In 2019, we saw a massive spike in home runs all across MLB. As it turns out, the balls were doctored in a way where they traveled further than they did in the past. This season, the opposite has happened: Fly balls are not traveling nearly as far as they did even in 2024, according to the latest from Eno Sarris and Evan Drellich of The Athletic ($).
"Deep flies aren’t flying as far this year in Major League Baseball, and the league office is acknowledging as much. A review by The Athletic of MLB’s publicly available data shows there has been more drag on the ball in 2025 than in any of the other nine seasons that MLB has tracked it. As a result, equally hard-hit fly balls are coming up 4 feet short, on average."
Even with the balls not traveling in the air nearly as much, the usual suspects have had monstrous power years. Aaron Judge is having one of the greatest starts to a season ever, Shohei Ohtani is still Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber can still hit the ball a long way more often than most.
This season, though, has unexpectedly brought on some shocking additions to the home run leaderboard. These five newly minted sluggers are unexpectedly thriving even with the new baseballs.
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Jo Adell is finally developing as a slugger for the Angels
It's no secret that Jo Adell has not panned out to be the superstar the Los Angeles Angels thought he'd become, and even this season, he's still a flawed player. He strikes out a ton, doesn't walk very much and is having an atrocious defensive season. His bat though, while streaky, is as good as it's ever been, particularly in the power department.
Adell is slashing .223/.296/.473 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI in 60 games played. He doesn't hit for a very high average and doesn't get on base enough, but when he's able to make contact, he usually hits the ball very hard and very far.
His 13 home runs are already seven shy of tying his career high of 20, which he set last season, and the Angels still have over 90 games to play. Adell is on a 31-home run pace, which would shatter his career high and be more than enough to solidify himself as a worthy regular. Again, his overall play needs a lot of improvement, but at least his power is finally starting to take off.
Trent Grisham has become a threat at the plate at the best time for the Yankees
Entering last offseason, it was fair to wonder whether the New York Yankees would even tender Trent Grisham a contract, knowing that on paper he'd be a decent fourth outfielder at best. Well, they chose to keep Grisham around, and he's forced his way into the lineup more often than not because of his performance offensively.
Grisham is slashing .244/.351/.472 with 13 home runs and 28 RBI in 59 games played. He's scuffled for the last month or so, but even with that, he's only four home runs shy of tying his previous career-high set of 17 set in 2022 with the San Diego Padres. He, like Adell, is on pace for 31 home runs overall. He probably won't get there given how crowded New York's outfield is, but he should easily hit 20+.
Grisham has always walked a lot and has always been a rock-solid defender, but he's never displayed nearly as much power as he has this season. A lot of the focus in their lineup has been on Judge and rightfully so, but Grisham's bat has been a key to the Yankees' success. They're 8-3 in the 11 games he's homered in. His emergence has made forgetting about Juan Soto easier for Yankees fans.
Spencer Torkelson is showing he belongs in the Tigers' future plans
Spencer Torkelson looked like a future star with the Detroit Tigers when he hit 31 home runs in the 2023 campaign, but he struggled so mightily in 2024 that he spent much of the year in Triple-A. His spot on the 2025 Tigers was far from secure, but he had a strong spring training and has carried his momentum into the regular season, establishing himself as a key piece on this Detroit roster.
Torkelson is slashing .234/.338/.498 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI. He's still striking out a lot and doesn't hit for a very high average, but his OPS is nearly 80 points higher than it was in his 31-home run campaign, and he's been Detroit's best power hitter and run producer.
He's displayed some elite power before, but Torkelson is on pace to go deep 37 times this season. For reference, only nine players in the Majors reached that total last year, and that was with a ball more catered to hit home runs. Torkelson is displaying special power for a special Tigers team, and it's been fun to watch.
Pete Crow-Armstrong's newfound power has shot him into the MVP race
Pete Crow-Armstrong was a valuable player even while providing minimal value at the plate last season because of his tremendous speed and elite glove. This season, Crow-Armstrong has been his usual outstanding self on the base paths and in the field, but his bat has taken off to the point where he's a legitimate MVP-caliber player for the Chicago Cubs.
The 23-year-old is slashing .271/.305/.554 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI. He's also swiped 21 bases in 24 tries. He chases a ton and doesn't walk as much as the Cubs probably would like, but boy, has he hit the ball with authority. I mean, this guy hit 10 home runs in 123 games and 410 plate appearances last season. He's almost doubled that in a little more than half the games this season. That's insane.
Crow-Armstrong is on pace to hit 42 dingers this season, a number only three players reached all of last season. His 18 home runs thus far lead a Cubs team that has Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch on it, and they have him tied for seventh in the Majors.
He was always going to have a good amount of value because of his base running and his defense at a premium position, but his bat being this powerful has him among the most valuable players in the game in just his second full season.
Cal Raleigh's power has reached new heights in 2025
Does anyone know who is leading the Majors in home runs? Hint: it isn't Judge. It also isn't Ohtani. It happens to be Cal Raleigh: Yes, a catcher who plays half the time at the most pitcher-friendly park in the sport, surrounded by mostly an underwhelming supporting cast, is leading the league in homers. What an unbelievable story that is.
Raleigh is slashing .265/.372/.629 with 26 home runs and 53 RBI for the Seattle Mariners. His 26 home runs are one more than Judge's 25 and three more than Ohtani's 23. Judge's historically great offensive start has him as the clear-cut MVP favorite, but Raleigh's light-tower power, in addition to what he can do defensively behind the plate, has to have him in the conversation, at least.
Raleigh has always been one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game. He set a career-high with 34 home runs last season and has averaged 30 home runs over the last three seasons. As impressive as that is, he's on pace to hit 63 home runs this year. For any player, that's an absurd mark; for a catcher playing half the time at T-Mobile Park, it's downright ridiculous. He's gone from a very good power hitter to one of the best power hitters in the game, which, considering the new ball, is an extraordinary development.