There are starting pitchers like Jacob Misiorowski, throwing 104 mph fastballs with devastating 93 mph sliders.Just 10 years ago, the average fastball velocity across the league was 93 mph.
Through his first 15 starts this year, Misiorowski's allowed a grand total of 15 earned runs.Then there are relievers.San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller is on an otherworldly run himself, allowing just three earned runs in 32 innings.
Miller's faced 123 hitters this season and struck out 63 of them.Major league average hard hit percentage allowed is around 40%.
Miller's is 7%.There's dominance, then there's what Misiorowski and Miller are doing.While they're extreme examples, pitching across the league has continued to outpace hitting.
Pitch development has become a science, and the mountain of available data makes it easier than ever to find a mix of pitches that work best for each individual player.BREWERS' FLAMETHROWER JACOB MISIOROWSKI LIGHTS UP RECORD BOOKS WITH TRIPLE-DIGIT SPEEDS IN GEM VS YANKEESMilwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski threw a stunning 104.5 mph pitch, the hardest ever thrown by a starter.(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)But over the last month or so, offense across baseball has gone up dramatically.
So how's that possible, given the advantages pitchers enjoy?Because the baseball has changed.A lot.Eno Sarris from The Athletic researched drag on the baseball over the past few weeks, and found that it's the lowest it's been since 2019.
Less drag means the ball flies farther, since there's less resistance as it goes through the air.That 2019 season was an offensive showcase, with 10 players hitting 40 or more home runs and 58 hitting 30 or more.
The league as a whole hit .252/.323/.425 that year.In 2025, with a much higher drag baseball, the league hit .245/.315/.404.
That's a 21-point decrease in slugging percentage, across all big league hitters.More research from Sean Zerillo on X found that virtually all offensive analytical data has surge...