2024 MLB Farm System Statcast Hitting Rankings

HIT+

team	hit+
DET	115
LAD	114
MIN	112
SEA	112
MIL	111
TOR	110
CLE	109
OAK	109
STL	108
NYY	108
CHC	105
SF	104
BOS	103
CWS	102
PHI	102
KC	101
SD	101
MIA	99
AZ	98
BAL	94
TEX	94
HOU	93
PIT	92
LAA	90
TB	89
COL	89
ATL	87
NYM	86
WSH	82
CIN	80

Last year, the Tigers were a surprise addition near the top of the charts. This year, they lead the league in this metric with strong performances from Kevin McGonigle (130 HIT+) and Dillon Dingler (122). Trading Jack Flaherty helped by adding Thayron Liranzo (120) and Trey Sweeney (117). The parent club was a surprise playoff team in 2024, and it seems that there is solid hitting depth in the organization. 

The Dodgers finished runner-up, as their player development machine continues to deliver prospects. If they had held onto prospects they traded at the deadline—the aforementioned Liranzo (120) and Sweeney (117), but also Jeral Perez (113) and Miguel Vargas (124)—they actually would have led in this metric, while the Tigers would have dropped to fourth. It’s a testament to their depth that they could trade from their immense prospect depth for major league contributors and still be in the top quintile of the league in the key Statcast hitting metrics.

The Mariners also traded some of their high profile prospects at the trade deadline, such as Aidan Smith (115) in the Randy Arozarena deal with the Rays, as well as prospects who graded high on this metric like RJ Schreck (124) and Jonatan Clase (114) in a deal with the Blue Jays. If they hadn’t made their deadline deals, they would have had the second-highest organization score. But by retaining players such as Colt Emerson (123), Cole Young (121), Michael Arroyo (117), Harry Ford (115), Jonny Farmelo (113)and Felnin Celesten (108), the Mariners are still in good shape and rank fourth in HIT+.

The Twins and Guardians were in the top 10 in 2023 and have risen even further in 2024. Luke Keaschall (128), surprising breakout Payton Eeles (123), Walker Jenkins (121), Kala’i Rosario (120), Emmanuel Rodriguez (118) and Ricardo Olivar (116) were all large contributors to the big scores.

Last year, the Rays, Nationals and Angels were in the bottom six, and again they find themselves in the lowest quintile in 2024. 

By acquiring Schreck (124) and Clase (114), as well as Will Wagner (119), Joey Loperfido (117), Yohendrick Pinango (114) and Charles McAdoo (109), the Blue Jays significantly improved their hitting depth and find themselves in sixth in the league in HIT+. Had they not made the trades, they would be six points lower and drop seven slots in the organization  rankings.

Now, let’s dig into some of the key hitting components of Statcast, including 90th percentile exit velocity, contact rate, chase rate and barrel rate.

90th Percentile Exit Velocity

team	90th ev
NYY	102.3 mph
CHC	102.2
WSH	102.0
PHI	101.8
SF	101.7
HOU	101.6
NYM	101.6
LAA	101.5
MIN	101.5
DET	101.5
TOR	101.4
PIT	101.4
SEA	101.4
STL	101.3
LAD	101.3
CWS	101.3
KC	101.2
League Average	101.2
CIN	101.2
OAK	101.1
COL	101.1
BOS	101.0
MIA	100.9
BAL	100.7
MIL	100.6
ATL	100.5
TB	100.5
TEX	100.3
AZ	100.1
CLE	100.0
SD	99.6

The Yankees lead the league with an average 90th percentile exit velocity across the organization of 102.3 mph. Some players with 90th EVs above 107 mph were Spencer Jones (107.7 mph), Yankee minor league player of the year Rafael Flores (108.1) and AFL home run derby champion Garrett Martin (107.7). Had they not traded him to the Marlins, Agustin Ramirez and his 107.9 mph 90th percentile exit velocity would also be part of this illustrious crew.

Last year, the Cubs led the league in 90th percentile exit velocity, and in 2024, they find themselves just off the top spot. This demonstrates both the year-over-year stickiness of the metric and the fact that the Cubs appear to prioritize quality of contact. 

In 2023, the Guardians ranked at the bottom with a 100.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. This year they have a 100.0 mph exit velocity, slightly better than the lagging Padres, who couldn’t quite make the century mark for miles per hour off the bat. 

The Marlins, after acquiring Agustin Ramirez (108 mph) and Deyvison De Los Santos (108 mph), also gained exit velocity organization-wide. 

The Red Sox lost exit velocity when they parted ways with Nick Yorke (105 mph to the Pirates) and Matthew Lugo (105 mph to the Angels) and are interestingly below average, in aggregate, despite a successful hitting development overhaul in 2024.

Contact Rate

team	contact%
MIL	74.6%
CLE	74.1%
STL	73.5%
SD	73.0%
TOR	72.9%
BOS	72.8%
AZ	72.8%
DET	72.5%
PHI	72.5%
COL	72.4%
OAK	72.2%
SF	72.2%
MIN	72.2%
BAL	72.2%
League Average	72.0%
CWS	71.9%
SEA	71.8%
TB	71.8%
TEX	71.8%
NYY	71.8%
KC	71.8%
MIA	71.8%
ATL	71.7%
LAD	71.6%
CHC	71.2%
PIT	71.1%
NYM	70.8%
HOU	70.5%
LAA	70.5%
WSH	70.4%
CIN	69.8%

The Brewers, though 24th league-wide in 90th percentile exit velocity, lead the league in contact with a near 75% rate across the organization (Spoiler alert: They also lead the league in chase rate).

In 2023, the Guardians ranked first in contact rate, and they slip down to second place in 2024. This contact-first approach seemingly trading off exit velocity—the Guardians ranked 29th in the 90th percentile exit velocity rankings above—is also what we see with the Padres (fourth in contact rate and 30th in 90th EV) and the Diamondbacks (sixth in contact rate and 28th in 90th EV).

On the other side of the coin, the Astros, Mets and Nationals find themselves in the bottom quintile for contact rate but in the top seven for 90th percentile exit velocity.

The club with the worst average contact rate was the Reds with a 69.8% mark.

Chase Rate

team	chase%
LAD	24.2%
MIL	24.2%
NYY	24.9%
SD	25.0%
DET	25.1%
MIN	25.2%
TOR	25.3%
BAL	25.4%
SEA	25.5%
SF	25.8%
CLE	25.9%
BOS	26.1%
OAK	26.2%
CHC	26.2%
League Average	26.5%
CWS	26.7%
KC	26.7%
NYM	26.7%
ATL	26.8%
PHI	26.8%
PIT	27.0%
HOU	27.1%
TEX	27.5%
TB	27.6%
MIA	27.6%
LAA	27.7%
AZ	28.1%
WSH	28.1%
CIN	28.3%
STL	28.4%
COL	30.2%

Once again, the Brewers find themselves at the very top of the rankings. With a league leading contact rate and chase rate, they seem to be prioritizing drafting or developing the hit tool skillset, first and foremost.

In 2023, the Dodgers had the best chase rate in the minor leagues, and in 2024 they share the honors with the Brewers.

The Padres, Blue Jays and Tigers are in the top 10 in both contact rate and chase rate, showing they, too, prioritize hit tool skills. This is a repeat performance of top 10 contact rates for both the Padres and Blue Jays from 2023.

The Reds and the Angels, on the other hand, are both in the bottom 10 for contact rate and chase rate, lagging the league significantly in hit tool skills in 2024.

The Rockies and Cardinals are near the bottom of the league for chase rate yet are in the top 10 for contact rate, suggesting that putting the ball in play appears to be a priority over making more optimal swing decisions.

Barrel Rate

Team	barrel%
NYY	14.2%
SEA	14.0%
LAD	13.6%
CHC	13.4%
MIN	13.3%
SF	13.3%
DET	13.2%
TOR	13.2%
LAA	12.9%
OAK	12.9%
CWS	12.8%
PIT	12.7%
KC	12.6%
League Average	12.5%
PHI	12.5%
BOS	12.4%
CIN	12.4%
BAL	12.4%
STL	12.4%
MIA	12.3%
HOU	12.3%
WSH	12.0%
NYM	12.0%
AZ	11.9%
SD	11.8%
CLE	11.8%
TEX	11.7%
MIL	11.6%
ATL	11.5%
TB	11.4%
COL	11.4%

The Yankees not only led the league in 90th percentile exit velocity but also barrel rate, indicating they hit the ball hard at ideal launch angles to inflict damage. The Cubs, Twins and Giants also were in the top 10 in both of these quality-of-contact metrics.

The Mariners and the Dodgers, although outside the top 10 in 90th percentile exit velocity, are second and third, respectively, in barrel rate. This suggests they optimize their hardest hit balls at ideal launch angles. 

On the other side of the coin, the Nationals and the Mets have top 10 exit velocities compared to the rest of the league, but are in the bottom third of the league in terms of barrel rate, suggesting that there is room for improving on their raw power.

The Rays, Rangers, Guardians, Padres and Brewers are in the bottom quintile of the league for both 90th percentile exit velocity and barrel rate. It’s not a surprise to see the Guardians, Padres and Brewers here, as they seemingly prioritize hit over power. But it’s surprising to see the Rays here, who also rank in the bottom 10 for contact rate and chase rate.  

Overall Rankings For Each Metric

Putting all of the above in context, here are the organizational rankings in one table:

team	hit+	90th ev	contact%	chase%	Barrel%
DET	1	10	8	5	7
LAD	2	15	16	1	3
MIN	3	9	15	6	5
SEA	4	13	17	9	2
MIL	5	24	1	2	27
TOR	6	11	5	7	8
CLE	7	29	2	11	24
OAK	8	19	11	13	10
STL	9	14	3	29	18
NYY	10	1	20	3	1
CHC	11	2	24	14	4
SF	12	5	12	10	6
BOS	13	21	7	12	15
CWS	14	16	14	15	12
PHI	15	4	9	19	14
KC	16	17	21	16	13
SD	17	30	4	4	25
MIA	18	22	22	24	19
AZ	19	28	6	27	22
BAL	20	23	13	8	17
TEX	21	27	19	22	26
HOU	22	6	27	21	20
PIT	23	12	25	20	11
LAA	24	7	28	25	9
TB	25	26	18	23	29
COL	26	20	10	30	30
ATL	27	25	23	18	28
NYM	28	8	26	17	23
WSH	29	3	29	26	21
CIN	30	18	30	28	16

The Mariners, Twins, Tigers and Giants are the only teams that ranked in the upper half for all metrics. The Giants HIT+ metric is surprisingly low despite the high ranks for the Statcast metrics. This might be due to the fact that they are excelling at hitting fastballs while also facing more fastballs. The fact that they are lower on the HIT+ metric, which attempts to weight performance against non-fastballs equally, suggests that they might not be performing as well against breaking pitches and off-speed pitches, potentially highlighting a future vulnerability.

Conversely, the Dodgers have the highest HIT+ score despite being just below league average in contact rate.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the pitching side of things.