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Who were the top power hitters in the second half?

Ray takes a look at the top power hitters in the second half of the 2013 season and discusses a few hidden power sources for 2014.

By Ray Guilfoyle
Jennifer Stewart

Since game six of the World Series was a blowout, I decided to take a look at some more second half leaders, specifically the second half power leaders. I don't hide the fact that I am a power whore when it comes to position rankings and on draft day. I am like the mail man. Come rain, snow, sleet or hail, I am drafting power hitters or guys with 20-20 potential in all my drafts. I prefer a few 20-20 guys over one power hitter and a 50 stolen base guy (looking at you, Jacoby Ellsbury).

So, who led the major leagues in power, as measured by slugging percentage, in the second half of 2013? Let's take a look:

Name

PA

HR

R

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

Brandon Moss

203

14

33

43

2

0.296

0.374

0.615

Jayson Werth

273

15

46

49

7

0.339

0.432

0.600

Hanley Ramirez

194

12

36

32

6

0.316

0.371

0.599

Miguel Cabrera

224

14

30

42

0

0.316

0.411

0.565

Andrew McCutchen

286

11

41

35

7

0.339

0.441

0.561

Matt Holliday

249

9

39

47

3

0.348

0.442

0.552

Will Venable

252

11

34

21

13

0.315

0.357

0.549

Mike Napoli

211

12

32

34

0

0.259

0.389

0.546

Freddie Freeman

277

14

40

48

1

0.335

0.408

0.544

Paul Goldschmidt

304

15

43

48

6

0.288

0.408

0.544

Mike Trout

290

12

44

38

12

0.324

0.479

0.543

Edwin Encarnacion

222

11

30

32

3

0.286

0.401

0.538

Jason Heyward

151

7

32

17

0

0.305

0.397

0.534

Donnie Murphy

163

11

23

23

2

0.255

0.319

0.53

Hunter Pence

287

13

38

51

8

0.314

0.387

0.525

Brandon Belt

247

7

34

29

1

0.326

0.39

0.525

Marlon Byrd

274

9

36

37

1

0.314

0.358

0.522

Chris Davis

280

16

33

45

4

0.245

0.339

0.515

Alfonso Soriano

265

18

39

52

8

0.248

0.321

0.513

Wilin Rosario

167

8

25

33

0

0.319

0.323

0.512

The above stats are courtesy of Fangraphs, where I filtered for all hitters with 150 or more plate appearances in the second half. Here are my thoughts on a few of the players listed above.

Brandon Moss

Moss had a terrific second half in the power department, hitting .296-.374-.615 with 14 HRs, 33 runs and 43 RBI in just over 200 plate appearances. This is not something new for Moss, as he did something similar in 2012, hitting .309-.378-.573 with 11 HRs, 33 runs and 34 RBI. Could we say his second half of 2012 was a signal that he would put up a career year in 2013? Not sure, but let's see what happens in 2014.

Jayson Werth

Who saw this from Werth in the second half this season? Not me, for sure. Werth was the second best power hitter in the second half, and he led the National League. Pretty impressive. He put up the quietest 25 HR, 82 RBI season of anyone due to the fact that the Nationals, as a team, did not meet expectations in 2013. Werth turns 35 in 2014, so maybe he won't repeat the 25 HR season, but I will probably see Werth on a few of my rosters in 2014.

Hanley Ramirez

He would have been the National League MVP this season if he didn't get hurt so much. There might not be a guy I am higher on for 2014 than Hanley, to be honest. I have said it before, but he just seems happier in Los Angeles. He was squaring the ball all season long, and we could see another 2009 season from him in 2014.

Will Venable

When a Padre hitter makes a list of top power hitters you have to take notice. He hit half of his career high 22 home runs in the second half, and tossed in double digit stolen bases as well. I just wonder if this was a one year fluke for him or not. If not, he will be a very valuable late round pick in 2014.

Let's hear your thoughts on these second half power hitters. Who do you think will build on their strong second half power production in 2014?

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