MLB Stats Spotlight: The 4 Players Who Hit the Most HRs in 2023

The Texas Rangers celebrated winning their first World Series after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series on November 1. Rangers' slugger Marcus Simien hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to put the game out of reach. Corey Seager, who hit three home runs in the best-of-seven series, was named World Series MVP. 

The long ball played a big part in the Rangers' five-game series victory, which isn't surprising since Texas tied for third among all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in home runs with 233. Overall, there were 5,868 home runs in the 2023 MLB regular season. This number was up more than 600 from last year but down from the 2019 record of 6,776. 

Below are the four players who led the league in home runs in 2023. 

1. Matt Olson (54) 

A two-time Gold Glove first baseman, Matt Olson had the best season of his eight-year career in 2023. Playing in his second season with the Atlanta Braves, the former Oakland Athletics slugger hit a league-leading and career-best 54 home runs, 15 more than his previous high of 39 in 2021. He also hit for a career-high .283 batting average, which was 18th leaguewide, and led all players with 139 RBI. Olson has 230 career home runs through 899 regular season games. 

2. Kyle Schwarber (47) 

A 30-year-old left-handed hitter from Middletown, Ohio, Kyle Schwarber hit a career-best 47 home runs in 2023. He led the league with 46 home runs in 2022, his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies. Schwarber also led the league in strikeouts in both 2022 (200) and 2023 (215). The nine-year veteran has 246 career home runs in 979 regular season games. 

3. Pete Alonso (46) 

A former National League (NL) Rookie of the Year, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets finished third in season home runs with 46. He has hit at least 37 home runs in each of his first four full seasons in the league, not including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Alonso led the league in home runs with 53 in 2019 and led all players in RBI (131) in 2022. He was an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2023. 

4. Shohei Ohtani (44) 

Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all-time by many of his peers, Shohei Ohtani has a rare combination of skills. The two-way player is both one of the best hitters and pitchers in MLB. The former American League (AL) MVP led all AL players in home runs (44), on-base percentage (.412), and slugging percentage (.654). He recorded a 10-5 record with a 3.14 earned-run average (ERA) as a pitcher, striking out 167 batters in 132 innings.