With the 2026 MLB season underway, fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are already buzzing. Shohei Ohtani isn’t just a crowd favorite, he’s making noise across the whole league. A recent study by Bovada has him ranked as the second most valuable batter heading into 2026.
But Ohtani isn’t the only one to watch. So who else is coming into the season as one of MLB’s most valuable hitters? And who might end up owning the year at the plate?
To find out, Bovada analysed the latest full-season player statistics to reveal the MLB’s most valuable batters heading into 2026.
Top Batters in the MLB
- Aaron Judge – New York Yankees
- Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
- Cal Raleigh – Seattle Mariners
- Juan Soto – New York Mets
- Kyle Schwarber- Philadelphia Phillies
- Jose Ramirez- Cleveland Guardians
- Francisco Lindor – New York Mets
- George Springer – Toronto Blue Jays
- Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals
- Geraldo Perdomo- Arizona Diamondbacks
What are Ohtani’s stats?
Shohei Ohtani has been crowned the second most valuable batter in MLB heading into 2026. This just proves his continued dominance at the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 2025, Ohtani delivered an exceptional offensive season, scoring 146 runs and hitting 55 home runs, one of the highest tallies in the league.
Additionally, he recorded a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 6.6 and contributed significantly to team success, with strong metrics in both win contribution through batting (6.4) and win probability added (5.9).
What methodology did the study use?
To find MLB’s ‘Most Valuable Batter’ for 2026, Bovada analyzed data on 30 batters from Baseball Reference to determine the following metrics and create a ‘Batter Value Score’:
- Total Runs Scored (2025)
- Total Home Runs Scored (2025)
- WAR (Wins Above Replacement) (2025)
- Contribution to Team Wins Through Batting (2025)
- Win Probability Added When Batting (2025)
