Exit Velocity Readings
Why are exit velocity readings critical? It’s proven that the harder a hitter hits the ball, the better the outcome. Of course, there is a bit more to it than that, like launch angle, but overall it is an important metric. Max exit velocity is also important to look at because it tends to show the power output a hitter can have. This is why we track these stats daily in this article.
Your top max exit velocity readings from yesterday, in order: Francy Cordero, Trey Mancini, Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero, and Matt Olson.
The Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez is starting to heat up again! He went two for four yesterday with two home runs and three hard-hit balls. One of those home runs came off of a left-handed pitcher! Let’s all give Rowdy a round of applause.
Another game where Josh Bell just continues to hit. He went three for three with two runs, two doubles, two walks, and three hard-hit balls. He is now hitting .319 on the season with a .909 OPS.
Yadiel Hernandez is seeing consistent playing time in the outfield for the Nationals. Yesterday he went two for five with a home run, two RBI, and three hard-hit balls. He has five home runs on the season, a 103 wRC+, a .276 batting average, and a 10.7% barrel rate. If he could just make a little more contact he could have a mini breakout.
It has been a rough season for Spencer Torkelson who is hitting just .192 with a .559 OPS. Yesterday he went one for four with three hard-hit balls but it is hard to imagine rostering him in any type of league right now.
I feel like Alex Verdugo pops up on this list at least twice a week. Yesterday he went two for five with a home run, four RBI, and four hard-hit balls. Three of these were over 100 MPH and I feel like we will see more power from him in the second half of the season.
Bryan Reynolds the beast is back! Yesterday he went three for five with three runs, three home runs, six RBI, and three hard-hit balls.
Bryan Reynolds from April to mid May:
.209 BA
4 HR
.148 ISO
.311 OBP
92 wRC+
But had a .250 BABIPMid May to now:
.285 BA
8 HR (now 11 with the 3 from today)
.219 ISO
.341 OBP
132 wRC+
.333 BABIPA good reason as to why you hold early on and trust your off-season process. pic.twitter.com/MHAjGUDlLj
— Michael Simione (@SPStreamer) June 29, 2022
Swings and Misses
Why are swings and misses important? For pitchers, this can show their talent since the best pitchers in the world always have a knack for creating whiffs. The higher the whiff rate, the higher the strikeout rate. It’s also essential to view this every day to spot outliers. If an unusual name pops up on the list it could mean one of two things, either they are evolving as a pitcher or they just had a lucky day. This could help you catch emerging pitchers before anyone else does if it is the former.
- Shohei Ohtani – 24
- Cole Irvin – 17
- Nick Pivetta – 15
- Justin Verlander – 15
- Alek Manoah – 14
I am definitely a little surprised to see Cole Irvin here. 17 whiffs against the Yankees and seven strikeouts overall are a little impressive. His four-seam was up .7 MPH and obtained eight whiffs all by itself. Something to watch for sure.
Velocity Notice
Remember when Eric Lauer started the season with a 2.60 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 35.5 K%? Well, those were his first six starts. In his last eight starts, he has a 5.15 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and an 16.2 K%. The worst part about it all is that his underlying metrics say he truly is this bad. So what happened? It’s all about velocity baby. In those first six starts his fastball averaged 94.1 MPH. Since then it has dipped to 93.2 MPH whereas in some games he even went below 93 MPH. One MPH makes a massive difference with pitching and that’s what we are seeing here. Unless Lauer can sustain his velocity into the 94 MPH range he will continue to be a mediocre pitcher.
June K-BB% Leaders
- Shane McClanahan – 31.1%
- Charlie Morton – 29.4%
- Dylan Cease – 27.4%
- Gerrit Cole – 27.0%
- Shohei Ohtani – 26.7%
- Corbin Burnes – 25.4%
- Zack Wheeler – 25.2%
- Shane Bieber – 25.2%
- Hunter Greene – 24.4%
- Tyler Mahle – 24.3%
Notable:
15. Jeffrey Springs – 23.4%
17. Jon Gray – 21.6%
25. Johnny Cueto – 17.7%
June wRC+ Leaders
- Yordan Alvarez – 277
- Alejandro Kirk – 214
- Byron Buxton – 212
- Josh Bell – 205
- Paul Goldschmidt – 198
- Carlos Correa – 189
- Kyle Schwarber – 186
- Brandon Drury – 183
- Joe Abreu – 180
- Mike Trout – 180
Notable:
16. Jake Cronenworth – 172
21. Garrett Cooper – 166
22. Amed Rosario – 165
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