Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) was the unanimous winner of the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. His performance as a hitter was basically unbeatable, and he was competing with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto) for the best hitter at the time.

Ohtani won the Silver Slugger award for designated hitter with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs. His adjusted OPS of 157 was 57% better than the league average, and while he took a step back last year, he was still one of the league’s best hitters with an OPS+ of 144.메이저사이트

However, it has been argued that Ohtani is not yet a “top five” hitter, meaning that there are at least five hitters who are better than him. While it’s clear that Ohtani is a great two-way player, it does mean that there are better hitters out there, at least in terms of batting average.

Major League Baseball Network’s Mark DeRosa posted a list of his top five hitters of all time on Sunday. Ohtani wasn’t on the list, but there’s a reason for that when you look at the players who made it. Some of the best hitters of our time made the list.

At No. 5 is Ronald Acuña Jr. (26, Atlanta), a candidate for this year’s National League Most Valuable Player (MVP). Acuña Jr. is the epitome of the Hota Juniors: he hits well, runs well, and catches well. Coming back from a major ACL tear, he is batting .332 with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, 22 doubles, and a .995 OPS in 50 games this season.

Fourth on the list is Freddie Freeman (34, Los Angeles Dodgers), the epitome of consistency. In 51 games this season, Freeman is still hitting .325 with nine home runs, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of .956. Freeman has a career batting average of .299, and at his current pace, he’s on pace to become a three-time All-Star.

In third place is Hall of Famer Mike Trout (32, Los Angeles Angels). After being limited to 36 games in 2021 and 119 games last year due to injury, Trout has been healthy this year. A healthy Trout is an unquestionable player. His batting average is down slightly to .275 in 47 games this year, but he has 12 home runs for an OPS of .891. For his career, Trout has an OPS of 0.998.

In second place is Jordan Alvarez (26, Houston), who is considered one of the best hitters in the game. Alvarez, who beat out Ohtani for the American League Designated Hitter of the Year award last year, is batting .297 with 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a 1.003 OPS in 43 games this year. As a designated hitter, his defensive contributions are somewhat diminished, but at least he can hit.

At the top of the list is Aaron Judge (31, New York Yankees), last year’s American League MVP, who hit 62 home runs last year. After a slow start to the season due to injury, Judge has been on a cannonball streak. In 41 games this season, he’s already hit 14 home runs, which puts him at the top of the home run leaderboard. His OPS of 1.032 this year is also tops in the American League.