NL West Top 10 Players: Mookie Betts, Manny Machado and Juan Soto headline a star-studded array of talent

The NL West is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested divisions in all of baseball. Although the Los Angeles Dodgers have long ruled this division, the San Diego Padres proved with their NLCS qualification this year that they too now must be taken seriously.

Let's take a look at the top 10 hitters in the NL West heading into the 2023 season.

Top 10 offensive players in the NL West for 2023

10. Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies haven't had much luck lately. The team finished with a record of 68-94, marking the fourth consecutive year that they have missed the playoffs.

However, third baseman Ryan McMahon followed up a breakout 2021 season with a stellar 2022. The 28-year old hit 20 home runs and 67 RBIs for his team. However, he only hit .246/.327/.414, meaning that he will need to get more on base to be a real difference maker.

9. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers were the best hitting team in the NL West in 2022 because they were able to get production up and down their lineup. Young catcher Will Smith exemplifies this better than anyone.

"Will Smith on the @Dodgers victory" - Michael J. Duarte

Smith hit 24 home runs and a career-high 87 RBIs with the Dodgers this season. He also solidified his role as a starting catcher with the Dodgers, appearing in 137 of the team's 162 games. Not only is Will Smith going to get so much better, but he will see his responsibilities increase in the process.

8. Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks

When Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker came out with a 29-home run season in 2018, people began to realize he was the real deal. Walker took his play to another level in 2022, hitting 36 home runs and 94 RBIs, hitting career highs in both categories.

7. Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres

Jake Cronenworth was just one of several reasons why baseball analysts are very bullish on the San Diego Padres. The team overcame all expectations for 2022, and their 2020 Rookie of the Year Award runner-up did, too.

Cronenworth, 29, hit 17 home runs, 88 RBIs and drew 70 walks. The Michigan-born star was rewarded with a one-year deal worth $4.23 million for the 2023 season with the Padres.

6. Joc Pederson, San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a mere shell of the team that they were a decade ago. The team finished with a 81-81 record, finishing 30 games behind the top spot in the NL West. Although Joc Pederson didn't have a spectatular season by regular standards — the Giants' standards. With an average of .274, Pederson had the highest average on the team. He also hit 20 home runs and 73 RBIs, appearing in his first All-Star game since 2015.

5. Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies

Kris Bryant did not have the season that he was looking for. Bryant won the Rookie of the Year Award and MVP Award in back-to-back seasons with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and 2016. A year later, he was instrumental in delivering the first World Series trophy to Chicago in 108 years.

"'IT sucks.' #Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove weighed in on Freddie Freeman & Kris Bryant landing in the NL West" - Marty Caswell

Expectations were high when Bryant inked a seven-year deal worth $182 million with the Rockies before the 2022 season. However, successive foot injuries limited Bryant to only 42 games this year for his NL West team. Bryant showed promise of his former self though, hitting five home runs and 14 RBIs with a batting average of .306 in his short time with the team.

4. Juan Soto, San Diego Padres

The Washington Nationals surprised many when they dealt outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in a trade deadline deal. The 2021 MVP runner-up had 21 home runs and 46 RBIs when he was traded to the Padres.

"JUAN SOTO traded to the Padres. Do the Dodgers still win the NL West? #mlb #dodgers #padres #fantasybastards" - Fantasy Bastards

In the NLCS, Soto hit two home runs, four RBIs and scored four runs in his team's unsuccessful series with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres signed him to a one-year deal worth $23 million, keeping him in the NL West next year.

3. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers will be 30 heading into 2023, placing him in the prime of his career. Betts proved to be an invaluable leadoff man this season for the Dodgers as they captured the NL West once again.

Betts tied his teammate Freddie Freeman by scoring 117 runs, the most in baseball. Betts was an All-Star who won the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger Awards after a career-high 35 home runs.

2. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

Manny Machado hit .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2022, his fourth season with the San Diego Padres. Machado was voted second in NL MVP voting, eventually losing out to Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Machado was rewarded with a five-year deal worth $140 million, as well as a player option for the 2024 to 2028 seasons. Machado will be around the NL West for a long time to come.

1. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Freddie Freeman left the Atlanta Braves when his contract expired after the 2021 season, despite leading the team to their first World Series victory since 1995. Freeman overcame even the most ambitious expectations in 2022, leading the National League in runs, hits, doubles and .OBP. He also hit his first career home run as a Dodger against his former team, cool stuff.