The 25 best pure hitters in MLB

As pure hitters go, no player in the current MLB era is more highly thought of than Freeman. The star first baseman has hit .300-plus seven times and is a career .298 hitter. He's won three Silver Sluggers and an MVP Award and also keeps his strikeouts down, fanning 19% of the time for his career. Of course, Freeman can also hit the ball a long way, nearing 300 career homers.

Arraez is a line-drive machine, leading to a career .315 batting average and his first Batting Title in 2022. He's consistently been one of the toughest hitters to strike out, fanning only 8% of the time for his career and could add more power as he approaches his prime.

McNeil hit above .300 for the fourth time in five seasons and won his first Batting Title by hitting .326 in 2022. The two-time All-Star has made consistent contact with a career 12% strikeout rate and has also shown pop, launching 23 home runs in 2019.

Alvarez immediately showed his ability as a pure hitter when he won AL Rookie of the Year in 2019, hitting .313-27-78 in only 87 games, but he's made great strides with his plate discipline since then. Alvarez hit .306 with only 106 strikeouts in 561 plate appearances last season as his career batting average nears .300.

A five-time Silver Slugger in Boston, Bogaerts has hit .300-plus four times over 10 seasons as he joins the Padres. The star right-handed hitter has over 150 home runs for his career with a .292 batting average and an 18% strikeout rate.

While Goldschmidt fans more than a typical "pure hitter" with a career 22% strikeout rate, he's still been able to maintain a .295 batting average while hitting more than 30 home runs seven times. The 2022 NL MVP has won five Silver Sluggers for his career between Arizona and St. Louis.

Soto's elite eye is part of the reason he's already won three Silver Sluggers in five MLB seasons. He's led the league in walks twice and has also kept his strikeout total below 100 in the last three seasons. Despite hitting only .242 last season, Soto still has a career .286 batting average.

Arenado has put together a Hall of Fame resume both offensively and defensively. His plate discipline and contact rate continue to improve, with an elite 12% strikeout rate last season while hitting .293-30-103. His career stats have been aided by playing in Colorado for most of his career, but the five-time Silver Slugger has managed to hit .289 in his career.

Abreu won three Silver Sluggers over nine seasons with the White Sox, along with an MVP Award in the shortened 2020 season. His consistency has been awe-inspiring, hitting at least .290 in six of his seasons in Chicago and also producing over 100 RBI six times. Abreu's 25% strikeout rate last season was the highest of his career, but his rate is a solid 20% for his career.

Turner has proven himself as one of MLB's top all-around players, and he's hit for high average regularly. The career .302 hitter won the NL Batting Title in 2021 by hitting .328, and he's hit at least .298 every season since 2019. Turner has also developed impressive power more recently, with back-to-back 20-plus home run campaigns.

Kirk's physique doesn't scream great athlete, but he's already shown that there are few better pure hitters in the game in his brief career. He hit .285 in his first full season of 2022, winning a Silver Slugger and fanning only 11% of the time. Kirk also hit 14 home runs and had more walks (63) than strikeouts (58).

Already a good pure hitter prior to last season, Benintendi adjusted his swing and approach to help him hit .304 and net a multi-year contract with Chicago during the offseason. He's a .279 hitter for his career and has shown power in the past, including 20 home runs in his 2017 rookie season.

Kwan doesn't hit the ball as hard as many of the elite pure hitters, but his elite eye makes up for his lack of strength. He fanned only 9% of the time in his rookie season, helping him produce a .298 batting average. His minor league track record shows the high batting average wasn't a fluke, and Kwan could be in the running for a Battling Title soon.

Anderson is an aggressive hitter, but that hasn't deterred his production during his career. The star shortstop has hit above .300 in four consecutive seasons, including a Batting Title after hitting .335 in 2019. He showed his best contact yet in an injury-plagued 2022 season, fanning only 16% of the time, and is also a former 20/20 man.

A former top prospect, Franco could be a household name soon if he's able to stay healthy. His elite eye has helped him hit .282 through his first two seasons, with only 70 strikeouts in 652 plate appearances. Still only age 22, the popular belief is that Franco's power will come soon enough.

Segura's production is often under the radar, but he's been a productive hitter for a long time. The veteran has a .285 batting average for his career, fanning at an outstanding rate of only 14%. Segura has hit .300 three times and also shown power and speed, with over 100 home runs and 200 steals in his career.

Brantley continues to add to his incredible career as a .298 hitter with five All-Star appearances. Few batters have shown a better eye, as Brantley has struck out only 11% of the time and hit above .300 six times.

Turner found his footing after joining the Dodgers in 2014. Over nine seasons in LA, he hit .296 and hit at least .300 four times. The 38-year-old has an outstanding 15% strikeout rate for his career, with a line drive rate near 30%.

Boston's primary return in the Mookie Betts trade prior to the 2020 season, Verdugo has proven to be an excellent hitter in his own right. The outfielder has hit at least .280 in four consecutive years and is a career .287 hitter. He's done an outstanding job cutting down on strikeouts, with a 13% strikeout rate last season.

France has been quite a find for the Mariners since he was acquired from San Diego in 2020. For his M's career, France has hit .285 in over 300 games and has continued to improve his strikeout rate to 15% last year. France has also shown ample pop for a first baseman, launching 20 home runs with a .436 slugging percentage last season.

Guerrero Jr. is a different style of hitter than his Hall of Fame father, but both have been elite hitters in their time. Vlad Jr.'s breakout campaign came in 2021 when he hit .311-48-111, trailing only Shohei Ohtani in the AL MVP race, and his career average is above .280 for his career and fanned only 16% of the time.

Correa has consistently hit the ball with power during his career with six 20-plus home run seasons, but he's also proven to be a great pure hitter. He has hit .279 for his career with a strikeout rate near 20% and a strong walk rate, to boot.

Marte isn't the most disciplined hitter, as evidenced by his low walk rate, but he can certainly swing the bat. The veteran is a career .290 hitter with a career 20% strikeout rate. He's a major threat when he does find his way on base, with over 300 stolen bases for his career.

Pasquantino is a relative unknown after making his MLB debut in 2022, but already made his mark in 72 games. The first baseman hit .295-10-26 with more walks than strikeouts, and has consistently shown elite plate discipline in the minors.

A late bloomer, Merrifield is a .career .285 hitter who hit at least .277 in each season of his MLB career until slumping last year. The speedy second baseman has struck out on only 16% of his plate appearances and has hit above .300 twice.