MLB Players Power Rankings: Top 5 Offensive Dynamic Duos
What was the best offensive dynamic duo in baseball this pandemic-shortened season? Find out in this MLB Players Power Rankings.
As the pandemic-shortened season comes to an end, let’s take a look at the five best offensive dynamic duos in baseball. So we’ve decided to bring back the MLB Players Power Rankings for the first time in 2020.
Without further ado, here they are:
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FIVE: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado
It came as a bit of a surprise to me that this dynamic duo would rank fifth in this list considering just how dominant they’ve been this season. Fernando Tatis Jr. has become a sensation in 2020 while Manny Machado, a grizzled veteran, is having one of the most amazing stretches of his career over the last few weeks.
In terms of fWAR, might have the best-combined numbers. Tatis is ranked 3rd in baseball with a 2.9 fWAR while Manny is ranked fifth with a 2.7 fWAR. However, when we pull back and look at the bigger picture in comparison with other duos across the league, a few areas bring them down a notch.
Combined, Tatis and Machado have the lowest OPS (.957), wOBA (.398), and wRC+ (152) of the bunch. They do bring a component to the game that the others don’t, however, and that’s their ability to play more difficult defensive positions and run the bases efficiently.
Nevertheless, the Padres don’t come as far as they have without this dynamic duo. They’re certainly the most exciting team in MLB currently and to be feared come October.
You can’t have an MLB Players ranking without the Yankees and Dodgers.
FOUR: Mookie Betts and Corey Seager
This quite possibly not pair of MLB players you expected to see coming out of Los Angeles for this Power Rankings. In fact, you were probably expecting to see Cody Bellinger featured in here somewhere.
Well, your eyes aren’t lying. Corey Seager is finally having his breakout season, and he’s doing it alongside NL MVP candidate Mookie Betts (aka “Mike Trout Adjacent”).
Like Tatis and Machado, this dynamic duo does everything extremely well. Unfortunately, they just haven’t made the type of impact the remaining duos have on their respective franchises.
As it stands, of the five duos featured in this piece, Betts and Seager rank fourth in combined OPS, wOBA, wRC+, and fWAR. Add Bellinger, Trea Turner, and Max Muncy to the list and the Dodgers are definitely the most feared team in MLB right now.
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THREE: DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit
Like with the Dodgers, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit were probably not the pair of hitters you thought you’d see being featured for the Yankees. In fact, you probably expected to see Aaron Judge and either Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres.
The fact is, LeMahieu and Voit have been the most important pair of players, on the offensive side, for the Yankees this season. What’s more, they both bring different styles of play to the table.
In the case of LeMahieu, he’s a master contact hitter who leads MLB with a .365 AVG and a top-10 OPS of 1.012, which is actually higher than Mike Trouts 1.004 OPS. Voit, on the other hand, brings power to the table. His .630 SLG ranks 5th in MLB while his 21 HR leads the sport.
Two MVP candidates highlight the top two duos in this Power Rankings.
TWO: Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson
Like the San Diego Padres in the NL, in the AL there are the Chicago White Sox. Two up and coming teams taking MLB by storm, featuring the perfect mix of veterans and youngsters, and Cy Young Award and MVP candidates.
This duo features two of the most dangerous hitters in the game in Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu. In Anderson, you get a master hitter, much like LeMahieu, who ranks 2nd in MLB with a .353 AVG. Don’t be surprised if Anderson takes home his second consecutive Batting Title; he trails the aforementioned LeMahieu by just .003 points in the race.
In Abreu, you have the favored AL MVP candidate who has the fourth-best fWAR (2.8) in MLB, 2nd best in the AL. He also leads the AL in SLG (.650) and OPS (1.029), and trails only Luke Voit in home runs with 19.
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ONE: Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna
Finally, the best hitting duo in all of baseball belongs to the Atlanta Braves. This was a tough one because you can make a case for Ronald Acuña Jr. instead of Marcell Ozuna, but the numbers just don’t lie.
Though Freddie Freeman is without a doubt the favored NL MVP candidate, Ozuna has been the most important offseason addition of any MLB team. He leads the NL in HR (17) and trails only his teammate in Freeman in SLG (.630 vs .643), wOBA (.433 vs .457), and wRC+ (171 vs 188) among other stats.
The Braves pitching might be limping into the postseason come October, but don’t sleep on this team, for they can slug their way to a championship!