By this weekend, all of the league will have played their 81st game of the 162-game regular season. At the time of writing, only Tampa Bay has hit that mark, but it feels like a convenient time to check out who is hot and who is not.
Last year, with this much of the season in the books, the home run-hitting royalty were…
2022 HOME RUN LEADERS (team average = 77 games played)
- 29 Aaron Judge (NYY)
- 23 Yordan Alvarez (HOU)
- 23 Mike Trout (LAA)
- 23 Kyle Schwarber (PHI)
- 22 Pete Alonso (NYM)
- 21 Anthony Rizzo (NYY)
- 20 Byron Buxton (MIN)
Four of the players listed above continued their form into the second half of the season to reach at least 40 home runs: Judge (62), Schwarber (46), Trout (40), and Alonso (40).
This year, we have a two-way tie at the top after Atlanta’s first baseman, Matt Olson, launched his 25th home run to match two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani. Interestingly, there was nothing to choose between Olson and Ohtani last season either, with both players hitting 34 homers.
HOME RUN LEADERS (team average = 77 games played)
- 25 Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
- 25 Matt Olson (ATL)
- 24 Pete Alonso (NYM)
- 21 Luis Robert (CHW)
- 20 Jorge Soler (MIA)
With the usual disclaimers of “small sample” and inaccurate data with some teams having played more games than others, Pete Alonso is the only slugger who appears on both season’s lists.
Fans in Europe looking forward to seeing the Mets and Phillies at the 2024 London Series, will be excited by the the consistency of the two-time Home Run Derby champion.
2023 HOME RUN DISAPPOINTMENTS
The power drop off from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Austin Riley is surprising. Both players are quality hitters who could easily reach 30 homers again. Having Eugeno Suarez on the list, however, is no surprise. He is behind only Joey Gallo in strikeouts since 2020. Both guys have extraordinary power but their lack of plate discipline almost demands extended slumps. Geno is in one of those slumps now.
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