Cubs dominate our second NL Central hitter power rankings of the season

2. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs (Previous: 5)

The most underrated hitter in baseball has been on an absolute tear, going 9-for-25 with three jacks in the last seven days. For the season, the Cubs' right fielder is up to an absurd .625 slugging percentage, good for third in the entire MLB. The two hitters in front of him? Aaron Judge (who's on pace for one of the best seasons we've ever seen) and Pete Alonso. Pretty elite company for the fourth-year slugger. Seiya Suzuki is on pace for an absurd 46-homer, 142 RBI season as we get into May. He's one of the driving forces behind their elite start to the season.

Statcast Superlative: The Japanese slugger's LA Sweet Spot percentage of 44.6 ranks in the 97th percentile in the bigs. When Seiya makes contact with a pitch, he frequently does it with a launch angle between 8 and 32 degrees (the range that constitutes the sweet spot of the bat).

3. Oneil Cruz, Pirates (Previous: NR)

Everyone around the majors has known Oneil Cruz is capable of incredible things on a baseball field, and he seems to be finally putting everything together in 2025. While his penchant for striking out is still there, it's improved vastly year over year, and his walk rate has jumped significantly to offset it (up to 15 percent, nearly double where he was three years ago). Equally important, he hasn't sacrificed the hard contact to get there. The Pirate center fielder is combining a .363 OBP with power and speed into a phenomenal early-season start.

Statcast Superlative: Cruz rates in the 100th percentile in every category that showcases hitting the ball hard- average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard hit rate and bat speed. He also ranks in the 100th percentile in arm strength. The 26-year-old Pirate is officially a superstar.