Ranking Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber and MLB's Top 20 Left-Handed Hitters in 2025
Now that the 2025 MLB season is almost down to its last month, there aren't likely to be any new additions among the best hitters of the year.
The only thing to do, then, is rank the best of the best, starting with the lefties.
There are 20 left-handed hitters on this "best of" list, and every one of them has at least 370 plate appearances. They are ranked according to a gut feeling that weighs both their results and their underlying hitting process.
The idea is to count down to the most complete lefty hitter in the league right now. Generally, the ideal hitter is one who excels at both getting on base—with apologies to Pete Crow-Armstrong and his .294 OBP—and hitting for power.
We'll go three at a time for the bottom 15, and then one at a time for the top five.
Stats are current through play on Sunday, August 24.
20-18: James Wood, Trent Grisham, Riley Greene
1 of 10
20. James Wood, Washington Nationals
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 128 G, 561 PA, 26 HR, 232 TB, .258 AVG, .353 OBP, .478 SLG, 133 OPS
Wood has really tailed off in the second half, posting a disastrously high 41.1 strikeout percentage and a .595 OPS. He can crush the fastball, but the secret's out that breaking stuff gives him more problems. However, between his 12.5 BB% and 93.4 mph average exit velocity, he has the qualities you want in a 6'7", 234-pound slugger.
19. Trent Grisham, New York Yankees
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 113 G, 451 PA, 25 HR, 182 TB, .247 AVG, .351 OBP, .469 SLG, 126 OPS+
As his OPS is up 145 points from last year, Grisham is among the most improved hitters of 2025. He has the third-lowest chase rate among all hitters, and that has helped cut his K% by 6.2 percentage points. As he already had contact quality down, all he needs to do now is improve against lefties (.611 OPS).
18. Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 128 G, 533 PA, 31 HR, 250 TB, .264 AVG, .321 OBP, .512 SLG, 126 OPS+
With a 32.0 Whiff% and 30.8 K%, Greene isn't going to win any contact-making contests. It's a good thing he absolutely blasts what he hits to the tune of a barrel rate in the 97th percentile. He also clearly understands the general assignment for lefty hitters, as his OPS against righties is an elite .926.
17-15: Christian Yelich, Ryan O'Hearn, Gunnar Henderson
2 of 10
17. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Age: 33
2025 Stats: 124 G, 532 PA, 26 HR, 219 TB, .267 AVG, .348 OBP, .464 SLG, 126 OPS+
Yelich is not the all-around terrorizer of pitchers he used to be, as his strikeout rate and contact quality metrics are short of his peak levels. Yet he still takes his walks (10.2 BB%) and is as good as ever using the whole field, batting .408 up the middle and .508 to the opposite field.
16. Ryan O'Hearn, San Diego Padres
Age: 32
2025 Stats: 114 G, 427 PA, 16 HR, 169 TB, .279 AVG, .372 OBP, .462 SLG, 133 OPS+
O'Hearn is ostensibly a platoon hitter, but one with a higher OPS vs. lefties (.882) than vs. righties (.824). His purpose either way is to hit fastballs, which he has done admirably with a .327 average against four-seamers and sinkers. His only real flaw is that he hits too many ground balls (44.3 GB%) for a guy his size.
15. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 123 G, 518 PA, 16 HR, 218 TB, .283 AVG, .353 OBP, .471 SLG, 129 OPS+
It's been a step-back sort of year for Henderson, mainly by way of a .616 OPS against lefties after he got to them for a .829 OPS in 2024. His hard-hit rate is nonetheless perpetually above 50 percent, and he's threatening to end the year on an upswing with a .922 OPS in August so far.
14-12: Rafael Devers, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper
3 of 10
14. Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 132 G, 590 PA, 25 HR, 226 TB, .252 AVG, .373 OBP, .462 SLG, 136 OPS+
It's been a tale of several seasons for Devers, as he got off to slow starts for both Boston and San Francisco only to gradually recover from both. His .677 OPS at Oracle Park is unfortunate, as that is helping to cover up how his walk rate (15.4) and hard-hit rate (57.2) are both career bests.
13. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
Age: 31
2025 Stats: 130 G, 583 PA, 19 HR, 224 TB, .265 AVG, .362 OBP, .447 SLG, 126 OPS+
Olson is not the same guy who led the NL in slugging and all of MLB in home runs and RBI in 2023. But he's still rocking an elite walk rate at 13.0 percent, and it's not the worst thing that much of his over-the-fence power is now doubles power. It isn't accidental that he has 34 two-baggers, as he now has a flatter swing that plays to all fields.
12. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Age: 32
2025 Stats: 102 G, 450 PA, 21 HR, 194 TB, .263 AVG, .358 OBP, .500 SLG, 132 OPS+
This is a down year by Harper's standards, but it has become significantly better (45 G, .911 OPS) since he returned from a wrist injury in late June. There always will be swing-and-miss in his game, but being in the top 20 percent of all hitters with his walk rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate is all but guaranteed annually.
.jpg?w=256)
11-9: Michael Busch, Corbin Carroll, Jonathan Aranda
4 of 10
11. Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs
Age: 27
2025 Stats: 125 G, 475 PA, 24 HR, 208 TB, .262 AVG, .341 OBP, .492 SLG, 140 OPS+
Though he strikes out too much and doesn't walk enough, Busch actually makes solid swing decisions and generally makes the most of his contact. He hits a ton of fly balls and pulls 22.5 percent of what he puts in the air. Lest anyone think his power is a cheap trick, he has a 1.099 OPS and 14 home runs to center field.
10. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 25
2025 Stats: 114 G, 514 PA, 27 HR, 253 TB, .254 AVG, .331 OBP, .554 SLG, 139 OPS+
Those 253 total bases are the third-most among lefty hitters, though that speaks to how much Carroll's speed contributes to his extra-base power. Yet he's also pulled off a successful experiment in trading contact for good contact, as better marks for exit velocity (92.4 mph) and hard-hit rate (50.6) are paying for his 5.5-point jump in strikeout percentage.
9. Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 27
2025 Stats: 103 G, 409 PA, 12 HR, 171 TB, .316 AVG, .394 OBP, .478 SLG, 142 OPS+
Aranda is on the injured list with a fractured left wrist, so how much he'll get to add to his season is a good question. What we can say is he's truly earned his .316 average, as he's an elite line-drive hitter (26.3 LD%) who has hit the ball at an average of 93.0 mph. It's just hard to make sense of how he only has four home runs at home, as Steinbrenner Field generally plays friendly to power.
8-6: Kyle Tucker, Kyle Stowers, Nick Kurtz
5 of 10
8. Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 125 G, 552 PA, 21 HR, 214 TB, .262 AVG, .375 OBP, .464 SLG, 144 OPS+
The fractured hand Tucker suffered in June really cost him, namely in how he has only averaged 87.8 mph on his batted balls since July 1. He is snapping out of it, though, and all the hallmarks of a great hitter are still there in his Statcast profile. Even as is, he stands to finish with a 140 OPS+ for the fourth time in five seasons.
7. Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
Age: 27
2025 Stats: 117 G, 457 PA, 25 HR, 217 TB, .288 AVG, .368 OBP, .544 SLG, 148 OPS+
An oblique strain is going to keep Stowers out of action for a while longer, but nothing is going to fully dismantle his breakout. His 19.0 barrel percentage is in the 98th percentile, and he's the best the Marlins have at pulling the ball in the air. If he ever improves on this year's 27.5 K%, he'll be a complete nightmare for pitchers.
6. Nick Kurtz, Athletics
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 90 G, 379 PA, 26 HR, 204 TB, .306 AVG, .397 OBP, .630 SLG, 178 OPS+
Kurtz doesn't even have 100 major league games under his belt, and there are some signs that he's been a bit too good. But were it not for whiff and strikeout rates in the fifth and sixth percentile, respectively, he'd basically be unstoppable. His walk rate is a sturdy 13.2 percent, and his .962 slugging percentage on contact is second only to Aaron Judge.
5. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
6 of 10
Age: 31
2025 Stats: 99 G, 434 PA, 19 HR, 176 TB, .269 AVG, .369 OBP, .473 SLG, 145 OPS+
Biggest Strength: Hitting Breaking Balls
Whereas he's slugging in the .400s against fastballs and offspeed pitches, Corey Seager's .560 slugging percentage against breaking balls is the fourth-best among all hitters.
Mind you, the caveat here is that it was hard to pick just one thing he does really well. He's basically an annual shoo-in to be in the top 10 percent for exit velocity and hard-hit rate, and he's even rocking a career-best 12.7 walk rate this year.
Biggest Weakness: Staying on the Field
You might say this doesn't concern his hitting, but staying healthy is a skill. Seager has struggled to do it for much of his career, and so it goes again in 2025. He missed time with hamstring injuries earlier in the year.
If it's an actual hitting problem you want, his whiff (27.8) and strikeout (19.6) percentages have both ticked up this year. He isn't in problem territory yet, but these are never good signs for an aging hitter.
4. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
7 of 10
Age: 35
2025 Stats: 118 G, 502 PA, 18 HR, 222 TB, .302 AVG, .375 OBP, .501 SLG, 143 OPS+
Biggest Strength: Using the Whole Field
This has long been one of Freddie Freeman's primary strengths, and this year is fairly typical in that he's batting well over .300 to all three fields:
- To Right: .460 AVG
- To Center: .375 AVG
- To Left: .338 AVG
Otherwise, it's the same ol' line-drive stroke. Freeman's 23.8 LD% is 11th-best among all hitters.
Biggest Weakness: Strikeouts, Oddly Enough
Yes, it's true. Freeman has a merely average strikeout rate this year at 21.5 percent, and his whiff rate has gone all the way from the 75th percentile to just the 27th.
It's worth keeping a close eye on his bat speed, which is already subpar and down just a tick from last season. It shows in his whiff rate against fastballs, which has shot up from 16.0 last year to 23.6 this year.
3. Juan Soto, New York Mets
8 of 10
Age: 26
2025 Stats: 128 G, 568 PA, 32 HR, 226 TB, .250 AVG, .388 OBP, .496 SLG, 152 OPS+
Biggest Strength: Zone Discipline (Duh)
Juan Soto spoke earlier in the year about missing Aaron Judge's lineup protection, but that isn't the only reason he leads MLB with 104 walks. His 14.9 chase percentage is the lowest in the league by a comfy margin.
That Soto is also in the top two percent of hitters for exit velocity (94.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (55.7) is unfair. Unless you're the Mets, of course, as they must figure it's totally fair to get a hitter like this for $51 million per year.
Biggest Weakness: Hitting Lefties
"Clutch Hitting" was a tempting choice here, as it is baffling to see Soto around the Mendoza line with men on (.196 AVG) and runners in scoring position (.209 AVG).
Even more baffling, though, is how he's gone from a .966 OPS against lefties in 2024 to just a .729 OPS this year. It's his worst mark since 2022, and you can rest assured that it will make for easy strategy for the opposition if the Mets make the playoffs.
2. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
9 of 10
Age: 32
2025 Stats: 130 G, 579 PA, 45 HR, 277 TB, .248 AVG, .371 OBP, .573 SLG, 154 OPS+
Biggest Strength: Power
Yep. Just power. This is plainly evident in Kyle Schwarber's 45 home runs, but it's also there in elevated marks for exit velocity (94.7 mph) and hard-hit rate (61.2 percent). He also makes it easy on himself with an elite 30.6 Pull AIR%.
As for other skills, only five of his 86 walks have been intentional. Even if his 14.9 BB% is low by his standards, making pitchers work remains a notable hallmark of his approach at the plate.
Biggest Weakness: Hitting Breaking Balls
Though Schwarber does have 11 homers against breaking balls, those come with just a .159 average. By comparison, he hit .243 against breaking balls last year.
It obviously hasn't cost him much, but opposing pitchers have clearly taken note. They're feeding him breaking balls 36.5 percent of the time, and his 45.7 Whiff% on those is a big reason why his overall whiff and strikeout rates are still in the bottom quartile among all hitters.
1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
10 of 10
Age: 31
2025 Stats: 128 G, 589 PA, 45 HR, 307 TB, .280 AVG, .389 OBP, .619 SLG, 177 OPS+
Biggest Strength: All-Fields Power
To be clear, Shohei Ohtani's power makes the grade as elite just in general. He's in the 99th percentile for exit velocity, and in the 100th for barrel rate and hard-hit rate.
Still, that he's slugging over .800 to right, center and left field feels like showing off. You can compare that to Kyle Schwarber, who has as many home runs but is only slugging .429 to the opposite field.
Biggest Weakness: Whiffs
There has always been swing-and-miss in Ohtani's offensive approach, but it's become really bad in 2025. His whiff rates against all three pitch groups are up, and his 33.8 Whiff% is down in the third percentile.
The Dodgers can live with this in part because Ohtani also walks 14.8 percent of the time. And also because he slugs .898 when he does put the ball in play.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
.jpg?w=480)
