Eight MLB hitters who racked up home runs despite many ground balls

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies
Eight MLB hitters who racked up home runs despite many ground balls
Sep 29, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto (22) rounds the bases on a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Juan Soto, Washington Nationals

Homers: 22

Ground-Ball Rate: 53.7%

Fly-Ball Rate: 28.8%

The Nationals were massive disappointments this year — they started with championship aspirations and ended with an 82-80 record and no playoff berth. Who knows how worse it could’ve been without the emergence of Juan Soto, though.

While the 19-year-old didn’t hit many fly balls, he made the most of them by almost matching his fly-ball rate with a 24.7% home-runs-per-fly-ball rate. He didn’t make his MLB debut until May 15th, but his 3.7 fWAR ended up being a shade higher than Bryce Harper (3.5 fWAR), who played in 159 games.

The most stunning part of Soto’s plate approach is his patience — especially at his age. He struck out at a 20.0% clip, but also boasted an impressive 16.0% walk rate, partially thanks to a 21.9% chase rate. Only 14 other hitters with 450-plus plate appearances had a lower chase rate, with his being basically identical to Mike Trout (21.8%).

That’s some pretty good company to be in.

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