MLB took the time to predict the home run leaders for all 30 teams in the 2023 season.
Baseball is about to start, or at least spring training, so these exercises keep these days fun and interesting.
The most important takeaway is that New York Yankees outfielder and 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge is projected to lead baseball in round-trippers again.
Judge not only paced all hitters in homers last year, but he also broke an old American League record with his 62 blasts.
No one had hit more than 60 since the steroid era in the early-2000s.
If Judge stays healthy, he should have no problem pacing the league again in 2023 in the first year of a nine-year, $360 million contract he signed several weeks ago.
Now, who is projected to lead each team in home runs this upcoming campaign?
Let’s take a look.
Do you agree with your favorite team’s projected HR leader in ’23? pic.twitter.com/40ldmtmhi6
—MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 10, 2023
Judge is the only hitter in baseball with a 40+ homer projection, at least according to MLB.
The Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr., New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, and Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber are all projected to reach 39, just shy of 40.
After that group, we have Houston Astros lefty masher Yordan Alvarez with a 36-homer forecast.
If someone can challenge Judge for the home run crown this year, it’s Trout, who hit 40 last season in just 119 games.
Schwarber, Alonso, and Alvarez have a very good chance of finishing first, too.
If Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t have to miss most of the April games, he would be a strong candidate too.
For now, we can firmly say that Judge is the favorite to finish 2023 as the first-placed player in the most exciting category in baseball.
NEXT:
The Yankees Have Begun An Important Countdown