Exit velocity of 100 mph or higher

Just a few days ago, I was reading a book, which was written by a former MLB manager. In the book, he indicated that a talented player who crushed a home run with an exit velocity of 100.1 mph in the first at-bat of a game. That player is one of the most talented players that he has ever seen in his managerial career. While reading the book, I was wondering who did hit the ball really hard, in particular, which players did hit more balls with an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher last year?

To understand a little bit more, I went to check on the statcast website.

In 2022, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slashed .274/.339/.480 with 32 home runs and 97 RBI. His hard-hit rate was over 50% last season. In particular, he batted 211 balls with an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher. Among those 211 batted balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, 116 batted balls became hits. The hardest-ball he hit in 2022 was with an exit velocity of 118.4 mph.
   The 2022 season was surely an unforgettable season for Aaron Judge. He batted .311/.425/.686 with 62 home runs and 131 RBI. He set the new AL home run record. Moreover, Judge won the 2022 AL MVP award. Last year, Judge had a hard-hit rate of 61.8%, which ranks 1st in the majors. Furthermore, he batted 196 balls with an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher. Among those 196 batted balls, 131 batted balls became hits. Last year, the exit velocity of the hardest-ball Judge hit was 118.4 mph. In addition, Austin Riley was selected to the All-Star game for the first time in his career. He had a great 2022 season, hitting .273/.349/.528 with 38 home runs and 93 RBI. Riley crushed 30+ home runs in each of the last 2 seasons. In 2022, his hard-hit rate was 50.8%, which is the highest so far in his career. He batted 179 balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph and 108 of those batted balls were hits. Finally, Jose Abreu and Bo Bichette each had 170+ batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. However, there is an interesting difference. Among Bichette’s 171 batted balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, 107 of them became hits. Nonetheless, Jose Abreu had 175 batted balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, but only 95 of those batted balls were hits. At the same time, Rafael Devers, Yordan Alvarez, Shohei Ohtani and Matt Olson each had 160+ batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. Looking back at those players who frequently hit baseball with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, there aren’t too many surprises. We all know that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Aaron Judge can crush baseballs. However, among those players who had at least 160 batted balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, Jose Abreu is the only player who smashed fewer than 20 home runs last season. In the 2023 season, it will be worth watching whether he can still bat more balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. Additionally, Guerrero Jr. was the only player who had 200+ batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph in 2022. Will there be more players to hit 200+ balls with an exit velocity of 100+ mph this year?