His 52.5% HardHit% ranks in the top seven percentile and his .474 xwoBACON is similarly high. Attaining a high Exit Velocity is one of a hitter's primary goals. Amazingly, Stanton now has ten such hits in his career; no other player has more than one in the Statcast era. A Look at the Early Season 90th Percentile Exit Velocity Leaderboards Lastly, this theory is supported by the fact that he posted his highest walk rate (12%) since 2011 and his highest strikeout rate (23.4%) since 2013. There's not much to see here so let's move on. This time, we will review the top players in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, and barrels. It would be surprising if he didnt get called up to take over at third base after a few weeks of working on his defense continuing to get tested in different game situations. Tellez ranked 11th in 90th percentile exit velocity in 2020, and is 20th this year. He's a risky pick without seeing any spring training at-bats, but he's also being taken at pick 400 right now, which means he's all upside if we get 120+ games of the 2021 swing changes. Hes blocked by Eduardo Escobar and Baty at third and by Alonso at first. He was out of the Giants' lineup until August 14th, when he returned for only one week before landing on the IL again with a hand injury. In this article were focusing on three players who are surprising or otherwise notable, so apologies to established players like Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Bryan Reynolds, and Ryan McMahon. Sano had a 17.7% barrel rate last year and was in the 99th-percentile on exit velocity on balls hit in the air. A lot of the same names appear on this list too. Will Smith Ball In Dirt to Yordan Alvarez | 11/02/2021 - MLB Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for BABIP (Week 6) Broxton went on to hit 20 homers for the ballclub just a year later. And, yes, just over 118 mph in exit velocity is where we start the list. But Zunino has always been a guy who could punish the ball when he connects, as Mets lefty David Peterson found out the hard way on this shot. It's tough to swallow a .198 average, but few catchers will reach 30 HR this year like he could. ZiPS projects him for a 107 wRC+ this year, but with a 32.6% strikeout rate. On his non-recorded balls in play, he went 8-for-14 with three doubles, so its not as if he just happened to hit the ball hard when the cameras were on. Full Cubs leaderboard, Pirates: Oneil Cruz -- Aug. 29, 2022 at MILExit velocity: 117.5 mph (Watch it)It was only a matter of time. He continued to show his standard tremendous plate discipline and strong reach rates while hitting the ball hard in the air with a 94.2 mph average exit velocity on fly balls and line drives (69th-percentile). Davy Andrews is a Brooklyn-based musician and a contributing writer for FanGraphs. and he has a 45.2 percent hard-hit rate (balls in play above a 95 mph exit velocity), which would rank around the 72nd percentile in the Majors. Be prepared to stream if he figures things out but he's just a bench stash for now. Between Vladimir Guerrero Jr.andByron Buxton, 2021 seems to be the year of the breakout for former top prospects. While this homer in the second ranks at the top of the Cubs list by nearly 2.5 mph, his second homer in the fourth wasnt a cheap one either, exploding off the bat at 109.6 mph. There are few surprises at the top. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted More Fantasy Baseball Advice Play Ball Youth Baseball . As such, he's worth a draft pick at his current 248 ADP, but just understand that the pick certainly comes with risk, and I think the swing-and-miss in his game will ultimately cap his upside. All the same, it looks like hitting the ball harder will not, on its own, take him to the next level. It was an injury thing. Amazingly, the long ball wasn't the hardest-hit ball of Cruz's week. That's why the second thing we will look at is exit velocity on balls in the air, which will tell us not only who can hit the ball hard but who can carry over that authority when the ball is lifted into the air as well. Let's start by just taking note of the duplicate names because being on both lists is obviously a good thing: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Yordan Alvarez, Tyler O'Neill, and Joey Votto. He possesses the five highest 90th-percentile exit velocity seasons (min 50 BBE) in the Statcast era. Our goal is to put out the highest-quality content and tools. A few of the names that show up on the leaderboard are players that I've already discussed this offseason. . In 2022, his xwOBA outpaced his wOBA by 33 points, the 11th-highest difference among all qualified batters. Daily MLB Injury Roundup for May 1st, 2023 For starters, we're going to look at average exit velocity. Analyzing Spring Training's Exit Velocity Leaders, Part 2 Don't have an account? All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. I know when Im healthy, I can bring some things to the table. Both players are 23, and its pretty clear that Baty has all the seasoning he needs to get a real shot. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. I also think people forgot how hard Yasmani Grandal hit the ball last year because they focused so much on his absurd walk rate. Youth. It represented his fourth home run in his previous five games. While he's only gone deep once in July, his batting average has gone up each successive month of the 2021 season and he's underperforming his xBA by a full 35 points. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 11, 2021 in New York City. He's a strong DFS play when in the lineup against LHP, but best left alone in 12-team or shallower leagues. Santana is one player whose average exit velocity doesnt necessarily align with his 90th percentile. Yasmani Grandal, Mike Zunino, and Mitch Garver being on here is interesting for those looking for power from the catcher spot, and guys like Chad Pinder and Josh Donaldson are potentially surprising, but I already told you that those two have been popping in a few of my metric breakdowns this offseason and might be worth noting. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in The first home run on our list, Stanton takes an 0-1 slider from Texas pitcher Dane Dunning over the left field wall. Top Hitter Streamers - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Starts for Week 6. First, a look at the overall exit velocity leaders. Statcast batter leaders and fallers in Week 4 of the 2022 MLB season according to average exit velocity. That came courtesy of Seager, who went back-to-back with Mookie Betts to open a game against the Padres with authority on a line drive to the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium.Full Dodgers leaderboard, Giants: Joey Bart -- July 30, 2022 vs. CHCExit velocity: 114.3 mph (Watch it)Moments after teammate Luis Gonzlez swatted a two-run shot, Bart unleashed on a belt-high fastball and sent a 114.3 mph rocket to left, just barely beating out the previous hardest hit homer for the Giants by 0.1 mph. Meanwhile, Gallo had an 18.5% barrel rate and was in the 96th-percentile on exit velocity on balls hit in the air. Major League Leaders. Its great that hes crushing the ball in spring training, and his .278/.328/.389 slash line is still much better than last years. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Stassi will keep Suzuki on the bench most nights and is proving to be a solid option in two-catcher leagues. 2021 Qualified Hitters Max Exit Velocity Leaders The above table was responsible for a boatload of homers in 2021. So far this offseason, I have already dug into barrel rate risers and fallers, xBA leaders, and xSLG leaders. March 18, 2021. The Tigers infielders blasts can be seen sprinkled all over the clubs leaderboard despite joining the team at the start of the 2020 season. The two Matts -- Chapman and fellow Gold Glover Matt Olson -- dominate both the corners of the infield and the top of the As list. Here he is again in the top-10 for FB/LD exit velocity. Buxton currently sits in the 99th percentile in barrel rate across the league. From there, you can sort by EV: FB/LD. The 90th-percentile exit velocity agrees with that production, as he currently ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/1/23): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups, Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for BABIP (Week 6), Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 6), Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (5/1/23), PrizePicks MLB DFS Prop Picks - Today's Over/Under Props for Monday, May 1, 2023, Daily MLB Injury Roundup for May 1st, 2023, Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports - Updates for J.D. Which Major League Baseball players put the ball into play with the highest exit velocity in 2021? All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, 90th-percentile exit velocity performs similar to or better than many of our favorite Statcast metrics, such as hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and xwOBAcon, when it comes to predicting future success on contact. Luckily we have more Statcast data than ever, some of which stabilizes much faster than traditional performance stats. Batting: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, Career. He is the oldest player on this list, at 40 years old, but has the second-hardest hit homer in the division despite his age. Reels Share. thrown with. The Mets first baseman slammed 53 home runs in his first year, breaking the rookie record for homers in a season previously held by Aaron Judge. Pierre Camus reviews the midseason leaders on offense. Last year, Torkelson posted a 41.4% hard-hit rate and a 90.5 mph average exit velocity. It marked the club's first three-game winning streak of the season. velocity and launch angle. MLB Power Rankings: Pirates surprising everyone, Yankees struggling to Which is odd, since were all talking about a game! Stanton does have some flaws in his game this season, such as hitting way too many balls into the ground and his scaredly low whiff rate, but it is nice to see him continuing to add to his rsum as a Statcast legend. But lets face it, do you really want to see Giancarlo Stantons infield base hits? Thanks to Statcast, we now know the exit velocity of each ball hit across the big leagues each day, no matter if its a squeaker or a towering homer. Only time will tell whether this is a hot streak or a new development, but it is nice to see the underrated veteran off to a good start. as Active Spin. As Jay Jaffe said in the first base positional power rankings, Torkelson has nowhere to go but up. ZiPS agrees, pegging him for a 115 wRC+, a whopping 39-point jump from his rookie season. Full Brewers leaderboard, Cardinals: Marcell Ozuna -- April 3, 2018 at MILExit velocity: 117.2 mph (Watch it)Ozuna holds four of the top five spots for St. Louis and this blast off Chase Anderson was actually his first in a Cardinal uni. The last edition ran April 17, while the next edition will be published May 15. Either way, I still think there are some parts of Santanders profile to be optimistic about; I would argue hes much closer to an average hitter than hes shown so far this season. Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for BABIP (Week 6), Breakout Hitters Watch for Fantasy Baseball - Jack Suwinski, James Outman, and More, Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for Launch Angle (Week 5), Breakout Hitters Watch for Fantasy Baseball - Jarred Kelenic, Luis Garcia, Brent Rooker, more, Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for Exit Velocity (Week 4), Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Notable Concerning Starts for Hitters (Week 4), Breakout Hitters for Fantasy Baseball - MLB Batters Rising for Week 3, Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for New Pitches (Week 3), Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Advanced Metrics Leaders for Barrels (Week 3), Patience and Power - Noteworthy Hitting Leaders For Fantasy Baseball, Week 6 Waiver Wire Rankings - Pickups Include Logan Allen, Jarren Duran, Brett Baty, Gavin Stone, more, Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for - Week 6, Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for - Week 6, Wurth 400 DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel NASCAR Daily Fantasy Lineup Picks, Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for (Apr 24 - Apr 30), DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Picks (4/30/23): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups, Top Hitter Streamers - Waiver Wire Pickups and Starts for Week 6. Over the last two seasons, Belt's barrel rate has spiked to near 17% in both seasons and his hard-hit rates are at career highs. Obviously, Naquin will come back down to earth at some point, but it will be interesting to watch how much of this recent development is sustainable. Full Pirates leaderboard, Reds: Aristides Aquino -- Aug. 8, 2019 vs. CHCExit velocity: 118.3 mph (Watch it)Aquino surprised everyone in 2019, as the Reds rookie slammed 19 home runs in just 56 games that season, setting an NL rookie record for most homers in a month, with 14 coming in August. By volume, Gausman leads the majors in strikeouts through the first month, with 54 against just six walks, the kind of strike zone control that will get a . Full Royals leaderboard, Tigers: Jonathan Schoop -- May 27, 2021 vs. CLEExit velocity: 115.3 mph (Watch it)Schoop, there it is. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Spencer Torkelson As we wait for MLB and the MLB Player's Association to work through the lockout issues and move forward with the 2022 baseball season, we've been digging into a few players that stand out as good fantasy investments based on their 2021 Statcast numbers. Statcast 101: Exit Velocities and Hard-Hit Rates - FantraxHQ Exit Velocity Leaders - 2022 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller He and All-Star teammate Aaron Judge create one of the hardest-hitting tandems in all of baseball. Batting: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, Career. Key Statcast: 99.8 mph strikeout (Baz), 101 mph velo (McClanahan) The Rays' stable of arms is only adding more fireballers. This was only his third career homer, but it tops the D-backs list. Luckily, PL has a database that I used to pull this data from, but yes I did have to calculate myself. Full Mets leaderboard, Nationals: Bryce Harper -- June 15, 2017 at NYMExit velocity: 116.3 mph (Watch it)Prior to his move to Philly, Harper was the hardest hitter in the Nats lineup, leading the team to four playoff appearances in six years. savant. However, after testing the waters in free agency, Zunino landed back with Tampa for 2021 and has been splitting time with Francisco Meja behind the plate. Tellez definitely needs to improve his plate discipline if he wants to avoid getting buried on the Blue Jays depth chart. Welcome to the third edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2023 season. After both players torched the minors last year and spring training this year, GM Billy Eppler performed the Thank You Mario! Pitch Type: Four-Seam Fastball; Pitch Speed: -Spin Rate: -Batting HOU. The Phils hit a season-high four home runs to back Zack Wheeler 's season-high 11 strikeouts en route to a 9-3 victory over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Full Astros leaderboard, Athletics: Matt Chapman -- Aug. 29, 2020 at HOUExit velocity: 115.9 mph (Watch it)Chapman might be one of the games best defensive players over at the hot corner, but he can also launch homers with the best of them. He ran a 40.3% groundball rate in 2022 and is currently at 35.9% in spring training. play. Tampa Bay Rays Record Last 10 . Despite his limited overall production, Cordero owns a few of the most impressive home runs in Statcast history, including this 474-foot blast. Since his arrival in the big leagues, Buxton had always been known for his speed and defense. Full Nationals leaderboard, Phillies: Kyle Schwarber -- Oct. 18, 2022 at SDExit velocity: 119.7 mph (Watch it)Harper also held the Phillies' record, but he certainly wasn't sorry to see Schwarber obliterate it to help Philly take a Game 1 victory over the Padres in the NL Championship Series. Photo by Nick Tre. Full Braves leaderboard, Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton -- June 23, 2015 vs. STLExit velocity: 119.2 mph (Watch it)Stanton is not only one of four players on this list to appear twice, but he also holds the two hardest-hit homers tracked by Statcast on this list. Full Marlins leaderboard, Mets: Pete Alonso -- April 11, 2019 at ATLExit velocity: 118.3 mph (Watch it)Alonsos rookie season in 2019 was one for the ages. and Patrick Corbin for Cy Young (I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul). Of Naquin's 13 batted balls entering Friday, 12 had been hard-hit (exit velocity of 95 mph or harder). What this does is show us which hitters can get close to their max exit velocity as often as possible. Im just trying to show that. He's back and heating up again with three HR and seven RBI in the week leading up to the All-Star break. Zack Wheeler strikes out 11, Phillies win series vs. Rockies - MLB Prior to the shortened 2020 season, Belt had played 100 games or more in seven of eight seasons and played at least 130 games in five of those eight seasons. All free! Much has been made about Dalbec's plate discipline improving as the year went on, but if you look at a rolling average of his strikeout rate during the 2021 season, you see that his numbers improved for a short bit of time, but he returned to a plus 30% strikeout rate fairly quickly. News reports at the time referred to Caves injury as a stress reaction, but either way, he deserves a little bit of grace here. Baseball has always been a simple game. He entered the season as a defense-first backstop and career .231 batting average in a supposed timeshare with Kurt Suzuki. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. Last year, Torkelson posted a 41.4% hard-hit rate and a 90.5 mph average exit velocity. It's also why the Red Sox gave him part-time playing time in the playoffs. If you're sitting in the bleachers during a Subway Series, you better be on high alert, as either of these two can launch a rocket your way.