MLB’s exit velocity kings: The 20 hardest-hit balls in 2021
Which Major League Baseball players put the ball into play with the highest exit velocity in 2021? Let’s take a look at the leaders making up the top 20 overall on the exit velocity list from both the American League and National League.
These are the Major League Baseball players who hit the ball the hardest and led the highest exit velocity parade in 2021
As a note, all data for this article was taken from BaseballSavant.MLB.com.
20. Giancarlo Stanton, June 9 vs. Minnesota Twins, 118.3 mph
We’ll start the list at number 20, with a name you will see a lot in this ranking: Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees. In fact, Stanton has 13 of the 20 hardest-hit balls on record for 2021.
In the video below, Stanton takes an 0-1 pitch from Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak to left field for a double. And, yes, just over 118 mph in exit velocity is where we start the list.
19 (tie). Pete Alonso, August 19 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 118.4 mph
While Alonso may be the Home Run Derby champion, he gets on this list for a smoking single he hit off Corey Knebel of the Dodgers. Interestingly, Alonso’s hit you can see in the video below is one of only two produced by a National League player on this list.
19 (tie). Aaron Judge, September 26 vs. Boston Red Sox, 118.4 mph
If you’re going to hit a ball really hard, is it more satisfying to do it against your arch rival? That’s a question that could be asked of Aaron Judge, who makes the list of the 20 hardest hit balls of the season on three occasions. He joins his teammate Stanton as the only players to make the list more than once.
Here’s the first entry from Judge, a double off Boston reliever Adam Ottavino. Note that the Red Sox missed two golden opportunities to retire Judge before his double.
17. Giancarlo Stanton, September 21 vs. Texas Rangers, 118.5 mph
The first home run on our list, Stanton takes an 0-1 slider from Texas pitcher Dane Dunning over the left field wall. It doesn’t take long for the ball to travel 415 feet.
16 (tie). Franchy Cordero, May 23 vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 118.6 mph
Zack Wheeler was one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League this season, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award balloting. However, Boston’s Franchy Cordero shows on this home run blast that even the finest pitchers can miss their mark from time to time.
Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Giancarlo Stanton make an appearance on this section of the exit velocity leaderboard
16 (tie). Aaron Judge, October 3 vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 118.6 mph
This is the first on the list that has resulted in an out, with a smash to shortstop off the bat of Judge turning into a tailor-made double play.
14. Giancarlo Stanton, May 2 vs. Detroit Tigers, 118.8 mph
Want proof that a baseball doesn’t have to have launch angle to still have a high exit velocity? Look no further than this single off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton. A launch angle of negative-2 still resulted in a sharp single right up the middle.
13 (tie). Aaron Judge, June 16 vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 119.0 mph
What happens when one of the most powerful hitters in Major League Baseball gets a green light to swing on a 3-0 pitch? Ross Stripling and the Toronto Blue Jays found out on this single to left field off the bat of Aaron Judge.
13 (tie). Shohei Ohtani, April 12 vs. Kansas City Royals, 119.0 mph
Shohei Ohtani’s historic season had just gotten underway when the Los Angeles Angels visited Kansas City to take on the Royals in mid-April. Ohtani made his presence felt in an April 12 affair, taking a 1-1 pitch from Scott Barlow into right field for a two-run double.
This, by the way, is Ohtani’s only appearance on the leaderboard.
11. Giancarlo Stanton, August 23 vs. Atlanta Braves, 119.2 mph
If there’s one thing we learned from Stanton at-bats in 2021, it’s that he can take a pitch to left field faster than anyone else in the game. The devastating combination of bat speed and turning on the ball is once again shown here, as he takes a Huascar Ynoa pitch down in the zone and sends it screaming to left.
Manny Machado is the highest-ranking National League player in terms of exit velocity in 2021
10. Giancarlo Stanton, April 27 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 119.3 mph
This is the first of what will be a regular occurrence in the top 10: Giancarlo Stanton blasting the pitching of the Baltimore Orioles with missiles off his bat.
A 2-degree launch angle and 119.3 mph exit velocity turns into a single that second baseman Rio Ruiz can only deflect.
9. Giancarlo Stanton, April 28 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 119.4 mph
The bad news, Orioles fans? Yes, it’s another Stanton mention against your team. The good news? It’s him grounding into a double play.
Stanton mashes this hanging curveball from Baltimore’s Dean Kremer, but it is right at third baseman Maikel Franco.
8 (tie). Giancarlo Stanton, July 11 vs. Houston Astros, 119.6 mph
Another Stanton highlight, but this time it’s against a different team.
When the New York Yankees and Houston Astros get together, it was must-see baseball in 2021. Stanton added his own highlight to the rivalry with a single off Framber Valdez in the Lone Star State.
8 (tie). Manny Machado, August 20 vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 119.6 mph
The highest-ranking National League entry on the list, Machado’s home run below is also the only hit (spoiler alert) that will break the streak of 10 consecutive shots from Stanton.
Machado took a 1-0 pitch from Philadelphia’s Matt Moore over the left field fence for his 22nd home run of the season.
6. Giancarlo Stanton, April 13 vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 120.0 mph
This is the first entry into the 120 mph or higher category on our list. The hard-hit base knock up the middle was a two-run single and had a launch angle of zero.
This slider from Jordan Romano was the first pitch of the at-bat.
The five hardest hits off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees in 2021
5. Giancarlo Stanton, April 25 vs. Cleveland Indians, 120.1 mph
In the top of the first, Stanton got what would be his only hit of the day in a 7-3 road loss in Cleveland. The Yankees had six hits on the day, and Stanton’s opening-inning rocket would be the first of the game. Of New York’s six hits, no player had more than one … and none was hit harder than Stanton’s single.
4. Giancarlo Stanton, June 17 vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 120.2 mph
Stanton tags this curveball from Toronto’s Tyler Chatwood, but it is right at shortstop Bo Bichette, making for an easy groundout to first … after Bichette actually collects the rocket that is coming directly for him.
3. Giancarlo Stanton, September 16 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 120.3 mph
We’ve seen plenty of examples so far about Stanton taking the ball to left field, but here’s one where he goes the opposite way … and the first base umpire pays the price for it.
Stanton would go 2-for-5 in the game, but Baltimore would record a 3-2 win in 10 innings.
2. Giancarlo Stanton, September 3 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 121.1 mph
Stanton not only terrorized the Orioles in 2021, but also Baltimore pitcher Dillon Tate, who gave up the single in the video above as well as the single in the video below.
This shot to center field is one of two that Stanton hit at more than 121 mph last season, the only player to go over that exit velocity. It was also a game-winner for the Yankees, giving the home team a 4-3 walkoff victory.
1. Giancarlo Stanton, August 9 vs. Kansas City Royals, 122.2 mph
Ironically, the hardest hit ball of the season turned into a double play. While the ball got to Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield in a hurry, the Kansas City infield still had to have some fancy footwork to record the twin killing.
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Stanton would go 0-for-5 in the game, but the visiting Yankees would still record a wild 8-6 win in 11 innings. The game was tied at 3 at the end of nine innings, and both teams would score two runs in the 10th to force the game to another frame. In the 11th, however, the Yankees would score three runs to secure the win.