Small things can make a big difference in baseball, especially for hitters. A tweak with the hands. A modified stance. A new angle for holding the bat. Any or all of these can result in significant changes in a player's swing and, in turn, their offensive production.
In a game of inches, or even millimeters, the most minor change can produce major dividends when hitting the ball -- most notably, harder contact and more hits. But sometimes, big things make a big difference, too. Like being healthy or making better swing decisions, both of which can play a huge role in a hitter's ability to do damage.
Whatever a hitter's situation, the goal remains the same: Hit the ball hard. Why? Major Leaguers are batting .480 with a .935 slugging percentage this season on hard contact (95 mph exit velocity or higher), compared with a .218 average and .254 slugging percentage on other contact.
Here are seven players who've made major gains in hard-hit rate this season.
All stats are through Thursday.
Pete Alonso, Mets
Hard-hit rate: +5.9 points (46.4% to 52.3%)
Alonso has been a bopper since his 2019 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, when he clubbed a rookie-record 53 homers. Still, his 52.3 percent hard-hit rate this season is easily the highest of his career. A big reason is because his fast-swing rate -- his percentage of swings at 75 mph or higher -- has surged from 51.8 percent last season to 57.2 percent this season. So when Alonso makes contact, he tends to crush the ball. Consider: His .601 expected slugging percentage is in the top 2 percent of the league -- and 50 percentage points better than his previous high.
Alonso has credited some cleaned-up mechanics as the reason for the swing improvements -- "no wasted moves," he said -- and the surge in hard-hit rate has gone hand-in-hand with him handling both fastballs and breaking balls significantly better than last season. His expected slugging is up to .699 on fastballs (from .513) and .470 on breaking balls (from .320).
Randy Arozarena, Mariners
Hard-hit rate: +8.9 points (43.5% to 52.4%)
It's no coincidence that Arozarena's best season since 2021 has come as he's crushing balls at a higher rate than ever. His average bat speed is actually down slightly from the past two years (72.4 mph, still a bit above average), but he's squaring up the ball more often (35.3 percent of contact). So, even though his bat tilt and attack angle are the same as last season, the ball is leaving his bat at greater speeds.
He's also swinging at more pitches in the zone (62.2 percent) and is making contact at a higher rate than he has in a couple of years (76.2 percent). The combo has resulted in him putting the ball in the air more than at any other point in his career (59.5 percent), which, which combined with that hard contact, has led to a .469 slugging percentage, which would be his highest over a full season. Related: He's on pace for 32 homers, which would smash his previous career high (23).
Byron Buxton, Twins
Hard-hit rate: +7.0 points (48.1% to 55.1%)
With Buxton, the biggest key to his success has always been his health. He's played in 100 or more games just once since 2017. But in 2025, he's mostly stayed on the field -- he’s due back soon from a short IL stint -- and he’s hitting the ball with authority. The oft-injured but uber-talented outfielder is destroying baseballs at a career-high rate that's also in the top 2 percent of MLB. That's led to his highest slugging percentage (.561) and OPS (.906) for a season in which he's played at least 85 games, and has him on pace for a career-high 33 homers.
While Buxton’s bat-tracking metrics haven’t changed much, he's succeeded by making more contact in the strike zone than ever before (81.8 percent) and chasing at one of the lowest rates of his career (27.4 percent). So, he's not missing good pitches when they pass through the zone and he's doing damage when he connects. That’s a winning formula for any hitter.
Corbin Carroll, D-backs
Hard-hit rate: +8.7 points (40.8% to 49.5%)
Carroll's increase in hard-hit rate comes down to a combination of swinging harder and hitting the ball at better angles than before. Carroll has increased his bat speed (74.7 mph) by 1.5 mph since his 2023 rookie season and a full mph over last season. But he’s also nearly doubled his attack angle (the angle of the bat at contact) since last season.
Carroll's attack angle in 2024 was just 6 degrees. This year, it's jumped to 11 degrees, allowing him to achieve an ideal attack angle -- defined as between 5 and 20 degrees -- a strong 70.9 percent of the time, way up from 53.0 percent a year ago. The combination of bat speed and attack angle has led to a fly ball rate that has soared by 10 percentage points, up to 33.1 percent. Being quicker to the ball, hitting it harder and putting it in the air more often are why Carroll is already just two homers away from tying his career high of 25.
Zach Neto, Angels
Hard-hit rate: +7.6 points (38.8% to 46.4%)
Neto has improved as a hitter each year since his debut in 2023, with his power numbers increasing to the point that he's become a serious home run threat atop the Angels' lineup (23 last season, 16 so far this year). This improvement can be largely attributed to a series of small adjustments he's made in the box, including where he stands and how he swings.
His swing tilt -- the vertical angle of his bat path -- has increased by 5 degrees since last season. He's also moved up about 3 inches in the box, meaning he's able to make contact with the ball farther in front of the plate. Those two factors have helped optimize his swing for hard contact and, in turn, boost his offensive output.
“I’ve been getting my best swing off more often than I did last year, hitting the ball way harder,” Neto told MLB.com in June. “Just hitting my pitch and not missing it. Doing damage to it, whether it results in an out or a base hit.”
George Springer, Blue Jays
Hard-hit rate: +9.3 points (37.4% to 46.7%)
Springer is finally healthy again after a string of injuries in recent seasons limited his playing time and effectiveness, and he's crushing the ball like never before. Better health definitely helps, but Springer's improved hard-hit rate comes because of mechanical changes, too. For example, his bat speed (73.4 mph) is up nearly 2.5 mph over last season.
In addition to being up significantly from 2024, his hard-hit rate is the highest of his career, not to mention the first time he's passed the 40 percent mark since 2022. He also has an average exit velocity of 92.4 mph on fastballs, yet another career high. Add it all up, and Springer's .889 OPS this season is his highest since 2021. He's also on pace to reach 25 homers for the first time since 2022.
Brice Turang, Brewers
Hard-hit rate: +15.5 points (29.7% to 45.2%)
Even though Turang's 70.2 mph bat speed is below league average (71.6), it's significantly higher than it was last season (66.2). That's helped him raise his hard-hit rate more than any other qualifying hitter compared with 2024.
Also helping: He's moved deeper in the batter's box -- about 5 inches -- allowing him to see pitches a little longer. Along with a narrowed stance, he's raised his hands and now holds the bat vertically as opposed to resting it on his shoulder as he awaits a pitch. And, perhaps most importantly, he's re-incorporated a leg kick, giving him a longer stride as he swings and allowing him to drive the ball with more authority. The benefits of these tweaks are evident. He's hitting .332 on fastballs this season (an improvement of 25 points over last season) and he's also raised his average on breaking balls and offspeed pitches. It's all helped Turang raise his OPS by nearly 60 points over last season, and his eight homers so far are a career high.