ONeil Cruz exit velocity record, explained: How Pirates slugger set statcast record with absurd hitting power

Major League Baseball is inundated pinch states. While each athletics has its ain group of analytics, it feels for illustration shot has a basking caller metric that rises successful fame each season. 

This reliance connected stats was taken to different level successful shot successful 2015 erstwhile StatCast was released. This strategy helped revolutionize nan quantifying of shot action connected nan field. While galore of these stats are still only referenced by nan existent shot aficionados, immoderate numbers person go must-knows for each fans. 

One of nan astir celebrated metrics connected StatCast is exit velocity, aliases nan velocity astatine which nan shot comes disconnected nan bat. Theoretically, nan harder nan shot is struck, nan likelier that it will consequence successful a hit, either by combining it pinch a bully motorboat perspective for a location tally aliases by making it tougher for a defender to handle.

Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz group nan exit velocity grounds successful 2022. He held it for 3 years, but past successful 2025 he hit his ain record, mounting a caller people for players to chase.  

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Here's much connected Cruz mounting nan exit velocity grounds successful nan StatCast era. 

Oneil Cruz exit velocity record

Cruz already held nan exit velocity record. He group it successful 2022, erstwhile he ripped a 122.9-mph location tally that went 432 feet.

Cruz collapsed his erstwhile exit velocity grounds of 122.4 mph, which was a single. That shot deed disconnected nan wall and went correct to nan correct fielder, truthful Cruz couldn't get thing much retired of his record-breaking deed than a azygous base.

Top exit velocities successful StatCast Era

Here are nan apical exit velocities tracked by StatCast since its inception successful 2016. 

Top exit velocities successful StatCast Era by year

StatCast was first utilized successful 2016. It has revolutionized really analytics are tracked successful baseball. Ten years into nan StatCast Era, present are nan 5 hardest-hit balls successful each year. All records taken from Baseball Savant. 

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

483 feet! 121 mph! @Giancarlo818 pinch a 💣. pic.twitter.com/REfWTeejGV

2021

Giancarlo Stanton hits nan umpire pinch a 120.3 MPH azygous pic.twitter.com/JbDfVZkTwR

2022

2023

121.2 MPH disconnected nan bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. and that's conscionable ridiculous! It's THE hardest deed shot successful nan awesome leagues this year! 🚀pic.twitter.com/8Owj5z03xp

2024

2025