Steven Souza Jr., right fielder, Tampa Bay Rays
When it comes to Steven Souza, you’re going to see a lot of strikeouts. A 30.1-percent strikeout rate and a very low ISO could lead you to be unimpressed, but he does have one of the best overall exit velocities in the league at the moment.
His double off of Marcus Stroman had a launch angle of 10.2 degrees and flew 258 feet. It also measured at 116.2 miles per hour.
The 28-year-old is also getting on base more this season. He hosts a .356 on-base percentage, and in 40 games so far he has five home runs and 23 RBI.
courtesy of Baseball Savant
The launch angle is what is impressive for Souza. And he does make some hard contact. But it doesn’t seem to be consistent this year — just a 28.9-percent contact rate and a 16.7-percent home run to flyball ratio.
He’s hitting more line drives than ever before which certainly has its benefits, including having one of the hardest hit balls of the season.