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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's Royce Lewis is just one of dozens of first-year position players crushing it at the plate for contending teams. This is the best class of rookie hitters the major leagues have ever seen by at least one key measure. FanGraphs data shows the advanced metric Wins Above Replacement total for all rookie hitters in 2023 is the best since 1900. This class enters the final weekend of the regular season slightly ahead of the 2015 group. Corbin Carroll, Yainer Diaz, Gunnar Henderson and James Outman are among the most productive first-year standouts bound for the postseason next month.
