Ranking the Top 10 Power Hitters on the 2014 MLB Free-Agent Market
As the recent pursuit of Jose Abreu demonstrated, every MLB team from World Series contenders to cellar dwellers wants more power.
With Abreu off the market, teams will have to get creative as they sift through the remaining options. There are still plenty of big bats available, but many of the power sources come with noticeable drawbacks
As GMs around the league search for that impact bat, they will have to weigh factors like age, injury history and even past PED suspensions in certain cases.
Here's the ranking of the top 10 power hitters available on the 2014 MLB free-agent market.
MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com were the sources for basic stats. Baseball-Reference.com also provided salary information. Advanced stats are courtesy of FanGraphs.com.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
1. Jhonny Peralta
2013 Stats: 30 doubles, 11 home runs, .457 SLG, .154 ISO*
2014 Opening Day Age: 31
It takes power to collect 30 doubles in 107 games.
The question with Jhonny Peralta is just where exactly that power is coming from. MLB slapped the shortstop turned left fielder with a 50-game ban for PED usage at the beginning of August.
The Biogenesis suspension will count against him, but there should still be plenty of suitors. However, the two-time All-Star is likely to max out around 15 home runs, which keeps him from climbing any higher on the list.
2. Shin-Soo Choo
2013 Stats: 34 doubles, 21 home runs, .462 SLG, .178 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 31
The outfielder spent the 2013 season as the leadoff hitter for the Cincinnati Reds yet still collected 20 home runs. Like Peralta, teams won't be going after Shin-Soo Choo precisely for his power. His real draw is his ability to get on base.
The ability to crack 30 doubles and 20 home runs out of the leadoff spot, however, is a nice bonus.
*ISO is short for Isolated Power. As FanGraphs puts it, ISO "measures how good a player is at hitting for extra bases." ISO is calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage. Anything over .200 is considered "great."
10. Kendrys Morales
2 of 11
2013 Stats: 34 doubles, 23 home runs, .449 SLG, .171 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 30
Kendrys Morales has hit 30 home runs just once in his career.
In his last two seasons, however, Morales has provided solid pop for the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners respectively. It's hard to know if a move away from the less than hitter-friendly Safeco Field will benefit Morales. In 2013, the switch-hitter had a .472 SLG at home as compared to a .425 SLG on the road.
Morales is a long way removed from his 2009 season when he hit 34 home runs and had a .569 SLG but could be worth a gamble for an AL team needing a designated hitter.
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
3 of 11
2013 Stats: 40 doubles, 14 home runs, .466 SLG, .193 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 28
In 2013, Jarrod Saltalamacchia racked up 40 doubles.
The switch-hitter did the majority of his damage against righties, who he tagged for a .523 SLG. Moving forward, Saltalamacchia's time against left-handers should be kept to a minimum.
Saltalamacchia's .319 SLG against lefties puts a big hole in his game and leaves him toward the bottom of the list. However, his strong run over his past three seasons with the Boston Red Sox suggests a bright future for the catcher.
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8. Curtis Granderson
4 of 11
2013 Stats: 13 doubles, 7 home runs, .407 SLG, .178 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 33
Curtis Granderson only played in 61 games in 2013, as he missed time due to a pair of DL stints.
His .229/.317/.407 slash line is certainly underwhelming, but Granderson has an extensive track record of success. The three-time All-Star cleared 40 home runs in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, Granderson hit for the baseball equivalent of a triple-double. The three-time All-Star finished the season with 10 triples, 26 doubles and 41 home runs, which was good for 77 extra-base hits.
Granderson possesses a rare combination of power and speed. If he can avoid the injury bug, there's reason to believe he can return to his previous form.
7. Brian McCann
5 of 11
2013 Stats: 13 doubles, 20 home runs, .461 SLG, .205 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 30
Brian McCann only appeared in 102 games last season, but he still swatted 20 home runs.
The fact that he's a catcher doesn't make him any less powerful, but it does mean that McCann has less time on the field to produce.
The backstop will be 30 in 2014, so realistically he shouldn't be expected to catch more than 100-120 games per season moving forward. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that AL powerhouses like the New York Yankees, Red Sox and Texas Rangers are all possible matches.
If he lands in the AL, the potential for DH would not only extend his career, but provide him more at-bats in the short-term as well.
The catcher isn't just one of the most powerful free agents. McCann is one of the most consistent power producers in all of baseball with 20 home runs or more in seven of the last eight seasons.
6. Marlon Byrd
6 of 11
2013 Stats: 35 doubles, 5 triples, 24 home runs, .511 SLG, .220 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 36
With a $700,000 salary, Marlon Byrd provided arguably the most power per dollar in 2013.
The outfielder split time between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates, which means he put up those numbers in some of the least hitter-friendly parks in the NL.
The journeyman has likely played his way into a multi-year deal, but his less-than-solid track record counts against him. Byrd has topped 20 home runs just twice in 12 seasons.
A repeat of 2013 next season is no guarantee, but Byrd will be one of the best values on the market.
5. Raul Ibanez
7 of 11
2013 Stats: 20 doubles, 29 home runs, .487 SLG, .244 ISO
2014 Opening Day: 41
Raul Ibanez is eternal.
The Mariners selected Ibanez in the 36th round of the draft way back in 1992. Now in his third tour of duty with the club, Ibanez just won't stop hitting home runs.
In 2013, he fell just short of the 30-home run plateau. The 29 long balls actually ranked as his third highest total in 18 seasons.
The only downside is that he turns 42 in June.
In the second half, age caught up to Ibanez as his production dropped off precipitously. Ibanez tallied just five home runs after the All-Star Break. Before the Break he owned a .578 SLG, but after that he slugged .345.
That power outage keeps the veteran from rising higher on the list.
4. Carlos Beltran
8 of 11
2013 Stats: 30, doubles, 24 home runs, .491 SLG .195 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 36
The postseason hero is pretty remarkable in the regular season as well.
In 2013, Carlos Beltran slugged just under .500 and earned his eighth All-Star honor.
The outfielder does turn 37 at the end of next April, but he's positioned himself well to earn one more major payday this winter. Beltran appears to be another veteran slugger whose power would play best in the AL.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News suggested that Beltran could be a fit with the Yankees.
In the Bronx, he would split time between DH and the outfield. In such a role, it's easy to envision Beltran continuing to hit 20 home runs and 30 doubles per year while slugging just below .500 for two to three more seasons.
3. Mike Napoli
9 of 11
2013 Stats: 38 doubles, 23 home runs, .482 SLG, .223 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 32
Wherever he goes, Mike Napoli crushes baseballs.
In 2013, Napoli set a career high with 38 doubles. In part, that was a product of Napoli benefiting from the dimensions of the Green Monster.
However, his first season in Boston was not the first time that Napoli has put up impressive power numbers. In 2011, Napoli hit 30 home with a .631 SLG while playing in 113 games for the Rangers. The first baseman has topped 20 home runs in each of the last six seasons.
Napoli wouldn't even be on the market if not for a medical issue he ran into last offseason. As Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston reported, Napoli and the Red Sox had agreed to a three-year deal before doctors discovered a degenerative condition in his hips. Instead the sides arrived at a one-year pact.
Napoli proved his health this past season in Boston, but long-term concerns remain. For that reason, he's stationed in the No. 3 spot on the list.
2. Nelson Cruz
10 of 11
2013 Stats: 18 doubles, 27 home runs, .506 SLG, .240 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 33
Nelson Cruz was on his way to a monster season before his Biogenesis ban put the brakes on that.
The right fielder only appeared in 109 games in 2013 but still approached 30 home runs. The 50-game PED suspension raises serious concerns about what to expect from the right fielder in 2014 and beyond.
More importantly than the PED angle, however, is the question over durability.
Cruz will be 33 next season, and in nine seasons in the big leagues he has appeared in 120 games just three times.
There should be plenty of pop left in his bat, but for a variety of reasons Cruz has had trouble staying on the field.
1. Robinson Cano
11 of 11
2013 Stats: 41 doubles, 27 home runs, .516 SLG, .202 ISO
2014 Opening Day Age: 31
Twenty-seven home runs is pretty remarkable for a second baseman.
The real secret to Robinson Cano's power, however, lies in all those doubles. The four-time Silver Slugger has never hit fewer than 34 two-base hits in any of his nine big league seasons. In each of the last five, he's cleared 40.
Cano also clubbed 25 home runs or more in each of those campaigns, which explains his .504 SLG for his career.
Forty doubles and 25 home runs per season is a powerful stroke. It also explains why the five-time All-Star is the top position player—power hitter or not—on the market this offseason.
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