Swings and misses have become much more common in MLB over the past few seasons. A lot of that has to do with the new age approach of hitting, and high whiff rates have become quite common among power hitters that have prolific bat speed, but can also lose pitches from time to time. So, which MLB players had the highest, and lowest Whiff% rates in 2022? Let’s take a look.
Related: Who won the AL & NL Comeback Player of the Year awards in 2022?
Highest Whiff% Rates
Here’s a look at the ten players who had the highest Whiff% rates in MLB (min. 250 PA):
| Name | Team | Whiff% |
| Joey Gallo | Yankees/Dodgers | 40.6 |
| Keston Hiura | Brewers | 40.1 |
| Chris Taylor | Dodgers | 39.9 |
| Christopher Morel | Cubs | 38.3 |
| Joey Bart | Giants | 38 |
| Jorge Alfaro | Padres | 38 |
| Aristides Aquino | Reds | 37.9 |
| Trayce Thompson | Padres/Dodgers | 37.8 |
| Luke Voit | Padres/Nationals | 37.6 |
| J.D. Davis | Mets/Giants | 37.4 |
Joey Gallo has long been among the top at Whiff% since entering the league, and 2022 was no different. The former Yankee and Dodger took the top spot last season, whiffing at 40.6% of pitches. Brewers infielder Keston Hiura finished right behind Gallo, with a Whiff% rate of 40.1.
This list also features two interesting rookies in Christopher Morel and Joey Bart. Morel had a decent year in 2022, clubbing 39 extra base hits in 113 games for the Cubs. Bart batted .215 and slashed .296/.364/.660 across 97 games for the Giants in 2022.
Lowest Whiff% Rates
And for the lowest Whiff% rates (min. 250 PA):
| Name | Team | Whiff% |
| Luis Arraez | Twins | 7.1 |
| Steven Kwan | Guardians | 9 |
| Isiah Kiner-Falefa | Yankees | 11.2 |
| Myles Straw | Guardians | 12.6 |
| Michael Brantley | Astros | 12.7 |
| Tony Kemp | Athletics | 13.1 |
| Jose Iglesias | Rockies | 13.2 |
| Luis Guillorme | Mets | 13.3 |
| Wander Franco | Rays | 13.3 |
| Nico Hoerner | Cubs | 14.2 |
It’s shouldn’t come be a shock that AL batting champion Luis Arraez is at the top of this list. The Twins infielder was exceptional at making contact, whiffing on just a little over 7% of pitches that the 25-year old swung at in 2022.
As far as other notables on this list, Steven Kwan and Myles Straw were key pieces of the Guardians’ outfield last season. It makes sense for both Kwan and Straw to be on this list, given that Cleveland had the best team Zone Contact% (85.3%) and Chase Contact% (64.9) rates in baseball in 2022. Contact machine Michael Brantley also qualified, placing himself in the top five.
