When Major League Baseball equipped all 30 ballparks with Statcast tracking systems in 2015, it truly changed how fans watch games (and how teams evaluate players).
Almost every facet of the game imaginable is tracked with technology – from home run distance to spin rate down to the singular RPM. It’s astonishing.
Statcast has also impacted how home runs are accurately measured, giving fans a real-time look at distance, launch angle and exit velocity. And there’s just something about a hard-hit home run that captures the attention of an entire ballpark. When it comes to hard-hit homers, nobody does it better than the players below.
10
Giancarlo Stanton - 119.2 mph, 479 feet
Monster shot by Stanton pic.twitter.com/6WNc69VeLA
— Rob Carruth 🐬🐬 (@robcarruth) June 23, 2015
June 23, 2015
Back in the glorious days of Marlins Park (now loanDepot Park) and the Outfield Dinger Machine, Giancarlo Stanton demolished a hanging slider against the Cardinals that nearly broke a window beyond the concourse.
9
Stanton - 119.3 mph, 416 feet
Giancarlo Stanton blasts a 119.3 mph LASER for the hardest-hit home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/WihJ8YkHZk
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 7, 2018
June 6, 2018
You’re quickly going to notice a trend with this list: Stanton hits a lot of hard home runs. This one came in his first season with the Yankees on a blistering line drive against the Blue Jays.
8
Aaron Judge - 119.4 mph, 435 feet
April 28, 2017
Judge’s second home run of that night was a no-doubt shot to straightaway center field. In fact, 11 of his 52 home runs that season came against the Orioles, and that wasn’t even his hardest-hit homer against Baltimore.
7
Manny Machado - 119.6 mph, 357 feet
Rocket Manny.
120 mph exit velo 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/WLLLyW81IZ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 21, 2021
Aug. 20, 2021
This home run from Machado didn’t have much distance or launch angle, but it’s always going to be hard to keep a 119.6 mph liner in the yard.
6
Kyle Schwarber - 119.7 mph, 488 feet
Waking up this morning still in awe of this @kschwarb12 blast.
It's the longest @Phillies homer tracked in the Statcast era (since 2015). #Postseason
(MLB x @FTX_Official) pic.twitter.com/LuhA1P3hdR
— MLB (@MLB) October 19, 2022
Oct. 18, 2022
The Phillies went into the 2022 postseason on an absolute tear, and it’s easy to see why they took the NL pennant. That home run still hasn’t landed.
5
Stanton - 119.8 mph, 436 feet
Giancarlo Stanton DEMOLISHED this homer at 119.8 MPH😤
How many homers will he mash in 2023?🤔 pic.twitter.com/wijd3cclAH
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) January 7, 2023
June 11, 2022
Oh, another home run from Stanton on this list … shocker, I know. This moonshot against the Cubs seemingly exploded off his bat. That kind of contact just looked and sounded different as it left Yankee Stadium in a hurry.
4
Judge - 121.1 mph, 382 feet
Hardest hit HR this season: Aaron Judge 121.1 EV MPH #Yankees pic.twitter.com/R3V8Wih6ai
— MLB Behind the Seams (@MLBehindtheSeam) October 3, 2017
June 10, 2017
When I said that Judge would hit a harder home run against the Orioles in 2017, I wasn’t kidding. This line drive just snuck in around the foul pole, but it had the distance to be a home run in all 30 MLB ballparks, according to Statcast. It was also the hardest-hit home run of Judge’s career.
3
Ronald Acuña Jr. - 121.2 mph, 454 feet
🚨 121.2 MPH 🚨@ronaldacunajr24 with the hardest hit ball in the majors this season!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/7Z8yk6Ho7b
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 3, 2023
Sept. 2, 2023
Acuña Jr. put his stamp on the 2023 NL MVP race with a monster series against Mookie Betts and the Dodgers. A couple days after becoming the first player in MLB history with a 30/60 season, Acuña ambushed a fastball on a 3-0 count. It was the hardest-hit ball of the 2023 season to date.
2
Stanton - 121.3 mph, 483 feet
Potomac Power Up. pic.twitter.com/My9MCUzLJ3
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 26, 2020
July 25, 2020
It was probably for the best that Stanton hit this home run in an empty stadium because I don’t think anybody wants a ball heading towards them at 121.3 mph. The sound of the ball off the bat was ridiculous.
1
Stanton - 121.7 mph, 449 feet
🔥121.7 MPH 🔥
Giancarlo Stanton's HR was the hardest-hit ball of the entire season. pic.twitter.com/QDkkmDH3D5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 10, 2018
Aug. 9, 2018
At this point, Stanton is just showing off. That home run against the Rangers was the hardest-hit homer since Statcast started tracking in 2015. Shockingly enough, Stanton has managed to exceed 122 mph EV multiple times in his career, but those remained in the yard.
