1. Miguel Cabrera
AB
|
H
|
R
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
BB
|
K
|
AVG
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
OPS
|
TB
|
GIDP
| |
2012 Season
|
343
|
111
|
52
|
26
|
0
|
18
|
71
|
3
|
32
|
50
|
.324
|
.382
|
.557
|
.938
|
191
|
16
|
2011 Season
|
572
|
197
|
111
|
48
|
0
|
30
|
105
|
2
|
108
|
89
|
.344
|
.448
|
.586
|
1.033
|
335
|
24
|
2010-12 Average
|
597
|
200
|
112
|
49
|
1
|
36
|
124
|
4
|
94
|
96
|
.334
|
.422
|
.583
|
1.015
|
354
|
24
|
Cabrera should pretty much be everyone’s number one. He hits for as much power as anybody in the league but also will contend for the batting title. In addition to his hitting ability, Cabrera arguably has the best eye in baseball if you look at his walk/strikeout numbers. Last year he hit .382 with RISP and 2 out, and this year he’s hitting .424. The only possible fault you might have is that he grounds into double plays more frequently than others - other than that, he's basically the perfect hitter.
2. Joey Votto
AB
|
H
|
R
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
BB
|
K
|
AVG
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
OPS
|
TB
|
GIDP
| |
2012 Season
|
298
|
102
|
52
|
36
|
0
|
14
|
49
|
5
|
66
|
65
|
.342
|
.465
|
.604
|
1.069
|
180
|
8
|
2011 Season
|
599
|
185
|
101
|
40
|
3
|
29
|
103
|
8
|
110
|
129
|
.309
|
.416
|
.531
|
.947
|
318
|
20
|
2010-12 Average
|
590
|
190
|
106
|
46
|
3
|
33
|
109
|
12
|
109
|
131
|
.321
|
.429
|
.572
|
1.001
|
338
|
16
|
Votto is molding into a future Hall of Famer – a pretty bold statement for a guy who’s only played a few years. Like Cabrera, he hits for a ton of power and a high average. Nobody in baseball is on base more than Votto is. He could easily smash well over 40 homeruns if he had a little more protection in the Reds lineup. Nobody’s better in the clutch, either – since 2011, Votto is hitting .379 with a .719 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position.
3. Jose Bautista
AB
|
H
|
R
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
BB
|
K
|
AVG
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
OPS
|
TB
|
GIDP
| |
2012 Season
|
328
|
80
|
63
|
14
|
0
|
27
|
65
|
5
|
58
|
61
|
.244
|
.360
|
.534
|
.894
|
175
|
11
|
2011 Season
|
513
|
155
|
105
|
24
|
2
|
43
|
103
|
9
|
132
|
111
|
.302
|
.447
|
.608
|
1.056
|
312
|
8
|
2010-12 Average
|
572
|
156
|
113
|
30
|
3
|
51
|
119
|
10
|
118
|
117
|
.272
|
.400
|
.594
|
.994
|
340
|
12
|
The third position was hard to choose. Josh Hamilton really made a case, but in the end I chose Joey Bats. Even though Hamilton’s three year average is 50 points higher, his on-base percentage is still lower. Bautista gets on about 7% more than Hamilton, which, in a typical season of 600 plate appearances, would translate to 42 extra times on base. While Hamilton drives home more runs, that’s simply a byproduct of having three catalysts in Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, and Elvis Andrus and having Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz behind you. Before Edwin Encarnacion broke out this year, Bautista was by himself in Toronto. Last season, pitchers never gave him anything to hit with RISP and 2 outs. He batted just .216 but carried a .567 OBP – down to a better but still revealing .259/.444 this year. Bautista has led baseball in homeruns at the All-Star break for three consecutive seasons now, and if he can outdo Hammy for the remainder of the season, he would finish the leader for the third consecutive time as well. Hamilton is one of the purest hitters in baseball, and if he hadn’t missed those years and was able to advance his discipline and approach in the minors, I’d have no doubt that he would be number one on this list, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Regardless, he’s most likely the most talented player in the game.
Rounding out the top ten for me would be Josh Hamilton, David Ortiz, Prince Fielder, Paul Konerko, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, and Albert Pujols - not in a concrete order. If Matt Kemp keeps hitting like he is, he'll be on this list by the end of the year. Same with Robinson Cano if he can keep his on-base percentage up, which he's improved basically every year.
The ultimate hitting team for me would be:
C: Victor Martinez
1B: Joey Votto
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Troy Tulowitzki
3B: Miguel Cabrera
RF: Miguel Bautista
CF: Josh Hamilton
LF: Robinson Cano
DH: David Ortiz
