Many of the MLB’s biggest names — Stanton, Harper, Sano — make the list. But they are all led by a virtually unknown Los Angeles Dodger reserve.
What could be a more fitting conclusion to this MLB season in which any batter can unleash the game’s version of a nuclear missile than to have three of the week’s longest homers struck by players with a grand total of only 18?
Giancarlo Stanton, Pete Alonso, Bryce Harper, Joc Pederson, Miguel Sano, and Matt Chapman all made the season’s final list of longest bombs. But they all took a back seat to Edwin Rios, who made only seven starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers all season, and who hit just four homers in his 55 plate appearances.
But one of them, the one Rios planted Wednesday against San Diego’s David Bednar in Petco Park’s normally dead air, traveled 473 feet, farther than any ball hit during the final week.
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Third on this week’s list was Arizona’s Jake Lamb, who managed just six home runs in a disappointing MLB season. His shot Friday in Arizona against San Diego’s Luis Perdomo flew 455 feet. Only Rios and Shin-Soo Choo (461 feet) topped him.
Close on Lamb’s heels was Detroit’s Jeimer Candelario, who didn’t let his reputation as an offensive lightweight stand in the way of authoring a 448-footer off Chicago’s Reynaldo Lopez Sunday in Detroit. His eighth home run was the week’s fourth longest.
Pederson was the only player with two bombs on the list of 25 longest. On Wednesday he tapped San Diego’s Dinelson Lamet for a 447-footer, the fifth-longest. Two nights later he delivered a 434-footer off San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto.
As might be deduced from the above, this was a bad week to be a Padres pitcher. In addition to Bednar, Perdomo, and Lamet, Garrett Richards marked his return from arm surgery by offering up a 443-footer to Arizona’s Christian Walker.
The only pitcher to throw two of the 25 longest was St. Louis’s Adam Wainwright. In being shelled by the Cubs Saturday night, Wainwright delivered a 436-foot homer to Ian Happ and a 434-footer to Victor Caratini.
The average carry of the week’s 25 longest home runs was 442 feet,
Here’s the full list of the week’s 25 longest home runs in MLB. The standard of measurement is distance as reported by Statcast. Where there are ties, they are broken by exit velocity.
Batter, team Pitcher, team Distance
1 Edwin Rios, LA David Bednar, SD 473
2 Shin-Soo Choo, Tex Tanner Roark, Oak 461
3 Jake Lamb, Ari Luis Perdomo, SD 455
4 Jeimer Candelario, Det Reynaldo Lopez, CWS 448
5 Joc Pederson, LA Dinelson Lamet, SD 447
6 Michael Conforto, NYM Jose Urena, Mia 446
7 Danny Santana, Tex Mike Shawaryn, Bos 455
8 Adam Eaton, Was Zach Eflin, Phi 444
9 George Springer, Hou Dillon Peters, LAA 444
10 Christian Walker, Ari Garrett Richards, SD 443
11 Bryce Harper, Was Hunter Strickland, Was 442
12 Giancarlo Stanton, NYY Joe Palumbo, Tex 440
13 Rougned Odor, Tex Nestor Cortes Jr., NYY 440
14 Miguel Sano, Min Eric Skoglund, KC 439
15 Paul DeJong, Stl Yu Darvish, Chc 437
16 Pete Alonso, NYM Robert Duggar, Mia 437
17 Matt Chapman, Oak Hansel Robles, LAA 436
18 Ian Happ, Chc Adam Wainwright, Stl 436
19 Gio Urshela, NYY Adrian Sampson, Tex 435
20 Joc Pederson, LA Johnny Cueto, SF 434
21 Victor Caratini, Chc Adam Wainwright, Stl 434
22 Willie Calhoun, Tex Ryan Weber, Bos 434
23 Ian Desmond, Col Drew Pomeranz, Mil 433
24 Renato Nunez, Bal Jhoulys Chacin, Bos 433
25 Luis Urias, SD Robbie Ray, Ari 433