In case you haven't been paying attention, Yankees' rookie sensation Aaron Judge has the top four exit velocities in the majors this year, and eight of the top 13 spots.
Judge's major league-leading EV was 121.1 mph on a pitch from Orioles starter Chris Tillman on June 10, and he followed up the next day with a 118.6 mph reading on a 495-foot home run off Logan Verrett of the Orioles.
If there was an exit velocity bonus clause in his contract, Judge would be cashing in big-time.
Of course this begs the questions: What is exit velocity, and does anyone really care?
Exit velocity, the speed of the ball after it's hit, is a newfangled stat MLB.com began tracking in 2015. A batter with a high exit velocity on a hit doesn't always have success. In fact, the highest recorded EV in the last three years -- Avisail Garcia's 125.2 mph off Tyler Wilson in 2016 -- turned into an out.
But MLB is looking constantly for ways to get fans more interested in the game, and television is searching constantly for new graphics to clutter up, er, fill the screen.
"I pay attention to them," said Orioles Manager Buck Showalter, a former scout.
Does it mean anything?
"To me? It verifies what my gut tells me watching games," he said. "I'll go 'This guy has pretty good swings off a left-hander, let me see if his track record (shows that).' You know what it means? Maybe a little bit more exact (proof) of what scouts used to (say).
"I had an old scout years ago, Birdie Tebbetts, who told me to go in and watch a game, and if he only got one look at a guy ... time the popups.
"(Popups) show the ability to impart back spin, and show power. So when I see a weak popup that doesn't stay in the air very long, I remember Birdie (telling me) 'When I see a guy who hits a popup that's up in the air forever, this guy has some pop.' And I tell you, he's right. So that was my 'exit velocity.' "
Showalter said he believes many of the new stats are based on things scouts looked for in players but couldn't quantify with exact numbers.
"It just doesn't require eyeballs anymore," he said. "It doesn't require gut and it doesn't require experience. It's a cold number. Don't get me going."
Oh, sorry. Too late.
"There's a place for both of them," Showalter said before moving on to back spin.
"What is it?" he said. "Rotational spin?"
Actually it's spin rate, the revolutions per minute on a pitch.
"You get great spin rate on your breaking ball, but if you hang it, or if you throw it in the middle of your strike zone ... " he said.
Showalter, as one might suspect, is not really into modern technology.
"The ballpark has become so busy with entertainment things," he said. "It will actually make someone look up from their computers or their phones."
With all the tweeting, Showalter said he feels sorry for the plight of the modern-day baseball writer, who he suspects is unable to focus on the actual game.
"I know you (media) guys have a tough time watching every pitch of every game because you're constantly having to do something," he said. "Sometimes I'll go 'Wow, I didn't get asked about that. Must've been during a tweet.' You guys have a lot of pulls on you. Have to be first, right? And right. In that order."
And "clever," he was informed.
"Sarcastic," he replied. "You say clever. I say sarcastic."
Now what was it we were talking about again?
Sports on 06/18/2017