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Jhoan Duran led MLB in fastball velocity in 2023 at 101.8 mph. The top three were Jhoan Duran, Ben Joyce, Justin Martinez, based on Statcast data from Baseball Savant.
Average fastball velocity is the mean speed of a pitcher's four-seam or sinker — whichever they throw most — across all outings. Statcast captures each pitch off the TrackMan/Hawk-Eye radar in every MLB park, so the numbers are precise to a tenth of a mph. Elite relievers routinely sit 98+ mph; starters maintaining 96+ over a full outing are the rarest breed in the game.
Judge, Soto, and Ohtani lead off vs. a Cy Young CPU pitcher. Three outs or three runs — whichever comes first. Real Statcast pitch-by-pitch sim, ~30 seconds. No download, no signup, no card pack to open.
Fastball velocity is the single strongest predictor of strikeout rate at the pitcher level, and velocity gains year-over-year almost always translate to performance gains. This leaderboard surfaces the arms that overwhelm hitters with pure stuff — the bullpen weapons and front-line starters whose margin for error is widest.
Data source: MLB Statcast via Baseball Savant. This archive captures the 2023 season as it ended; for the live, nightly-updated leaderboard see Fastest Fastball Velocity in MLB.