Here are the heaviest baseballs in MLB history – NBC10 Philadelphia

Here are the heaviest baseballs in MLB history originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Oneil Cruz continues to cruise to the top of the MLB leaderboard.

During the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 14-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, Cruz recorded the most hit ball in Statcast history at 122.4 mph.

The single that nearly left PNC Park as a homer marked a day in history for the 23-year-old. He has the fastest exit rate since MLB began tracking the numbers in 2015. Oh, and the story doesn’t stop there. Cruz is also the tallest shortstop in MLB history at 6-foot-7.

But Cruz isn’t the only one hitting fastballs. Let’s take a look at what exit velocity is and who ranks highest among MLB players:

What is output speed?

Exit velocity, or EV, is the speed of the baseball as it leaves the bat immediately after the batter makes contact with the ball. Calculated in miles per hour.

Achieving high exit speeds is a priority for hitters.

why? Well, because while not every quick hit on the ball results in a great play, when the baseball is launched faster, the defense has less time to react, so the chances of reaching base are higher.

What is average output speed?

Average exit velocity, or aEV, is measured by dividing the sum of all exit velocities by all batted events.

What does “exit rate vs” mean?

This phrase is used to evaluate pitchers who throw the best pitching quality. Generally, these pitchers rank highest in their ability to limit hard contact.

What is Statcast and when did MLB start using it?

MLB began tracking exit rate data in 2015 with Statcast.

Statcast is a high-speed, highly accurate automated tool used to track player movement and athletic ability in Major League Baseball.

What are Statcast’s top 10 hits for the 2022 MLB season?

Since the league began tracking strikeouts since 2015, here are the top 10 hits for the 2022 MLB season:

1. Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates – 122.4 mph

2. Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees – 119.8 mph

3. Shoehei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels – 119.1 mph

4. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – 118.4 mph

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays – 117.9 mph

6. Louis Robert, Chicago White Sox – 117.8 mph

7. Jorge Soler, Miami Marlins – 117.6 mph

8. Jordan Alvarez, Houston Astros – 117.4 mph

9. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers – 117.2 mph

10. Rowdy Tellez, Milwaukee Brewers – 116.9 mph