Are Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman the Most Dominant Batting Trio in Major League Baseball History?

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ new lineup featuring Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman is being hailed as potentially the greatest offensive trio in baseball history.

If all three repeat their 2023 performances, they will top this list with a harmonic mean of 55.0. However, potential regression from Betts and Freeman, along with Ohtani’s recovery from elbow surgery, may impact their collective performance. Nonetheless, this trio has the potential to be historic.

Here’s a list of the top 10 modern MLB batting trios:

1. 2004 Cardinals: Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen

2. 1996 Mariners: Edgar Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr.

3. 2000 Astros: Jeff Bagwell, Moises Alou, Richard Hidalgo

4. 1993 Blue Jays: John Olerud, Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar

5. 1963 Giants: Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey

6. 2001 Giants: Barry Bonds, Rich Aurilia, Jeff Kent

7. 1997 Rockies: Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castilla

8. 1961 Yankees: Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Bill Skowron

9. 1996 Indians: Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez

10. 1961 Tigers: Norm Cash, Rocky Colavito, Al Kaline

Note that this list only includes trios from the modern era (post-1960) and uses a harmonic mean of the three players’ batting runs to rank them.

Batting runs is a stat that estimates the number of runs a player created compared to an average hitter, with park adjustments. The harmonic mean is used to account for the fact that we’re looking for three great hitters, not just two stars and a decent third hitter.