MLB Players Power Rankings: Top 10 Hitters in Week-10

MLB Players Power Rankings (5): Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers

Week-10 Stats: 0.769 SLG | 0.513 wOBA | 229 wRC+ | 0.6 fWAR

Corey Seager missed most of last season after suffering a right UCL sprain. Upon returning this season, he struggled, for the most part, hitting just .225 / .325 / .341 in his first 40 games of the season.

Over his last 24 games, however, Seager is looking like the old Corey, slashing .341 / .396 / .648. This resurgence, for lack of a better term, has catapulted Seager into a level of play we haven’t seen since his rookie season. That year, Seager hit 26 HR and 77 RBI, and this year he’s on pace for 20 HR and 93 RBI.

Defensively, the Dodgers get back an elite player at short stop. That’s not to say that Machado, Seager’s replacement last season, was bad at the position. It’s just that… he’s not a Corey Seager level type shortstop.

So far this season, Seager has a 4 DRS and a defensive rating of 4.7, according to FanGraphs. This is an improvement from Machado who posted a -13 DRS and a 2.0 defensive rating last season.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading in the NL West by 11 games and featuring the 2nd best run differential in baseball, the best in the NL, the team is hoping that Corey Seager could be the final piece to the championship puzzle.

MLB Players Power Rankings (4): Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

Week-10 Stats: 0.875 SLG | 0.539 wOBA | 241 wRC+ | 0.6 fWAR

Freddie Freeman makes his return to the MLB Players Power Rankings after a two-week absence, and the timing couldn’t be better. With the Atlanta Braves just ONE game behind the NL East division leader Philadelphia Phillies, Freeman will have to play an integral role in keeping the Braves surging in the right direction.

This season, the 29-year-old first baseman is looking to top what was by far his best season in 2018. That season, Freeman exhibited an ability to hit for contact and showed the value in having doubles hitters on your team.

This season, Freeman has enhanced his ability to hit for power and is on pace to post a career high in home runs. In fact, if Freeman continues to play at this level, he is on pace to hit 42 home runs. Not only that, but he is also on pace to exceed 100 RBI for the first time since 2013.

In terms of run creation, his increase in power has made Freeman one of the best run creators in baseball. This season, he is currently sporting a career-high wRC+ of 158, which ranks him 9th in all of baseball.

MLB Players Power Rankings (3): Jay Bruce, Philadelphia Phillies

Week-10 Stats: 1.048 SLG | 0.575 wOBA | 266 wRC+ | 0.5 fWAR

A week ago, Jay Bruce was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for IF Jake Scheiner and $18M. While with the Mariners, Bruce was having a miserable start to the season, slashing just .212 / .283 / .533.

Many thought that the once fearsome slugger was on the wrong side of his career. At age 32 and on his way to his fifth team in less than 3 years, you would expect nothing less.

However, apparently, all that Bruce needed to get his groove back was a change of scenery, because upon arriving in Philly for his first series in his new team, Bruce went on an absolute tear. In fact, in just 6 games with the Phillies, Bruce already has 4 HR, 11 RBI, and is slashing .381 / .381 / 1.048.

What’s more, despite playing in 53 games this season (47 with the Mariners and 6 with the Phillies), according to FanGraphs Bruce has only been worth 1.1 wins. 0.5 of those wins, in terms of fWAR, have been awarded to Bruce in his short stint with the Phils, which is pretty impressive.

With the loss of Andrew McCutchen, the timing for Bruce to get hot could not have been better for the first place Phillies. To thwart off the surging Atlanta Braves and maintain possession of the division lead, Bruce will have to remain hot.

MLB Players Power Rankings (2): Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

Week-10 Stats: 1.000 SLG | 0.645 wOBA | 311 wRC+ | 0.8 fWAR

Christian Yelich continues to put together one of baseball’s most magical seasons and is showing no sign of slowing down. Despite missing time on two occasions because of apparent back issues, Yelich continues to crush the ball every opportunity he gets.

In fact, while leading the league with 24 HR, Yelich continues his pace toward history and has many wondering if he could be the next member of the 60 home run club. Currently, he is on pace to hit 59 home runs, which would be astonishing in its own right. Especially considering that Yelich is a player who once hit just 7 home runs in 126 games.

The 2018 NL MVP has morphed into one of, if not the most feared hitter in baseball. Not only does he lead MLB in HR, but he’s also currently leading in SLG (.745), OPS (1.191), and stolen bases (14).

Overall, this season Yelich (4.2) trails Cody Bellinger (4.5) and Mike Trout (4.5) in fWAR, which can be dismissed by the fact that he’s played in fewer games than both players. However, he leads all players in MLB in wRC+.

MLB Players Power Rankings (1): Roberto Perez, Cleveland Indians

Week-10 Stats: 1.286 SLG | 0.624 wOBA | 302 wRC+ | 0.6 fWAR

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Veteran catcher for the Indians Roberto Perez has never been considered a juggernaut of a hitter. In fact, while he has been lauded for his defensive ability, offensively he is considered more of a liability than anything.

In fact, for most of his career, Perez has been relegated to backup duties precisely because of his poor hitting abilities. Sporting a career batting average of .209, one would never think that a player of Perez’s caliber would ever be a threat at the plate… until week-10 of the 2019 MLB season rolled around.

Last week, despite not having the highest fWAR, Perez’s power hitting catapulted him to the number one slot in this top 10 list. As a result, he was the only player on this list to sport a wOBA over .600, a wRC+ over 300, and a SLG over .200 points higher than the next guy.

This season, Perez is making it known that he belongs to be the number one catcher on a big league team by posting career highs in HR (11) and OPS (.830). This, mind you, with only a little over a third of the season being played.