A few weeks ago, I watched some highlights on YouTube. Interestingly, I saw a batter see several pitches that reached 100 mph in a game. Nowadays, it’s not rare to see pitchers throw pitches that are triple digits. However, it’s fun to watch how batters react to those pitches.
After watching the highlights, I was just thinking about a question. In the 2024 season, which batters did frequently see pitches that reached 100 mph or higher? To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the statcast website.
Lenyn Sosa made his MLB debut in 2022 and it’s his 3rd season in the majors. He played 100 games for the White Sox in 2024, slashing .254/.283/.359 with 8 home runs and 35 RBI. It’s his first time playing 100+ games in a single season. Nonetheless, looking at his numbers, it doesn’t seem that he’s a great hitter. However, he did see pitches that reached triple digits many times. There were 27 times that he saw a pitch with a velocity of 100 mph or faster. And he crushed a home run against a pitch that was 100 mph.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a great 2024 season. He was selected to the All-Star game. In 2024, he hit .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI. He’s the most important hitter in the Blue Jays lineup. During the regular season, he saw 27 pitches that were triple digits. Nonetheless, he didn’t collect any hits against those pitches.
In addition, Andy Pages made it into the big leagues in April 2024. In his first season in the majors, he slashed .248/.305/.407 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI. This season, he saw 25 pitches that reached 100 mph or faster. Against those hard-throwing pitches, he collected a hit.
In the meantime, Pages’ teammate, Shohei Ohtani had a fantastic season. Ohtani finished the season with 54 home runs and 130 RBI. And his OPS was over 1.000. Ohtani is certainly one of the best hitters in the majors. It’s not weird to see pitchers throw really hard against him. Ohtani saw 24 pitches that were 100 mph or faster. Against those pitches, Ohtani collected 2 hits and one was a home run.
Finally, Willy Adames, Josh Rojas and Aaron Judge each saw 22 pitches that were triple digits. Nonetheless, the outcomes might be quite interesting. Willy Adames had 3 hits against those 100+ mph pitches. Nevertheless, Aaron Judge, who slashed .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI in 2024, didn’t collect any hits against pitches that were 100 mph or faster. Neither did Josh Rojas.
Several pitchers can throw pitches that reach 100 mph. However, not every pitcher can do that. As we can see, not so many hitters will see 100+ mph pitches more than 20 times this season. Moreover, it’s quite difficult to hit pitches that are so fast. Power hitters such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Aaron Judge didn’t collect any hits against pitches that reached 100 mph or faster in 2024. Nevertheless, a few hitters did have 3 hits or even blast a home run.
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