What is exit velocity in Baseball? Quite simply, exit velocity is the speed at which the ball leaves the bat, a crucial metric that can unveil a hitter’s true strength and potential. It’s the magic number that separates a routine hit from a rocket shot over the outfield fence.
In Baseball, a game where fractions of seconds and inches can make all the difference, understanding the concept of exit velocity is like peeling back the layers of a well-guarded secret. In this blog post, we closely examine exit velocity, exploring its significance, how to measure it, and why it matters for players at all levels. From the science behind exit velocity to practical tips on enhancing it, we’ll equip you with the knowledge to elevate your game.
How to Find Your Exit Velocity
A hitter’s exit velocity, or the speed of the Baseball or softball off the bat, is a measure used at the top levels of Baseball and softball and has spread to high school and youth levels. A radar gun is used to measure exit velocity, the only way to figure out how strong a hit is. It’s easy to measure exit velocity with a pocket radar.
Studies have shown that the ball will go about four to six feet farther for every extra mile per hour added to its exit velocity. This depends on its launch angle and direction. That means a player’s exit velocity directly affects whether they have warning track power or home run power, which means they can hit the ball into gaps for extra-base hits and hit it hard enough to make the Defense work harder and take longer to respond.
What’s Your Number? Understanding Average Exit Velocity
The burning question on every player’s mind: What should my exit velocity be? Your average exit speed depends on your age, general strength, swing timing, and how well your swing works. Athletes usually get stronger and more consistent as they age and gain more experience. Strength and expertise make their swings stronger and their exit speeds faster.
The table below shows the average exit velocity broken down by age, live batting practice, front toss, and off-the-tee. It also shows the elite-level exit velocity by age.
| PLAYER AGE RANGE | AVE EXIT VELOCITY |
| Ages (8-11) | 46-55 mph |
| Ages (12-14) | 56-65 mph |
| Ages (15-16) | 75-80 mph |
| JV (17) | 80 mph aluminium / 75 mph wood |
| Professional Level | 10 |
If the release velocity is high, the balls will hit harder and farther. To instantly improve your exit velocity, there are a few things you can work on during training. These are:
Bat Speed
The foundation of release velocity is bat speed. The ball will be hit harder if you swing the bat faster. While you’re practicing, try hitting with larger and lighter bats to observe how the exit velocity changes. Make the switch back to your old bat and feel the difference.
Swing as Hard as Possible
It’s amazing how infrequently athletes are actually swinging at 100% effort on the exit velocity test. What they think is 100% is actually more like 95%. Here’s why: you are generally given 5-10 swings on the exit velocity test. Let’s say you go to a showcase where you’re given 8 swings. If you roll over 7 of them at 70 MPH but hit the ball out of the park with one at 90 MPH, guess what number is going on your profile? You guessed it – 90 MPH.
Keep the Launch Angle Low
Low-line drives have the fastest exit speeds in Major League Baseball. If you want to improve your exit velocity instead of your distance, hit balls with a launch angle of 10 to 15 degrees.
Hitting the Ball on the Sweet Spot
Hitting a ball straight will give you the fastest exit velocity, also known as barrels. To get better at this, you can hit larger balls. To work on getting all of your bat’s power into the ball, plyo balls are a great place to start. If you train with a few plyo balls, try the normal front toss again and see how your exit velocity has changed.
Rotate Your Upper Back
Rotating your upper back is a classic example of a tip that shows there is a difference between a good game swing and a good exit velocity swing. While many professional hitters rotate their upper back (think of showing the numbers on your back to the pitcher), the truth is that it’s difficult to do it well on the field.
Conclusion for What Is Exit Velocity in Baseball?
The speed of the Baseball as it comes off the bat right after a pitcher hits it is measured by Exit Velocity. This is kept track of for all Batted Ball Events, like hits, mistakes, and outs. One of the main goals of a hitter is to get a high Exit Velocity.
At this point, (almost) everyone knows that hitting the ball hard and moving the bat quickly are both good things that players can do. The best batters have a knack for hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the bat. It should go without saying, but if you can always swing the bat quickly AND hit the ball on the barre.
Frequently Asked Question
There are some questions related to What Is Exit Velocity in Baseball are as follows:
122.4 MPH is the hardest exit velocity in Baseball. O’Neil Cruz just hit the hardest-hit batted ball in Statcast.
Based on the information above, the MED Ball Exit Speed, for the average Little Leaguer, would be 40 mph BES (40 mph BES X 5 feet = 200 feet of distance).
Biomechanical researchers found that a ball leaving the bat at 90 MPH traveled about 300 feet, 95 MPH at 326 feet, 100 MPH at 350 Feet, and 105 MPH at 375 feet.
Exit velocity is the speed and direction of the Baseball right after contact, and it is different from bat speed. Bat speed, as the name implies, is the speed at which the bat is traveling.