Reviewing the Minnesota Twins’ 5 Hardest Hit Balls in 2024

[Cody Christie]

The Twins had a disappointing end to the 2024 season, but there were indeed some exciting moments throughout the season. Here’s a breakdown of the team’s five hardest-hit balls this season.

Image courtesy of Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

MLB’s Statcast Era has allowed fans a deeper understanding of some of the nuances associated with baseballs hit at incredible speeds. Now, fans can immediately access the hit’s exit velocity, launch angle, distance, bat speed, and expected batting average. Minnesota has a young core and multiple veterans who can hit the ball with authority. So, which sluggers cracked the team’s top five hardest-hit balls in 2024?

September 10, 2024
Batter: Matt Wallner
Hit Stats: 114.1 Exit Velo, 30 LA, 444 Hit Distance, 77.6 Bat Speed, 1.000 xBA
Wallner is already well known in Twins Territory for his mammoth home runs. This rocket from late in the 2024 campaign might have been missed by some fans who tuned out in the middle of the team’s collapse. In the bottom of the third, the Twins were already winning 4-0 before Wallner tattooed this pitch onto the Target Field Plaza. Wallner struggled to start the 2024 campaign, but he refined his swing at Triple A and was one of the team’s best hitters when he returned to the majors. As Justin Morneau said on the broadcast, “That was a bomb.”

August 28, 2024
Batter: Matt Wallner
Hit Stats: 114.2 Exit Velo, 13 LA, 242 Hit Distance, 82.6 Bat Speed, .830 xBA
Not every hard-hit ball ends up in the seats, and Wallner proved that with this double during a second-half game versus the visitors from suburbs somewhere in Georgia. Minnesota trailed 5-1 in the ninth inning before Wallner pounded a double down the right-field line. For some context, Statcast considers a 75 mph bat speed to be a fast swing, so Wallner clearly teed off on this pitch. Because of its location, it was hard for him to get under the ball and drive it over the fence. Instead, he got a hustle double to keep the game interesting for the Twins.

August 7, 2024
Batter: Matt Wallner
Hit Stats: 114.4 Exit Velo, 16 LA, 354 Hit Distance, 83.3 Bat Speed, .810 xBA
Aug. 7 is a game that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons in Twins Territory. Joe Ryan left the game with right triceps tightness, which was eventually diagnosed as a Grade 2 teres major strain behind his right shoulder. His season was done. During the game, though, Wallner destroyed a double to the gap in right-center, one-hopping the wall and driving in Trevor Larnach. It was a solid start to the game for the Twins, but it ended up being known for Ryan’s injury. 

July 8, 2024
Batter: Matt Wallner
Hit Stats: 116.7 Exit Velo, 21 LA, 389 Hit Distance, 79.5 Bat Speed, .980 xBA
This home run for Wallner was a two-run shot that helped the Twins to score four runs in the seventh inning and come back in this game. Wallner got a 98-mph fastball right down the middle and pulled it strongly down the line. Earlier, Wallner destroyed a double in the third inning, the second hardest-hit ball in this game. With this hit, Wallner joined an elite list of players to hit multiple balls at 116 mph or harder this season. It’s also fun that it was one of the games where Marney Gellner was on the play-by-play call for the Twins.

July 7, 2024
Batter: Matt Wallner
Hit Stats: 116.8 Exit Velo, 11 LA, 260 Hit Distance, 79.5 Bat Speed, .830 xBA
It might be disappointing for some fans that the team’s highest exit velocity this season came on a single. However, it points to how locked-in Wallner was in the middle of the season. After being demoted in April, this game was his first back in the big leagues. Over the next 24 games, he slashed .351/.455/.743 (1.198), with nine doubles, one triple, and six home runs. There can be some streakiness with sluggers like Wallner, but he might be the team’s most exciting hitter when he's going well. 

Wallner is clearly at another level regarding the exit velocities he can produce with his elite bat speed. There were disappointing moments during the 2024 season, but Wallner’s development is certainly something to look forward to in 2025 and beyond. 

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Which of these hits do you remember the most? What are your expectations for Wallner in 2025? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[Riverbrian]

Pretty impressive company kept by Matt Wallner. 

Dear Front Office,

Please let Matt Wallner face left handers in 2025. Even if he is only producing 112 MPH exit velo's against them. 

Sincerely,

Riverbrian

 

[Parfigliano]

They all seem to have something in common.

[Clear Lake Twinsfan]

How far down the list of hardest hit balls do we have to go before we see one that wasn't hit by Wallner?

[mnfireman]

14 minutes ago, Clear Lake Twinsfan said:

How far down the list of hardest hit balls do we have to go before we see one that wasn't hit by Wallner?

According to Baseball Savant, Kepler hit a ball 115.4 MPH against Michael Soroka on 4-25, but it was for an out. Wallner also hit a ball 114.3 against Zach Wheeler on 7-23, but it was also for an out.

Correa had a single that was hit 113.9 MPH against Jose Urena on 5-24 that was the next hardest hit base hit, so the 6th hardest for a base hit, tied for 9th hardest hit ball overall (Larnach also hit a ball 113.9 but was an out.)

[High heat]

I am a big Wallner fan!  He is getting better at putting the ball in play which is huge while still hitting the ball hard.  Be glad to see him take over RF everyday in 25.  
 

Still hoping they can trade for Bob Seymour from the Rays to platoon at 1B.  Put up similar # to Wallner at AAA and huge exit velo #s.  And fits our budget constraints.

[mnfireman]

While Wallner having the team's 5 hardest hit base hits, topping out at 116.8 MPH, is impressive, Oneil Cruz had 13 base hits hit harder than 117 MPH (4 over 120 MPH), nobody else in MLB had more than 6 (Shohei Ohtani). He also had his teams 15 hardest hit base hits.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, High heat said:

I am a big Wallner fan!  He is getting better at putting the ball in play which is huge while still hitting the ball hard.  Be glad to see him take over RF everyday in 25.  
 

Still hoping they can trade for Bob Seymour from the Rays to platoon at 1B.  Put up similar # to Wallner at AAA and huge exit velo #s.  And fits our budget constraints.

Don't think it would be a problem to get Seymour, but it doesn't seem like the league believes he can make enough contact to be a viable MLB hitter. He was Rule 5 eligible this year and no team grabbed him.
https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/rule-5-draft-preview-which-prospects-will-be-selected/

 

Quote

 

Bob Seymour – 1B – Tampa Bay Rays

2024 Stats (AA/AAA): 123 G, .281/.351/.523, 24 2B, 28 HR, 95 RBI, 9.0% BB%, 30.6% K%, 140 wRC+

 

Standing at 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, Seymour can absolutely punish baseballs and hits them in the air consistently. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 107 MPH was one of the better figures in the Rays system, however he undermines his power and passable feel to hit with a swing-happy approach that pushed his chase rate near 40%.

Seymour is also limited to a 1B/DH profile, which does not help his case, though he has produced steady numbers left on left and closed out the year with an OPS north of 1.000 over his final 40 Triple-A games.

 

 

[High heat]

3 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Don't think it would be a problem to get Seymour, but it doesn't seem like the league believes he can make enough contact to be a viable MLB hitter. He was Rule 5 eligible this year and no team grabbed him.
https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/rule-5-draft-preview-which-prospects-will-be-selected/

 

 

Just because he doesn’t get taken in rule 5 doesn’t mean the league doesn’t think he can translate.  Having to stay in majors and fit a position or spot on 26 roster is a huge part. (Extremely hard to keep a 1B only guy on a 26 man roster as a bench piece)

The Saint/Twins did a nice job of adjusting Wallners swing at AAA in a month or so.

I mean maybe he can maybe he can’t hit in the MLB. I just like the hard hit rate and as an option at 1B other then just Julien and Miranda.  I really don’t want any of the affordable 1B free agents just to give ABs to lost causes. 

[David Maro]

Really this is laughable to talk about how hard a ball gets hit. In many of the cases they went for outs. You get to watch the runner thrown out by yards not inches. Doesn't matter much if the ball is hit 20 mph or 100 mph it can be a hit if in the right place. The same with the nonsense of a homerun going 450 ft when the fence is 375 ft. If the ball goes 380 ft it's still a homerun. The only thing that matters is the score.

[Otaknam]

You know it is the baseball doldrums time of year when someone writes about the five hardest hits ball from 2024.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, David Maro said:

Really this is laughable to talk about how hard a ball gets hit. In many of the cases they went for outs. You get to watch the runner thrown out by yards not inches. Doesn't matter much if the ball is hit 20 mph or 100 mph it can be a hit if in the right place. The same with the nonsense of a homerun going 450 ft when the fence is 375 ft. If the ball goes 380 ft it's still a homerun. The only thing that matters is the score.

Generally, the faster a ball travels off a bat, the more likely it is to turn into a hit or especially a home run. Higher exit velocities usually translates to better production. In the case of 110+mph balls off the bat, they rarely turn into outs because the ball has to be hit directly at somebody. The batter cannot control exactly where the ball goes.

Top Average EV in MLB Last Year
1. Aaron Judge, OPS 1.159 wRC+218
2. Shohei Ohtani, OPS 1.036, wRC+ 181
3. Oneil Cruz, OPS .773, wRC+ 110
4. Juan Soto, OPS .989, wRC+ 180
5. Ketel Marte, OPS .932, wRC+ 151
6. Vlad Guerrero Jr. OPS .940, wRC+ 165
7. Kyle Schwarber OPS .851, wRC+ 135
8. Matt Champman, OPS .790, wRC+ 121
9. Rafael Devers, OPS .871, wRC+ 134
10. Yordan Alvarez, OPS .959, wRC+ 168

The obvious outlier there is Oneil Cruz with his propensity to hit tons of ground balls, but every single hitter in the rest of the list put up All Star to MVP caliber hitting numbers.

In any case, I think you're missing the point of the article. The point is honestly that Matt Wallner has superstar pieces to his game, and the potential to be one of the most valuable players in baseball.

[bean5302]

13 hours ago, High heat said:

Just because he doesn’t get taken in rule 5 doesn’t mean the league doesn’t think he can translate.  Having to stay in majors and fit a position or spot on 26 roster is a huge part. (Extremely hard to keep a 1B only guy on a 26 man roster as a bench piece)

The Saint/Twins did a nice job of adjusting Wallners swing at AAA in a month or so.

I mean maybe he can maybe he can’t hit in the MLB. I just like the hard hit rate and as an option at 1B other then just Julien and Miranda.  I really don’t want any of the affordable 1B free agents just to give ABs to lost causes. 

I haven't seen anything about Wallner changing his swing in AAA. He was tinkering with the swing before the season started to cover the plate better. The quotes I've seen from Wallner in regard to his struggles during the season had to do with his approach at the plate and pressing. Wallner made those adjustments himself.

Not getting selected in Rule 5 absolutely means the league doesn't think a player can translate. No team would turn away a free MLB caliber player, even if they didn't have the roster space, they'd simply make the space by trading another player. Nine teams got below average production at the plate from their 1B last year. 12 teams got below average production from their DH position last year. There are 3 positions a guy like Seymour could fill. Bench bat, 1B/DH. Multiply that by 29 teams and that's 87 potential openings he was passed over. There are plenty of huge power guys who MLB teams didn't believe in. Adam Brett Walker III, Daniel Palka types.

https://community.ottoneu.com/t/the-legend-of-bob-seymour-a-stats-somewhat-deep-dive/14762

If Seymour had a sub-30% K rate or was a year or two younger, he'd have absolutely been claimed (not to mention he'd been on Tampa Bay's 26 man roster). I do think he might have some potential, and so do a lot of other teams, I'd think. But he's far from a sure bet, and that's why teams passed him over.

[JD-TWINS]

I gotta say (just because I’ve seen Cruz smack a few balls) that Ketel Marte is the outlier here. Isn’t he the D-backs second baseman? I can’t think of more than 5-6 power guys (hard hit balls) that gave played 2B in my lifetime……late 60’s.

Kent - Davey Johnson - Sandberg - Grich must be a few more but none come to mind easily for me.