MLB Players Who Can Handle the Heat This Season
By Ryan Sanders
Who gets the most 95+ fastballs?
This is arguably the worst list to be on. Be it a matter of wrong time, wrong place or the baseball gods having a sense of humor, these hitters have had to see the most number of fastballs at 95 MPH or harder. This is a list I am sure most would prefer not to be on, but Statcast says the “winners” are:
MLB Players – % of Pitches
Daniel Murphy – 19.4%
Adam Eaton – 18.6%
Devon Travis – 17.5%
Greg Bird – 17.2%
Matt Adams – 16.9%
Bryce Harper – 16.5%
Robinson Chirinos – 16.4%
Kurt Suzuki – 16.3%
Anthony Rendon – 16.2%
Ronald Acuna Jr. – 16.1%
Interesting that the list features a number of Washington Nationals players. Two more Nationals and one Phillies player appears in the top 20 so it would appear the Nationals and the broader NL East is an unfortunate division to be a hitter in when it comes to fastballs faced. Consider that Kurt Suzuki spent last year with the Braves and this year with the Nets and now that Bryce is with the Phillies and the NL East is flat out unforgiving. Meanwhile, a number of pitchers in the AL Central and West Coat have gotten a breather when it comes to fastballs that light up the gun:
MLB Players – % of Pitches
Matt Kemp – 9.2%
Jay Bruce – 9.1%
Eric Hosmer – 9.0%
Jason Kipnis – 9.0%
Jose Abreu – 8.8%
Starling Marte – 8.7%
Tim Anderson – 8.7%
Marcus Semien – 8.7%
Stephen Piscotty – 8.7%
Enrique Hernandez – 8.4%
Albert Pujols – 8.3%