Texas Rangers relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (45) follows his pitch to the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field.”>
In today’s MLB, speed is king. Who needs a UCL when you can hit triple digits with your fastball or a slider across the plate, right? Between 2000 and 2023, the average fastball velocity of starting pitchers increased dramatically from around 89 miles per hour to over 94 miles per hour, and it only continues to increase.
Although velocity does not guarantee success at the MLB level, pitchers who throw hard tend to take more swings and misses from their opponents. That’s usually enough to guarantee a spot on MLB rosters.
All that said, 95 mph is no longer considered an elite speed. It seems that everyone in each squad can reach that number. Nowadays, it takes someone to reach 100 years old to really impress people. Luckily today there are several players capable of achieving such a feat. In fact, many of the fastest pitches in MLB history belong to currently active players. You do not believe me? Here are the ten fastest pitches in MLB history.
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Fastest pitches in MLB history
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Surprising no one, Aroldis Chapman has thrown eight of the 10 fastest pitches in MLB history. The only other two pitches belong to now San Francisco Giants starter Jordan Hicks.
Hicks did not throw these pitches as the Giants’ starter. He did it as a reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals. Relievers tend to have much more velocity behind their fastballs. The reason is that most of the time they only have to pitch one inning, maybe even less if they’re not doing well. While starters need to be able to pitch effectively for five, six, sometimes seven innings, relievers can put everything they have into a frame, allowing them to step back and let loose.
Since Hicks became a full-time starter with the San Francisco Giants this year, his average fastball velocity has fallen from 100.3 mph in 2023 to 95.9 this year. His lead also dropped from 100.1 mph to 95 mph.
What are the fastest pitches in MLB this year?
Like the all-time leaderboard, the 2024 fastest pitches are dominated by one man: Oakland’s Mason Miller. The team’s closer has been arguably the best reliever in baseball and his fastball is a big reason why.
Fastest releases of 2024:
Last season, Minnesota’s Jhoan Duran threw a 104.8 mph fastball against the Seattle Mariners.
In fact, in 2023, nine of the MLB’s ten fastest pitches were thrown by Durán (Jordan Hicks ranked last). Unfortunately, Durán has not yet been able to reach 104 in 2024. However, we all know that he has the ability to do it.
Hunter Greene and his reading 105
Although the initial transmitting radar read 105 when the launch was launched on March 30, 2023, it turned out to be an incorrect reading.
Statcast almost instantly removed the reading, claiming that a bug caused the incorrect reading. After all, Greene’s next fastest pitch that day was just 102.
As of today, Baseball Savant lists Greene’s fastest pitch that day at just 102.1 mph.
So you’re telling me Nolan Ryan isn’t on the list?
Apparently not, but there is a bit of controversy surrounding its exclusion.
In 1974, Nolan Ryan was measured by radar for the first time in his career and peaked at 100.8 mph. He was still incredibly fast for his time, but he could have been even faster. See, the radar detected the speed of the ball when he crossed the plate. Today, velocity is measured when it leaves the pitcher’s hand.
Based on that plate speed, Ryan’s fastball might actually have been 108.1 mph, which would be by far the fastest pitch in MLB history.
Someone else who might have had the fastest pitch of all time is Bob Feller. According to legend, Feller was measured throwing a fastball at 107.6 mph in 1946. After returning from Navy service, Feller’s fastball was supposedly measured at the speed of a motorcycle, and here’s how it was determined speed.
Unfortunately for Feller and Ryan, since the measurement methods in both cases were inconsistent with current measurements, neither fastball can definitively be placed at the top of baseball’s all-time leaderboards. Although Ryan’s fastball can be estimated at a faster velocity than Chapman’s, it would still only be an estimate and therefore cannot be included.
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