Home runs are fun. Most people go to baseball games hoping to see a ball that clears the wall. However, with advanced analytics, we can use other statistics, along with home run totals, to better analyze and compare power hitters. That is exactly what Joel Reuter did in a recent article. In his system, Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez ranked 16th overall among all power hitters in 2022.
Reuter used the following statistics in order to compare power hitters: average exit velocity, hard hit percentage, expected slugging percentage, and home run total. He then awarded hitters specific point totals based on their numbers and ranked them.
- 0.1 point for every 0.1 mph of average exit velocity (EV)
- 0.1 point for every 0.1% of hard-hit rate (HardHit%)
- 0.1 point for every .001 of expected slugging (xSLG)
- 1 point for every 2022 home run
Based on this point system, Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez was ranked as the 16th best power hitter in 2022.
In 2022, Tellez had the following metrics: 91.1 EV, 45.7 HardHit%, .479 xSLG, and 35 HR. All of this computes to 219.7 points under Reuter’s system. Players that finished less than a point better than Tellez were Teoscar Hernández, Corey Seager, Rafael Devers, and Paul Goldschmidt.
As expected, Aaron Judge was the best power hitter in 2022. His metrics were 95.8 EV, 60.9 HardHit%, .706 xSLG, and 62 home runs. This computes to 289.3 points, which is 30 points higher than the second place finisher.
Looking ahead to next season, Adam McCalvy recently listed Tellez as a potential breakout player to watch for. One would argue that he had a breakout season in 2022, but there are some other factors that may lead to even better numbers for Tellez in 2023.
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