3 most feared hitters in baseball

It's a pitchers' era, but there are still players in the game today that make even the most dominant hurlers sweat. Opposing pitchers dread seeing these three players step into the batter's box - a dominant trio that have established themselves as the three most feared hitters in baseball.

Bryce Harper

Pos: RF | Exp: 4 years
2015 stats: .330 BA, 42 HR, 99 RBI, 1.109 OPS

Harper finally delivered on his enormous potential in his fourth season in the bigs as a 22-year-old. His 42 home runs tied for the NL lead, and in a year that saw increased power across the league, he was the only player to eclipse .600 slugging for the season (.649).

The youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history, Harper's production figures to improve as he gets another season closer to his prime years. He should also enjoy more lineup protection than he did a year ago, when he dominated opposing pitchers despite extended absences from the likes of Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, and Anthony Rendon.

Giancarlo Stanton

Pos: RF | Exp: 6 years
2015 stats: .265 BA, 27 HR, 67 RBI, .952 OPS

It's a shame Stanton's 2015 season was cut short by a hand injury, because he was on track for a special year. Project his 74-game totals over a full 162-game slate and the result is a 59-home run, 147-RBI campaign - all while playing his home games at spacious Marlins Park.

While he may not get on base at the rate some of his peers do, the potential is always there for Stanton to go yard. Of the 12 baseballs that left a hitter's bat traveling 117 mph or faster in 2015, nine were hit by Stanton, who missed the entire second half of the season. This year he'll continue to develop his power stroke under new hitting coach Barry Bonds.

Mike Trout

Pos: CF | Exp: 5 years
2015 stats: .299 BA, 41 HR, 90 RBI, .991 OPS

Entering the 2016 season as a 24-year-old, Trout's game is trending in the right direction as he approaches his prime years. He cut down on the strikeouts in 2015 after leading the AL in that category the year before while upping his average against high fastballs - a pitch he's struggled with - from .146 to .209.

As good as he's been through four seasons in the majors - no player can match his 37.9 WAR since his 2011 debut - and despite coming off a season in which he posted career highs in home runs (41) and OPS (.991), we still haven't seen the best Trout has to offer.