James Wood leads MLB in average exit velocity
James Wood of the Washington Nationals leads MLB in average exit velocity in the 2026 season at 95.4 mph, against a league average of 89.1 mph, as of October 5, 2026.
One number, the league’s average beside it, and the top 25. Every figure here is from the 2026 season.
The number
6.3 mph above the league average of 89.1 mph. How hard a hitter's balls in play leave the bat, on average. On its own a figure is only a size, which is why the league's number sits beside it.
| # | The rest of the board | Average exit velocity | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  James Wood · Washington Nationals 338 BBE | 95.4 mph | 338 BBE |
| 2 |  Elly De La Cruz · Cincinnati Reds 387 BBE | 94.7 mph | 387 BBE |
| 3 |  Yordan Alvarez · Houston Astros 452 BBE | 94.4 mph | 452 BBE |
| 4 |  Oneil Cruz · Pittsburgh Pirates 229 BBE | 94.1 mph | 229 BBE |
| 5 |  Pete Alonso · Baltimore Orioles 438 BBE | 93.9 mph | 438 BBE |
| 6 |  Munetaka Murakami · Chicago White Sox 259 BBE | 93.9 mph | 259 BBE |
| 7 |  Nick Kurtz · Oakland Athletics 211 BBE | 93.4 mph | 211 BBE |
| 8 |  Shohei Ohtani · Los Angeles Dodgers 376 BBE | 93.3 mph | 376 BBE |
| 9 |  Jac Caglianone · Kansas City Royals 369 BBE | 93.3 mph | 369 BBE |
| 10 |  Garrett Mitchell · Milwaukee Brewers 298 BBE | 93.2 mph | 298 BBE |
| 11 |  Rafael Devers · San Francisco Giants 401 BBE | 93.0 mph | 401 BBE |
| 12 |  Fernando Tatis Jr. · San Diego Padres 503 BBE | 92.9 mph | 503 BBE |
| 13 |  Junior Caminero · Tampa Bay Rays 490 BBE | 92.7 mph | 490 BBE |
| 14 | Bryce Eldridge · San Francisco Giants 270 BBE | 92.7 mph | 270 BBE |
| 15 |  Jordan Walker · St. Louis Cardinals 439 BBE | 92.6 mph | 439 BBE |
| 16 |  Juan Soto · New York Mets 337 BBE | 92.6 mph | 337 BBE |
| 17 |  Matt Olson · Atlanta Braves 460 BBE | 92.5 mph | 460 BBE |
| 18 |  Kyle Stowers · Miami Marlins 289 BBE | 92.5 mph | 289 BBE |
| 19 |  Kyle Schwarber · Philadelphia Phillies 367 BBE | 92.3 mph | 367 BBE |
| 20 | Bobby Witt Jr. · Kansas City Royals 453 BBE | 92.2 mph | 453 BBE |
| 21 |  Heliot Ramos · New York Yankees 285 BBE | 92.2 mph | 285 BBE |
| 22 |  Brandon Nimmo · Texas Rangers 448 BBE | 92.1 mph | 448 BBE |
| 23 | Jake Bauers · Milwaukee Brewers 324 BBE | 92.1 mph | 324 BBE |
| 24 | Joc Pederson · Texas Rangers 275 BBE | 92.1 mph | 275 BBE |
| 25 | Alec Burleson · St. Louis Cardinals 488 BBE | 92.0 mph | 488 BBE |
Source: Baseball Savant (Statcast), 2026 season. Baseball Savant's qualified players, ranked by Savant; the league average is Savant's own. The lead is 2.9 standard deviations (sd) above the field, estimated from Savant's percentiles: the unit the directory ranks leads by, because it lets a rate and a speed share one list. Measured (); the boards refresh twice a day.