Who’s the Fastest Pitcher in Baseball?

We took a look at the data to find out who the fastest pitcher in baseball is. Spoiler alert: it’s not who you think it is!

Introduction

Pitchers are constantly trying to develop ways to increase their velocity and throw faster pitches. In baseball, velocity is key. The faster the pitch, the harder it is for hitters to make contact, and the more difficult it is for them to hit for power. In recent years, there have been a number of pitchers who have reached velocities that were once thought to be impossible. So, who’s the fastest pitcher in baseball?

In 2018, the three fastest pitchers in baseball were Aroldis Chapman, Jordan Hicks, and Kelvin Herrera. Chapman, a left-hander for the New York Yankees, averaged a pitch speed of 100.9 miles per hour. Hicks, a right-hander for the St. Louis Cardinals, averaged a pitch speed of 100.2 miles per hour. Herrera, a right-hander for the Kansas City Royals, averaged a pitch speed of 99.8 miles per hour.

These three pitchers are all throwers of fastballs. Fastballs are the pitches that are thrown the fastest in baseball. While there are other types of pitches that can be thrown extremely fast (such as the slider), they don’t typically reach the same velocities as fastballs.

The Candidates

There are a few names that stand out when you start looking at the fastest pitchers in baseball. Aroldis Chapman, of the Cincinnati Reds, has been recorded throwing 105 miles per hour. Other fastballs that have been timed at over 100 miles per hour include those thrown by Joel Zumaya, Jordan Walden, Mark Melancon, and Bruce Rondon.

In order to make the list of the fastest pitchers in baseball, a pitcher must have thrown at least one pitch that was measured by PITCHf/x and recorded in the Baseball Info Solutions database. These measurements are taken at every stadium with PITCHf/x cameras, which includes all major league stadiums. The data is then compiled and made available to the public.

Aroldis Chapman is the clear leader when it comes to fastball velocity. In 2012, his average fastball velocity was 98.6 miles per hour. The next closest pitcher was Joel Zumaya, who averaged 96.7 miles per hour. Mark Melancon, Jordan Walden, and Bruce Rondon round out the top five.

All of these pitchers are right-handed, which isn’t surprising when you consider that most pitches are thrown by right-handed pitchers. Lefties make up only about a third of all major league pitchers, so it’s not surprising that they don’t throw as hard as their right-handed counterparts.

The Stats

Pitchers are always looking for an edge. One way to get an edge is to throw the ball harder than the other guy. In 2019, the average fastball velocity was 92.4 mph. But some pitchers throw a lot harder than that. In fact, there were 18 pitchers who averaged at least 100 mph on their fastball last season.

These are the guys who bring the heat. They’re the hardest throwers in baseball. Here are the top 10, according to FanGraphs:

1) Aroldis Chapman, Yankees – 100.9 mph
2) Jordan Hicks, Cardinals – 100.2 mph
3) Trevor Bauer, Indians – 99.7 mph
4) Blake Treinen, A’s – 99.4 mph
5) Josh Hader, Brewers – 98.8 mph
6) Kenley Jansen, Dodgers – 98.5 mph
7) Edwin Diaz, Mets – 98.3 mph
8) Felipe Vazquez, Pirates – 98.2 mph
9) Garrett Richards, Angels – 98.1 mph
10) Craig Kimbrel, Cubs – 97.9mph

The Conclusion

The title of “fastest pitcher in baseball” is a bit misleading. No one can agree on who the record holder is, and there are doubts about the veracity of the claims. The two pitchers most often cited as the fastest are Bob Feller and Steve Dalkowski, but both men’s careers were before the era of reliable radar gun readings.

Other pitchers have been timed at faster speeds, but those readings are also questionable. Nolan Ryan is often cited as throwing a fastball clocked at 100.9 miles per hour, but that reading was taken using a hand-held radar gun and is not considered to be accurate.

The bottom line is that we may never know who the fastest pitcher in baseball truly is. There are too many variables and too much room for error. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy watching pitchers throw fastballs as fast as they can.