There were 23 different players who reached 30 home runs during the 2022 MLB season, led by Aaron Judge, who launched an AL-record 62 home runs while anchoring the New York Yankees lineup.

It wasn't just high-profile stars who put up prolific home run numbers either.

Guys like Christian Walker (36 HR), Rowdy Tellez (35 HR) and Anthony Santander (33 HR) were also prominently featured on the home run leaderboard, though some teams were without a major power threat in the middle of their lineup.

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Ahead we've taken a crack at predicting who will lead each team in home runs during the 2023 season, with past production, future projection and a healthy amount of subjectivity all part of the decision-making process.

Enjoy!

 

American League East

Baltimore Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle

Mountcastle has serious power, evidenced by his 33-homer rookie season in 2021, and a more well-rounded Baltimore roster should help provide him with additional lineup protection. It could be a few years before we see Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson reach their power peak.

 

Boston Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers

Devers was the only player in the Boston lineup to hit more than 20 home runs last season, and with Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez gone, he is now the clear-cut top power threat on the team. Outfielder Adam Duvall is just a year removed from a 38-homer season, but he will be looking to rebound from an injury-plagued 2022 campaign.

 

New York Yankees: RF Aaron Judge

Judge faces an uphill battle trying to duplicate last year's 62-homer, 131-RBI, 10.6-WAR season. As long as he stays healthy—which has not been an issue the past two seasons as he's played in 305 of 324 games—another 40-homer season seems inevitable, and the Yankees will again be leaning heavily on his production in the middle of the order.

 

Tampa Bay Rays: IF Isaac Paredes

With Ji-Man Choi traded to Pittsburgh, it looks like Paredes will have an everyday spot at one of the corner-infield positions. The 24-year-old tied Randy Arozarena for the team lead with 20 home runs last season, reaching that total in 264 fewer trips to the dish. Now he will have an opportunity to see everyday at-bats for the first time in his career.

 

Toronto Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette

With 80 home runs the past two seasons, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would have been the easy pick here, but Bichette is capable of another step forward in the power department. The 25-year-old hit .406/.444/.662 with seven home runs over the final month of the 2022 season, and his elite batted-ball metrics provide reason to believe his first 30-homer season is right around the corner.