Key points from the chart
- The chart compares exit velocity on hits (singles, doubles and triples) with exit velocity on home runs for 25 of the 2024 MLB season’s home run leaders.
- Median home run exit velocities sit in a narrow band from 102.3 mph (José Ramírez) to 109.8 mph (Shohei Ohtani).
- Median exit velocity on hits ranges far wider, from 94.9 mph (Willy Adames) to 103.9 mph (Juan Soto).
- Brent Rooker has the biggest gap between the two, 12.8 mph. Rafael Devers has the smallest, 3.5 mph, because his ordinary hits are already hit very hard.
- The gap column below is our own subtraction of the two medians printed for each player.
Exit velocity on hits and home runs, the chart in text
Title. From Knocks to Nukes.
Subtitle. Comparing the difference in exit velocity between hits (1B/2B/3B) and home runs (HR). All ranges are representative of the 25th to 75th percentile of the respective measurement. All data points exclude outs and are limited to exit velocities above 60 mph.
How each row works. A strip of faint dots shows every hit, plotted on a scale from 60 to 120 mph. A shaded box marks the middle half of the player’s hits, with a thin line and small label at the median. A large dot with a bold label marks the median home run exit velocity, with a bracket below for the middle half of his home runs. Rows are sorted by home runs, and each carries the team logo.
| Player | Team | Home runs | Median hit EV (mph) | Median HR EV (mph) | Gap (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | Yankees | 54 | 103.4 | 109.1 | 5.7 |
| Shohei Ohtani | Dodgers | 52 | 100.6 | 109.8 | 9.2 |
| Anthony Santander | Orioles | 43 | 98.6 | 104.0 | 5.4 |
| Juan Soto | Yankees | 40 | 103.9 | 108.3 | 4.4 |
| Brent Rooker | Athletics | 38 | 95.5 | 108.3 | 12.8 |
| Marcell Ozuna | Braves | 38 | 100.9 | 107.0 | 6.1 |
| Gunnar Henderson | Orioles | 37 | 102.4 | 106.0 | 3.6 |
| José Ramírez | Guardians | 37 | 97.7 | 102.3 | 4.6 |
| Kyle Schwarber | Phillies | 36 | 102.3 | 108.7 | 6.4 |
| Yordan Álvarez | Astros | 35 | 99.6 | 108.6 | 9.0 |
| Ketel Marte | Diamondbacks | 34 | 101.0 | 105.7 | 4.7 |
| Pete Alonso | Mets | 34 | 100.2 | 107.1 | 6.9 |
| Bobby Witt | Royals | 32 | 101.8 | 107.2 | 5.4 |
| Willy Adames | Brewers | 32 | 94.9 | 104.1 | 9.2 |
| Tyler O’Neill | Red Sox | 31 | 96.6 | 107.3 | 10.7 |
| Francisco Lindor | Mets | 31 | 99.2 | 104.8 | 5.6 |
| Josh Naylor | Guardians | 31 | 97.6 | 105.5 | 7.9 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | Blue Jays | 30 | 101.1 | 107.9 | 6.8 |
| Corey Seager | Rangers | 30 | 101.5 | 105.7 | 4.2 |
| Teoscar Hernández | Dodgers | 30 | 99.9 | 105.5 | 5.6 |
| Cal Raleigh | Mariners | 30 | 101.7 | 106.2 | 4.5 |
| Bryce Harper | Phillies | 29 | 99.2 | 103.4 | 4.2 |
| Manny Machado | Padres | 29 | 100.8 | 105.3 | 4.5 |
| Matt Olson | Braves | 29 | 99.7 | 107.3 | 7.6 |
| Rafael Devers | Red Sox | 28 | 102.9 | 106.4 | 3.5 |
What exit velocity measures
MLB defines exit velocity as the speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after the batter makes contact. Statcast tracks it for every batted ball event, whether the result is an out, a hit or an error [1]. A hard-hit ball will not always produce a hit, but the defence has less time to react, so the batter’s chances of reaching base are higher [1].
Statcast counts a ball as hard-hit when it leaves the bat at 95 mph or more, because that is where exit velocity starts to make a clear difference to outcomes [2]. Every player on this chart has a median home run exit velocity above that line, and 24 of the 25 also have a median hit exit velocity at or above it. Only Adames, at 94.9 mph, falls just short.
Average exit velocity, a related figure, is the sum of all exit velocities divided by the number of batted ball events [1]. The chart uses medians instead and leaves out outs, so its numbers are not the same as a player’s season average exit velocity.
Notes on this infographic
- The home run totals show the chart was made before the 2024 regular season ended. Judge finished with 58 home runs and Ohtani with 54, which led the American and National Leagues [3]; the chart shows 54 and 52.
- The chart prints Bobby Witt and Vladimir Guerrero without the “Jr.” both players use [3]. Rooker’s logo is the Oakland Athletics.
- No source, author or date is printed on the graphic, and we could not trace who made it. The data appears to be Statcast batted ball data, but the chart does not say so.
Questions about exit velocity
What is exit velocity in baseball?
It is the speed of the ball as it comes off the bat, measured immediately after contact. MLB’s Statcast system records it for every batted ball, including outs [1].
What is a good exit velocity in baseball?
Statcast’s benchmark is 95 mph: a ball hit at 95 mph or more counts as hard-hit [2]. On this chart, the typical home run for these power hitters left the bat at between 102 and 110 mph.
What is Aaron Judge’s exit velocity?
On this chart, made late in the 2024 season, Judge’s median exit velocity was 103.4 mph on hits and 109.1 mph on home runs. These are medians for that season’s hits and home runs only, not a career figure.
What is Shohei Ohtani’s exit velocity?
The chart gives Ohtani a median of 100.6 mph on hits and 109.8 mph on home runs in 2024, the highest home run median of the 25 players shown.
Sources
- MLB.com, Exit Velocity (EV) glossary.
- MLB.com, Hard-hit Rate glossary.
- Wikipedia, 2024 Major League Baseball season, league leaders.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
