MLB Prospects Who Gained The Most 90th Percentile Exit Velocity In 2024
Image credit: A's outfielder Colby Thomas (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
At the end of last season, we examined the players who saw significant jumps in their exit velocity data year over year. Contained within that list were names like Daniel Schneeman, Luis Vazquez, Noelvi Marte, Riley Tirotta and James Triantos.
While not every player included within the list took their game to new heights in 2024, many like Schneeman, Tirotta and Triantos enjoyed standout seasons in 2024.
We’re back again heading into the offseason. Unlike last year, when we looked at both average exit velocity jumpers and those that saw a dramatic improvement in 90th percentile exit velocity, we’ll be simply looking at 90th percentile gainers in 2024 because it correlates more closely with breakthroughs in power production. We’ve seen this over a set of three seasons, giving us greater confidence in the 90th percentile metric being predictive of future performance and real power gains.
| PLAYER | 23 BIP | BIP | 90% EV (2023) | 90% EV (2024) | YOY +/- | ISO 2023 | ISO 2024 | YOY +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pablo Guerrero | 89 | 193 | 98.2 | 105.7 | 7.5 | .136 | .166 | .030 |
| Kleimer Lemos | 132 | 103 | 97.4 | 104.7 | 7.3 | .145 | .259 | .114 |
| Nate Furman | 303 | 148 | 95.4 | 101 | 5.6 | .042 | .144 | .102 |
| Alexander Ramirez | 258 | 105 | 104.7 | 110.1 | 5.4 | .105 | .223 | .118 |
| Yerlin Confidan | 167 | 243 | 104.4 | 109.5 | 5.1 | .142 | .171 | .029 |
| Joseph Tailor | 96 | 116 | 96.1 | 101.2 | 5.1 | .072 | .251 | .179 |
| Victor Labrada | 165 | 238 | 98.2 | 103.1 | 4.9 | .042 | .183 | .141 |
| Ed Howard | 118 | 278 | 99.5 | 103.9 | 4.4 | .045 | .073 | .028 |
| Kale Emshoff | 222 | 127 | 102.1 | 106.4 | 4.3 | .157 | .201 | .044 |
| Braylin Morel | 124 | 105 | 99.2 | 103.4 | 4.2 | .300 | .268 | -.032 |
| Demetrio Crisantes | 80 | 300 | 98.5 | 102.5 | 4 | .119 | .151 | .032 |
| Rafael Flores | 267 | 286 | 104.3 | 108.1 | 3.8 | .107 | .217 | .110 |
| Henry Bolte | 246 | 265 | 104.1 | 107.6 | 3.5 | .164 | .199 | .035 |
| Roman Anthony | 268 | 314 | 105.3 | 108.5 | 3.2 | .194 | .207 | .013 |
| Joe Mack | 328 | 316 | 101.1 | 104.2 | 3.1 | .069 | .216 | .147 |
| Matt Koperniak | 399 | 350 | 101.2 | 104 | 2.8 | .150 | .203 | .053 |
| Jefferson Rojas | 208 | 310 | 99.8 | 102.6 | 2.8 | .135 | .091 | -.044 |
| Colby Thomas | 345 | 347 | 104.1 | 106.8 | 2.7 | .207 | .287 | .080 |
| Alan Roden | 369 | 364 | 100.3 | 103 | 2.7 | .143 | .182 | .039 |
| Cutter Coffey | 259 | 218 | 98.7 | 101.2 | 2.5 | .105 | .190 | .085 |
Key Takeaways
All but two players on this list saw increases in isolated slugging performance. Those two players, Braylin Morel and Jefferson Rojas, saw fairly slight drops.
Morel’s isolated slugging dropped from .300 in 2023 to .268, but keep in mind he faced better competition jumping from the Dominican Summer League to the Arizona Complex League. Both of those marks are higher than average by a significant margin. Rojas, on the other hand, jumped from Low-A to High-A while seeing a jump of 100+ balls in play. The 19-year-old was one of the youngest players to begin the season in the High-A Midwest League. At times, he seemed to struggle to find his footing against older competitors.
Joe Mack, Colby Thomas, Rafael Flores and Alan Roden rode improved quality of contact to Minor League Player of the Year awards for their respective organizations. Flores and Mack saw jumps of over 100 points in ISO year over year, allowing them to unlock better in-game performance due to exit velocity gains.
Thomas was not far behind, gaining 80 points in ISO compared to 2023. He put himself into the picture in Oakland for years to come. Roden overcame a slow start at Triple-A Buffalo to produce a .314/.406/.510 line over 71 games with the Bisons. All these players saw significant jumps in prospect stock headed into the offseason.
D-backs infielder Demetrio Crisantes and A’s outfielder Henry Bolte are two of the better breakout 2024 prospects to make the list. Each saw jumps in isolated slugging and overall production and cemented themselves as potential Top 100 Prospects this offseason.
Six players on this list saw gains of 100 points or more in isolated slugging. Of those players, five saw gains of 5 mph or more in 90th percentile exit velocity year over year. This lends credence to the basic concept of hitting the ball harder will lead to improved in game results.
The two biggest year-over-year gainers in this list are Rangers prospects Pablo Guerrero and Kleimer Lemos. Both of these players saw 7+ mph gains year over year in 90th percentile EV. Each of these players are young, and there’s a natural progression of power gains between ages among teenaged players. However, both went from having below-average exit velocity data to above-average or better EVs.
The average exit velocity gain among this group of 20 players was 4.2 mph. The average isolated slugging gain was .065. That gives us a pretty good handle of how added impact can improve production.
Roman Anthony saw a sizable increase in 90th percentile exit velocity despite a well above-average 2023 marker. His gains in isolated slugging were minimal but impressive considering his jump in levels. He ascended from a top 25 prospect this season to our No. 1 prospect heading into 2025.
