6 Sluggers Who Could Unseat Yordan Alvarez as MLB’s Hottest Bat

Yordan Alvarez is the hottest hitter in baseball right now. Who could take over that title?

Apr 15, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez reacts in the dugout after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Yordan Álvarez's performance for the Houston Astros has been eye-opening this season, to say the least.

Álvarez is baseball's No. 1 hitter right now. There's no denying that. What he has been able to do across the Astros' first 26 games of the season has been special. He's slashing .347/.466/.779 with a 1.245 OPS, 11 homers, 26 RBIs, 33 total base hits, eight doubles and 20 runs scored. Álvarez is leading the American League in most of the major offensive categories, including batting average, homers, RBIs, base hits and OPS, among others. So, there is no denying the fact that he's the top hitter in baseball right now.

But, the question is who could beat him? Álvarez is the hottest hitter in the league, but he has to come back down to earth at some point, right? If he goes the whole way leading the league in the three Triple Crown categories it would be historic, and a bit of a shock.

With all of that being said, let's take a look at six guys who could unseat Álvarez as the hottest hitter in the league at some point in the near future.

Aaron Judge

Apr 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) runs to third base against the Boston Red Sox during third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

We've got to start with Judge here. When he is at his best, there arguably isn't a better offensive player in the game. Last year, he crushed 53 homers and drove in 114 runs while also winning the batting title and leading the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. The power numbers are there. He has nine homers on the season. But he's hitting .241. Soon enough, he will catch fire and will make a run at Álvarez.

Shohei Ohtani

Apr 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after striking out the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The other obvious answer here. Ohtani is slashing .258/.382/.472 with five homers and 11 RBIs. He hasn't hit fewer than 44 homers in a season since 2022 and has had over 50 long balls in each of the last two years. At some point, he's going to start seeing red, but that hasn't been the case yet this season.

Kyle Schwarber

Apr 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after hitting a double against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Schwarber is in a similar boat as Judge. The power numbers are there. Schwarber has eight homers on the season so far. But he's slashing .207/.349/.529 after slashing .240/.365/.563 in 2025. Last season, Schwarber led the National League with 56 homers and 132 RBIs. At some point, he will get hot.

Mike Trout

Apr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) runs after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

Mike Trout has started to look like his old self this season. He had an electric five-homer series against the Yankees and has eight homers on the season. He's hitting just .239, but his advanced metrics are insane. Soon enough, they will lead to some more luck on the field.

Munetaka Murakami

Apr 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates with center fielder Everson Pereira (28) after hitting a two run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Murakami has been electric for the Chicago White Sox and has been red-hot himself. He has 10 homers and 19 RBIs on the season in 24 games played. Murakami also has homered in five straight games. In the process, he has increased his batting average from .167 to .256 as well.

José Ramírez

Apr 21, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) rounds third base en route to scoring during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

At some point, Ramirez is really going to get it going. We've seen him for years at this point. Every year he somehow finishes a campaign right around 30 homers and with a batting average right around .280. Right now, he has five homers and a .234 batting average. At some point, he's going to get hot and turn this around. On the bright side, he is leading the American League with 11 steals.