Who Are The Top 10 Hitters In the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

By Fox Sports Research
Published

Strength of pitching might be what separates the 2026 World Baseball Classic favorites from the rest of the field like it was in 2023, but make no mistake: the best sluggers in the world will make sure to leave their mark on this year's tournament.

FOX Sports Research ranks the top-10 hitters in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and to no surprise, the superstars of Major League Baseball are well-represented:

[RELATED: Full World Baseball Classic broadcast schedule]

10. San Diego Padres OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (Dominican Republic)

Fernando Tatis is a three-time All-Star. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Since making his big-league debut in 2019, Tatis has brought the juice. The shortstop-turned-right fielder is a menacing hitter from the right side of the plate with mammoth power. Tatis, who's a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, led the National League with 42 home runs in 2021, boasts a career .513 slugging percentage and is among the most electric players in the sport.

9. Philadelphia Phillies DH/OF Kyle Schwarber (USA)

Kyle Schwarber was the runner-up for the 2025 NL MVP Award. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Speaking of power, Schwarber will be playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The left-handed hitter has a level, compact swing from the left side that generates an absurd amount of power and production. Last season, Schwarber totaled a National League-high 56 home runs and 132 RBIs and posted a career-best .563 slugging percentage. He has averaged 46.8 home runs and 108.5 RBIs per season from 2022-25.

8. Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (Venezuela)

Ronald Acuna stole an MLB-high 73 bases in 2023. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)

It's all about Acuna being healthy, because when the career-long Braves star is on the field, he's one of the most gifted players in the sport (Acuna has played fewer than 100 games in three of the last five seasons). Acuna, who won the 2023 NL MVP and boasts a career .524 slugging percentage, is an impact hitter who hits for both contact and power and wreaks havoc on the basepath. He's a three-time Silver Slugger and five-time All-Star.

7. Seattle Mariners OF Julio Rodriguez (Dominican Republic)

Julio Rodriguez was the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Rodriguez can do it all. He can hit for both contact and power, runs well, has a plausible arm and is a terrific center fielder. The face of the Mariners for the better part of his MLB career (2022-present), Rodriguez has earned three All-Star nods, blasted 30-plus home runs in two seasons and posted a career-high 6.8 wins above replacement in 2025, a season which saw Seattle come one win short of winning its first AL pennant; Rodriguez hit four home runs across Seattle's 12 postseason games.

6. Toronto Blue Jays IF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a five-time All-Star. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Guerrero is one of the most dangerous hitters that MLB has to offer. Just take this past postseason, as the Blue Jays star totaled eight home runs and 15 RBIs, while posting a .397/.494/.795 slash line. Guerrero, a two-time Silver Slugger, is a balanced hitter who has a great deal of power but also seldom strikes out and will lay off pitches. In 2021, Guerrero, a career .288 hitter, was the runner-up for the AL MVP Award.

5. Seattle Mariners C Cal Raleigh (USA)

Cal Raleigh's 60 home runs in 2025 were the most by a catcher in MLB history. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Even before a 2025 campaign that saw Raleigh hit an MLB record 60 home runs for a catcher and be the runner-up for the 2025 AL MVP, Seattle's backstop was already among the best at his position. A switch-hitter, Raleigh averaged 32 home runs per season from 2023-24 and was a Gold Glover in 2024. He's smooth behind the plate, an impact hitter from either side of the plate and arguably the best all-around catcher in the sport.

4. New York Mets OF Juan Soto (Dominican Republic)

Juan Soto is entering the second season of an MLB-record $765 million contract with the Mets. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Many of the compliments that one could give Soto in his 2018 rookie season are the same as the ones that are given to him in the present. He's an elite hitter who works the count, drives the ball to all fields and is battle-tested in postseason play. Soto, a six-time Silver Slugger with 42.6 wins above replacement for his career, is disciplined in the batter's box, slugs at a high rate, hit 42 home runs per season from 2024-25 and just stole an NL- and career-best 38 bases in 2025.

3. Kansas City Royals IF Bobby Witt Jr. (USA)

Bobby Witt Jr. is a two-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glover. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Witt is a force to be reckoned with. He's an extra-base-hitting machine who creates noise on the bases, has become an elite shortstop and averaged 8.3 wins above replacement per season from 2024-25. Witt has led the AL in hits in each of the last two seasons, while winning the 2024 AL batting title (.332) and leading the AL with 47 doubles in 2025. Moreover, over his four-year MLB career (2022-25), Witt has averaged 26.3 home runs, 93.3 RBIs, 37.0 stolen bases and 5.4 wins above replacement per season, while posting a combined .290/.340/.504 slash line.

2. New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge (USA)

Aaron Judge hit an American League-record 62 home runs in 2022. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Trying to find a weakness in Judge's game is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The AL MVP in three of the last four seasons, Judge has terrorized opposing pitchers since his first full season in the big leagues in 2017. He has a crisp, overwhelming swing and has led the AL in intentional walks in each of the last two years. Judge — who has totaled 50-plus home runs in four seasons, 10-plus wins above replacement in two seasons and plays right field at a high level — has also led the AL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and walks in each of the last two seasons. Judge has put himself in Yankees' Mount Rushmore territory.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani (Japan)

Shohei Ohtani is the only player in MLB history to post a 50-50 season, doing so in 2024. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

When Ohtani is hitting and pitching at the same time — like he was last season — he's the best baseball player on the planet. Sticking with the bat, he's a year removed from becoming the first player to post a 50-50 season (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases) in MLB history. Ohtani has elite strength and power from the left side of the plate, sending pitches that are up in the strike zone near the concourse with ease. He has also led the NL in slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and runs scored in each of the last two seasons. Ohtani, who's a four-time league MVP and has now won back-to-back World Series with the Dodgers, is a force at the plate, on the mound and on the basepath.

Honorable mentions: