SEC baseball hitter/position player rankings, May 4: DiChiara keeps top spot

Here's how we rank the top 14 hitters and position players in the SEC heading into the eighth weekend of conference games

Spencer Jones photo courtesy of Vanderbilt athletics.

Lots of factors are considered (defense, strength of schedule, stats in league play, etc.) are considered even if not listed below. Runs created, and runs created per 27 outs per a Bill James formula (prorated for runs scored by that player's team), are listed below.

1. Sonny DiChiara, 1B, Auburn (64, 21.0): How dominant has the Tigers' slugger been? The next-closest player to DiChiara in RC/27 with at least 100 plate appearances is Tennessee's Christian Moore (13.6 in 113 PA).

2. Dylan Rock, OF, Texas A&M (47, 11.3): Ranks third in on-base percentage (.475) and fifth in slugging (.741) in league games.

3. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss (50, 11.8): Fielding .947 at short; has a 1.095 OPS in SEC games.

4. Jacob Berry, 3B/RF, LSU (53, 12.3): If not for defense, he'd be second on the list.

5. Trey Lipscomb, 3B, Tennessee (52, 11.8): HIs 29 RBIs in league games leads all SEC hitters.

6. Dominic Keegan, C/1B, Vanderbilt (46, 11.8): Hitting .394/.468/.656 in all games; those marks rank second, fifth and eighth among SEC hitters.

7. Spencer Jones, RF, Vanderbilt (42, 10.9): Injury-prone junior's five tools have started to pop as he's finally had a healthy season.

8. Dylan Crews, CF, LSU (49, 10.5): He's been solid across the board (.314/.402/.638) in SEC play while manning center. 

9. RJ Yeager, 2B, Mississippi St. (43, 10.9): Leads the league in slugging (.803) in SEC games.

10. Tim Elko, 1B, Ole Miss (48, 11.4): Leads the Rebels in average (.314), hits (48), home runs (17), RBIs (53) and total bases (103). 

11. Connor Tate, OF, Georgia (40.1, 10.2): Has been one of the SEC's most consistent hitters in league play two years running.

12. Blake Rambusch, 3B, Auburn (46.2, 9.5): Leads the league in plate appearances (222) and has fielded well at third (.957). 

13. Drew Gilbert, CF, Tennessee (36, 12.6): Missed some time, but he's been great when he's played, including errorless ball in center.

14. Jud Fabian, CF, Florida (51, 11.8): That's an odd-looking SEC stat line (.192/.400/.466) but the league's fourth-best RC and errorless defense in center against the nation's No. 3 strength of schedule matters, too.