Getting hit by a pitch is something that no MLB player likes to have happen. The ball is hard, and it hurts to get hit. Sometimes, it results in a little retaliation, which could then lead to a brawl and a lot of ejections. Sometimes a player will charge the mound as a result. Either way, it's a stat that is tracked by MLB, and each year, there are new leaders in that category.
In this piece, we will examine some of the leaders in that category and discuss why it is that they are hit by so many pitches.
Which players lead MLB in HBPs and why?
The table below shows the top five players who have been hit by the most pitches
Player | Number of times hit |
|---|---|
Randy Arozarena | 22 |
Ty France | 21 |
Willson Contreras | 19 |
Caleb Durbin | 18 |
Eugenio Suarez | 16 |
Many things can lead to players being hit by a pitch. Sometimes, a ball just slips out of a pitcher's hand. Perhaps he missed his intended location and a pitch got away from him. Other times, it can be intentional. Perhaps a player did a bat flip on a home run that upset the opposing team, or perhaps somebody slid hard into second base or was previously hit by a pitch and an injury was the end result.
It's hard to say because each case of a hit-by-pitch can be different. Sometimes, it can be as simple as a player leaning too far over the plate and the pitcher wanting to re-establish the inside part of the plate, while also giving the hitter a little something to think about. It's typically never one thing, but sometimes it has to do with the antics of a certain player.
A lot of it might just have to do with coincidence. But those top five players are the ones that are currently leading the league in hit-by-pitches. Again, it's not always clear why certain players get hit by pitches, as there can be a lot of factors leading up to one, so it's important to understand this and not necessarily jump to one conclusion.
This list is of course subject to change the rest of the season. There is a full month left in the 2025 regular season, so Willson Contreras, who is third on the list, very well may rise to the top of it before it's all said and done. It will be interesting to see what the list looks like after the last day of the season.
One constant though is that Randy Arozarena leads the majors in hit-by-pitches this year with 22, and he led the majors in 2024 with the same amount. There is time for him to be hit by more pitches and eclipse last year's total, but he was also in the top five in 2023 and Ty France, who is currently second on this year's list was at the top that year. France and Contreras were in the top five in 2022.
The list varies year in and year out, so a lot of it truly is coincidence.