Key Factors for Hitting a Homerun:
- Doubling swing speed can increase batted ball speed 35%.
- Against a 94-mph fastball, every extra mph of swing speed extends distance about 8 ft.
Importance of Hitting Skills:
- Important hitting skills include pitch recognition and quick decision-making.
- The hardest pitches to hit are splitters and sliders due to movement.
Bat Speed and Hitting Distance:
While some information puts the average swing speed at around 90 miles per hour with top players swinging the bat over 100 miles per hour, that is measuring from the end of the bat, instead of the “sweet spot” where players actually hit the ball.
Wood bats generate a lower exit speed than a non-wood bat.
Bat Speed in Baseball:
- The best ways to increase bat speed are to swing a baseball bat, and to perform movements at different speed and intensities which are similar to swinging a bat.
- The device measures the speed of the barrel of the bat, not the tip.
MLB Bat Speed Insights:
- MLB average exit speed is 103 mph, bat speed ranges roughly from 70-85 mph.
- In the training setting, MLB players show bat speeds around 75 to 77 mph.
- Major league players have an in-game average bat speed of around 70 miles per hour.
Historical Fastest Hits:
- Here’s a list of every ball hit at 120 MPH since 2015, per Statcast: Giancarlo Stanton, 2020, 121.3 MPH.
- Billy Hamilton is among the fastest players in Major League Baseball history.
Exit Velocity Improvement:
- A batter can increase their exit velocity by improving their strength, technique, and timing.
- Strength training exercises, such as resistance bands and weightlifting, can help develop the muscles used in the swing.
Legend of Babe Ruth:
Ruth was an extremely skilled pitcher, throwing the ball at a speed of over 100 miles per hour. He was even faster when he batted, swinging the bat so fast that it looked like a blur on TV. In 1934, Ruth set single-season home run records and became one of baseball’s most legendary players.
MLB Pitching Speed:
For years, the best baseball pitchers in the major leagues strived to reach the 100 miles per hour (mph) mark for a fastball. Nolan Ryan held the world record for a time with a 100.9 mph fastball thrown in 1974.