Things are constantly changing in baseball, and that’s often the case with the Hitter Power Rankings. But this time at least, we have some continuity. The top three sluggers in our previous edition held strong in the same exact spots, and eight of the 10 big bats who appeared in that last edition did so again here.
Of course, there’s still a lot of baseball to be played as the season reaches its midpoint, but certain storylines seem to be solidifying. One of those? Left-handed batters are dominating the sport. That’s why, as you read the results of our latest poll (voted on by MLB.com experts), you’ll notice a common theme: Nine of the top 10 swing from the left side.
All stats are through Tuesday unless otherwise noted.
1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros (Previous poll: 1)
Yes, Alvarez has a real shot at the AL Triple Crown at the season’s midpoint. But that’s not all. In addition to entering Wednesday with at least a share of the AL lead in batting average (.325) and homers (25) -- and ranking a close second in RBIs (56) -- he also sat atop the AL in runs scored (57), hits (94), OBP (.436), SLG (.640), total bases (185) and intentional walks (12). Alvarez has mashed from the moment he set foot in the Majors, but 2026 is shaping up to be his masterpiece.
2. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (2)
It’s fair to say we’ve become spoiled by Ohtani’s feats. So much so that when he posted OPS figures barely below .900 in both March/April and May, it felt like he was underwhelming at the plate … even while he was establishing himself as an NL Cy Young candidate on the mound. Well, all Ohtani did in his first 18 games of June (entering Wednesday’s two-way start against the Twins) was bat .333/.456/.746 with seven homers.
3. Nick Kurtz, Athletics (3)
At a time when it seems harder than ever for a hitter to deftly leap over the chasm that exists between Triple-A and Major League pitching, Kurtz has made it look like no big deal. Through his first 195 career games, he’s hitting .289/.405/.590 with 55 home runs. In 2026, he leads the Majors with 61 RBIs and 72 walks, and the 23-year-old looks like a possible AL MVP candidate with Aaron Judge on the shelf.
4. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (10)
What Schwarber has done since arriving in Philly in 2022 is nothing short of remarkable. Only Judge has hit more than Schwarber’s 216 home runs in that span, and with Judge sidelined, Schwarber is closing that gap quickly -- or at least he was until encountering a bout of back tightness. (Including his three-homer game on Saturday against the Mets, he went deep 63 times over a 162-game span from last June 19 through Sunday.) Currently on track to lead the NL in homers for the third time in those five seasons, Schwarber (369 career big flies) is also shooting up the all-time list, with an outside shot to reach 400 this year.
5. Juan Soto, Mets (8)
This has been perhaps a quieter season for Soto, who hit 43 homers and (shockingly) stole 38 bases in his Flushing debut. That dynamic hasn’t quite been there for Soto in 2026, but otherwise, he’s doing what he always does, posting an OBP around .400 and an OPS of well over .900. The Mets have dealt with countless problems in 2026, but Soto has certainly not been one of them. However, like Schwarber, he is dealing with some back tightness this week.
6. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (not ranked)
After an MVP-caliber start to 2025, Crow-Armstrong posted just a .634 OPS after the All-Star break. Concerns about his bat carried over into this season; PCA’s OPS sat at a similar .676 through 58 games. Since May 30, however, the MVP candidate is back, combining his superb center-field defense and baserunning with a white-hot slash line of .446/.500/.952 with 11 homers in 20 games. That’s how you go from unranked to nearly cracking the top five of the Hitter Power Rankings.
7. Byron Buxton, Twins (not ranked)
Unfortunately for any teams looking for a big bat this summer, neither Buxton nor the Twins apparently have any interest in him moving at the Deadline. The 12-year veteran is looking like a difference-maker at the plate, sitting tied with Alvarez for the AL lead with 25 homers -- already just 10 shy of the career high he set a year ago. Injuries always hover as a concern for Buxton -- the only right-handed hitter in our top 10 -- but as long as he’s healthy, he mashes (133 OPS+ since 2019).
8. Ben Rice, Yankees (6)
Rice slides down the list a bit, as it’s been a solid but relatively quiet June for him (.756 OPS), at a time when the Yankees also have been without Judge in the lineup. Even so, Rice still ranks third in the Majors this season in OPS (.973), right ahead of Ohtani, Soto, Schwarber and Buxton. (He’s ahead of Judge, too, for that matter.)
9. James Wood, Nationals (4)
Wood was an All-Star at age 22 last season, and he’s even better this year, popping 20 home runs and pushing his OBP up near .400 with his NL-high 61 walks. (If a young, left-handed-hitting Nationals outfielder leading the NL in walks sounds familiar, look four spots up on this list for another example.) The question now is whether Wood can avoid the second-half slide that plagued him in his first full MLB season a year ago, when he had a .938 OPS through June but .696 the rest of the way.
10. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (5)
Carroll hit his MLB-best ninth triple of the season last Friday, giving him 50 since the start of 2023. That’s 19 more than any other player. (Boston’s Jarren Duran ranks second.) It’s also more than two entire teams have in that same span: the Mariners (41) and White Sox (39). But Carroll isn’t just about triples, of course. He also has 13 home runs and is slugging .543, well on his way to finishing with a .500-plus SLG for the third time in four full seasons.
Others receiving votes: Jac Caglianone (Royals), Yandy Díaz (Rays), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Dillon Dingler (Tigers), Jackson Chourio (Brewers), CJ Abrams (Nationals), Jung Hoo Lee (Giants), Bryan Reynolds (Pirates), Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays)
Voters: David Adler, Jason Catania, Theo DeRosa, Jason Foster, Jared Greenspan, Brent Maguire, Max Ralph, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon