A little over a month-and-a-half of MLB baseball has passed, and there are a few takeaways.
The Tampa Bay Rays are very good, the Oakland Athletics are historically bad, stolen bases are up, there are more balls in play, and balls are really flying.
There are more, of course, but for now, that’s all you need to know – particularly the last part.
We are seeing some impressive exit velocities and batted-ball distances so far.
Hitters are really punishing the ball.
That was definitely on display on Monday.
“Three 450+ foot, 114+ mph homers from three of the game’s biggest stars … in one night,” MLB Stats tweeted.
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, the New York Yankees’ reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, and Atlanta Braves dynamic outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. all hit balls harder than 114 mph and further than 450 feet.
Three 450+ foot, 114+ mph homers from three of the game’s biggest stars … in one night.
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/ukozGHhutZ
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 16, 2023
It’s the first time that happens in the Statcast era, which started in 2015.
Perhaps more importantly, all those teams won on Monday: the Braves blanked the Texas Rangers, the Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles.
All three are having marvelous seasons: Ohtani and Judge appear to be headed to yet another race for the MVP award in the American League, while Acuna might be the best candidate to win it in the National League as of now.
All three make baseball better and more exciting with their loud tools, particularly their power.
They can hit the ball hard and far with frequency, and that’s why they are some of the brightest stars in the game right now.
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Josh Naylor Is Looking To Continue A Historic Streak