a .931 OPS which would make him a top 20 hitter in baseball.

MLB Players Power Rankings (1): Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

May Stats: 0.797 SLG | 0.501 wOBA | 217 wRC+ | 1.8 fWAR

This season, Josh Bell has shocked the world with his level of play. Has already surpassed his home run total from last season, and leads the league in doubles (21), RBI (53), and total bases (154).

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Not only that, but he is also tearing the cover off the ball. This season, Bell ranks in the top 1% in exit velocity (94.6), he trails only Joey Gallo in this area. His average home run travels 417 feet, ranking 5th among all MLB hitters with 150 batted ball events. He ranks first in batted balls that exceed 95 MPH with 93.

So far, this season Josh Bell is playing on par with players like Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich, who seem to be getting all the shine. He’s just about kept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central race, trailing in the division by just 5.0 games, well within striking distance.

It’s safe to say that Josh Bell has finally arrived this season and is making a strong case for the NL MVP. He was ranked first in this list despite trailing Arenado in fWAR because he leads Arenado in two advanced stats: SLG and wRC+.

If there’s one thing we can learn from this list, it’s that the National League is stacked with hitters. The fact that the aforementioned Bellinger and Yelich weren’t even ranked speaks to the plethora of incredible hitters the NL currently has.

In fact, despite the list being evenly split between the AL and NL, 4 out of the top 5 hitters are NL hitters. The Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox are the most represented teams on this list.