Who sits atop first Hitter Power Rankings of 2025?

Who are the bats who will define the 2025 season?

Our first edition of the 2025 Hitter Power Rankings (decided by a panel of MLB.com voters) offers up a wide range of candidates, including two reigning MVP Award winners, the recent recipient of the largest contract in baseball history, two of this year’s top pending free agents and two young, five-tool shortstops.

Will these sluggers keep their places at the top of the pecking order? It won’t be easy, given the impressive list of names that fell short of this top 10 list.

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
With Juan Soto now across town in Queens and Giancarlo Stanton battling injuries to both elbows, the Yankees are going to need Judge to carry their lineup as much as ever. Fortunately, if anyone can shoulder that burden, it’s Judge. The only thing to slow the two-time AL MVP down over the past three regular seasons has been a freak toe injury he sustained in 2023. Judge has slashed .304/.433/.674 over that stretch, good for a 206 OPS+ that equates to more than two times the park-adjusted league average. He’s launched 52 homers per season and 60 per 162 games. Our voters think Judge could have another historic campaign in 2025.

2. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
The silver lining of Ohtani’s latest elbow injury was that it gave us a chance to see what the DH-only version of the two-way star could accomplish in 2024. What did that mean? Not only did Ohtani lead his league in homers, total bases, OBP and slugging for the second straight season -- this time in the NL, for the Dodgers -- but he also took the top spot in runs scored and RBIs. Oh, and there was that whole 50-50 season thing. Don’t expect Ohtani to be quite so aggressive on the bases in 2025, now that he’s close to being back on the mound, but otherwise, it’s hard to put any limits on what is possible for him.

3. Juan Soto, Mets
Well, that was certainly an eventful (and lucrative) offseason for Soto. The past few seasons have been something of a whirlwind for him, including two trades and an ultra-hyped free agency that led to the largest contract in baseball history. Now he can settle in with the Mets and get on with the whole business of being a modern-day Ted Williams. Even after all that’s happened, Soto is still (still!) only 26 years old -- almost four months younger than former Yankees teammate and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner Luis Gil. So as scary as this is to say, the best may still be yet to come.

4. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Witt’s generational talent has been fun to watch unfold in the big leagues. The second overall pick in the 2019 Draft went from holding his own at the highest level at age 22 to becoming a legitimate star at 23 to becoming one of the game’s elites at 24. The accolades included the MLB batting title, an AL Silver Slugger at shortstop and a Royals single-season WAR record. In many seasons, his 2024 performance would have been plenty to take home an MVP Award, but if Witt can maintain this level, one (or more) will almost certainly be in his future.

5. Yordan Alvarez, Astros
Is Alvarez being undersold here, even at No. 5? His 166 career OPS+ ranks third among active players, behind only Judge and Mike Trout and ahead of Soto. His 176 OPS+ ranks second over the past three seasons, behind only Judge. He’s topped 30 homers in four straight years. For Alvarez, who will turn 28 in June, the only real concern is durability.

6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Guerrero and the Blue Jays did not reach an agreement on an extension before Guerrero’s deadline last month, which makes his age-26 season a walk year. Can he capitalize? It was a resurgent 2024 for Guerrero, who followed two somewhat underwhelming seasons (by his standards) with a worthy followup to his sensational 2021 campaign. Even his strong 2024 was slowed by a tough start, but after bottoming out with a .643 OPS through April 26, Guerrero slashed .346/.412/.588 over the rest of the season, with 27 homers and 93 RBIs in 132 games.

7. José Ramírez, Guardians
With just one more double and one more home run last year, Ramírez would have joined Alfonso Soriano (2006) as the only 40-40-40 players in Major League history. Otherwise, it was just another fantastic season for a player who has cranked those out so steadily for almost a decade now. Since establishing himself as a regular in the Cleveland lineup in 2016, Ramírez has averaged nearly 6 WAR per full season, while posting a 136 OPS+. At age 32, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

8. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
The biggest question facing Henderson right now is if he will be ready for Opening Day after sustaining a mild right intercostal strain. That might be the only thing that can get in Henderson's way as he enters his age-24 season, though. The 2023 AL Rookie of the Year took a significant leap forward in 2024, slashing .281/.364/.529 with 37 homers, 92 RBIs and 21 steals, and backing that up with elite marks in bat speed and hard-hit rate.

9. Bryce Harper, Phillies
Believe it or not, Harper is entering his 14th MLB season, and his seventh with the Phillies as he continues to build out an impressive career resume that should eventually land him in Cooperstown. Harper should pass 400 doubles, 350 homers and 1,000 RBIs in 2025. And while he hasn’t quite reached his MVP-winning heights since 2021, he has been incredibly steady when healthy over the past three seasons, with OPS+ figures of 146, 145 and 149.

10. Kyle Tucker, Cubs
Will Guerrero be the premium free agent of the next Hot Stove season … or will it be Tucker? The two sluggers’ career rate stats are remarkably similar, and Tucker brings much more to the table on defense and the basepaths. Even purely with the bat, Tucker has plenty going for him. If not for a lingering shin injury, he might have produced an elite season in 2024, when he delivered a 181 OPS+ and 23 homers in just 78 games.

Others receiving votes: Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Brent Rooker (Athletics), Elly De La Cruz (Reds), Francisco Lindor (Mets), Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Corey Seager (Rangers), Ketel Marte (D-backs), Mike Trout (Angels), Rafael Devers (Red Sox), Wyatt Langford (Rangers)

Voters: David Adler, Chris Begley, Jason Catania, Theo DeRosa, Daniel Feldman, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Bryan Horowitz, Brent Maguire, Whitney McIntosh, Ricardo Montes de Oca, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Manny Randhawa, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, Ismail Soyugenc, David Venn, Zac Vierra, Tom Vourtsis