We already knew about Sánchez’s massive power potential. With help from Denver’s high altitude, he blasted this hanging slider nearly 500 feet.
Less than 24 hours after the Fish Stripes staff and I contemplated whether the Marlins should demote slumping outfielder Jesús Sánchez to the minors, he did this:
Jesus Sanchez. 114.7 mph off the bat. 496 feet. Looks to have cleared the third deck. My goodness. pic.twitter.com/c1LlNSW0an
— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) May 30, 2022
Slump officially busted.
Sánchez’s homer against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner gave the Marlins an early lead on Monday. Though it counted for only one run, it was no ordinary round-tripper. Its exit velocity of 114.7 miles per hour was the highest of Sánchez’s career. Aided by the thin air of Coors Field, it traveled a projected distance of 496 feet.
How extraordinary is that? Statcast instantly auto-generates visualizations of every batted ball from MLB games, and the landing spot of the Sánchez home run was outside the boundaries of the image.
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Baseball Savant
The “Statcast era” encompasses six full MLB seasons (2015-2019, 2021) and two partial ones (2020 and 2022). Among the tens of thousands of home runs hit during that period, only four others have traveled as far as Sánchez’s.
Nomar Mazara (Rangers)—505 feet
- Date: June 21, 2019
- Opponent: Reynaldo López (White Sox)
- Pitch Type: four-seam fastball
- Ballpark: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Mazara is the only fellow lefty batter to match or exceed Sánchez’s distance. He’s also somewhat of a cautionary tale, totaling only 83 career long balls and barely cracking replacement-level production overall despite his immense prospect pedigree.
Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins)—504 feet
- Date: August 6, 2016
- Opponent: Chad Bettis (Rockies)
- Pitch Type: changeup
- Ballpark: Coors Field
Hey, that looks familiar. Stanton, of course, is the Marlins franchise leader in career dingers. Like so many of his other signature Marlins moments, this came in a losing effort.
Although Big G surprisingly has only one 500-footer, he owns five of the top 50 Statcast era batted ball distances (highest total of any player).
Aaron Judge (Yankees)—496 feet
- Date: September 30, 2017
- Opponent: Marcus Stroman (Blue Jays)
- Pitch Type: sinker
- Ballpark: Yankee Stadium
This was Judge’s 52nd and final homer of his American League Rookie of the Year-winning campaign.
Miguel Sanó (Twins)—496 feet
- Date: September 17, 2019
- Opponent: Ross Detwiler (White Sox)
- Pitch Type: four-seam fastball
- Ballpark: Target Field