A couple of days ago, I read a media release. In the release, it mentioned a power hitter who hit a ball with an exit velocity over 110 mph. Without a doubt, he hit it really hard. After reading the media release, I began to think about a question.
The statcast data has been available since 2015. Over the last several seasons, which batters had hit a lot of baseballs with an exit velocity of 110 mph or higher? To solve my doubts, of course, I checked on the statcast website.
First of all, the leader is certainly a player that many fans won’t find surprising. Giancarlo Stanton made his MLB debut in 2010 and he won the 2017 NL MVP award. From 2015 to 2024, he hit 500+ balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph. And he’s the only player who hit 500+ balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph. He collected 300+ hits with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph from 2015 to 2024.
And there’s a player who had hit 300+ balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph during this period. That player is a teammate of Giancarlo Stanton. All Rise! Aaron Judge made his MLB debut in 2016. From 2016 to 2024, he had 369 balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph. Judge collected 200+ hits with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph from 2016 to 2024.
In addition, we found another player who played for a team in the AL East. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s power is well-known. He made it into the big leagues in 2019. From 2019 to 2024, he had hit nearly 300 balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph.
Moreover, Nelson Cruz played in the majors from 2005 to 2023. From 2015 to 2023, he hit 293 balls with an exit velocity of 110 mph or higher. He still hit baseballs hard in 2023 when he was 42.
Finally, 3 other players each had hit 200+ balls with an exit velocity of 110 mph or higher. From 2015 to 2024, Manny Machado hit 227 balls with an exit velocity of 110 mph or higher. Shohei Ohtani, who made his MLB debut in 2018, hit 210 balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph from 2018 to 2024. Ohtani doesn’t need too much time to hit so many balls so hard.
Looking at the data from 2015 to 2024, it’s not a surprise to Stanton and Judge on the leaderboard. Stanton’s power is truly great. He can crush baseball. At the same time, his teammate, Aaron Judge, can destroy baseball as well. And Nelson Cruz did it even when he was over 40. However, when we see Mike Trout’s number. Well, I was just thinking if he could avoid some major injuries. What will the result look like? And the great Shohei Ohtani, no one would doubt that he can do a lot of things, including hitting the ball really hard.
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