Whew. The past two weeks have been nothing short of an onslaught of bat flips and celebrations around the league, even as pitchers seem to be missing more bats than ever. It’s an impressive portfolio again to kick off the first week of June, and our second week in a row featuring multiple bombs from Fernando Tatís Jr.
It’s honestly a wonder that he’s still able to find ways to stunt on his opponents that are fresh and novel. We’re also doing something to keep things fresh (and contested) on our end, as I’m going to reveal the first-ever Bat Flip Power Rankings at the end of this article. And with anything else, feel free to tell me where I’m slipping up in the comments below or on Twitter. Anyway, that’s enough from me, let’s get on with the show. And what a show it was.
7. Matt Beaty vs. Giovanny Gallegos
https://gfycat.com/poshoffensiveflounder
6/1/2021 — STL @ LAD
378ft, 103.5 mph, 25º LA
Matt Beaty is making his first-ever Best Bat Flips appearance coming off of this furious shot off of Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos. His bat drop had a little oomph behind it as well, perhaps in response to how he had just bailed himself out of a costly error earlier in the game.
Style: 7.5
Rotation: 120º
Redepmtion: 9
6. Yasmani Grandal vs. Casey Mize
https://gfycat.com/diminbornbee
Bat drop king Yasmani Grandal makes his return to the roundup this week, as he finally took his bat off of his shoulder long enough to put a high sinker from Casey Mize into the seats. He uncorked a signature and rapid bat drop, flashing a moment of disgust before taking his trot around the bases.
Style: 8
Speed: <1 second
Gusto: 8
5. Willson Contreras vs. Ryan Weathers
https://gfycat.com/partialequalimperatorangel
6/1/2021 — SD @ CHC
445ft, 110.9 mph, 26° LA
Grandal’s opposite on the Chicago’s North Side, Willson Contreras, also has a penchant for downright nasty celebrations. Known for his legendary sky-high flip in the two teams’ crosstown series last season, Contreras is back again this week after going yard off of the Padres’ Ryan Weathers.
After taking him deep, Contreras turns to his ex-teammate behind the plate, Victor Caratini, and taunts him with a quick jab and pointed heave of his bat.
Style: 8
Rotation: 180°
Nastiness: 9
4. Fernando Tatís Jr. vs. Taijuan Walker
https://gfycat.com/tastysaneamericanmarten
6/3/2021 — NYM @ SD
401ft, 104.3 mph, 37º LA
At what point do we just rename this article to the Fernando Tatís Jr. Power Hour? Week in and week out he’s pumping out high octane moments (and keeping me up late on Thursday nights). His latest in a long list of bat flipping exploits is this charged toss after putting his team up early with a two-run drive.
Like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. last week (with whom he currently shares part of the MLB home run lead), Tatís took his lumber almost all the way down the line with him as he tracked whether or not the ball would get out. After it cleared the fence the party started, and baseball’s brightest superstar brought everyone to their feet.
Style: 9
Rotation: 450°
Remembering you’re still holding the bat 3/4ths of the way to first: Priceless
3. Amed Rosario vs. Carlos Rodón
https://gfycat.com/heftycheerfulglobefish
5/31/2021 — CWS @ CLE
423ft, 108.0 mph, 24º LA
Amed Rosario let loose with a fierce bat toss after cranking a ball from Carlos Rodón out to the left field bleachers. It was a mammoth shot, one that didn’t draw so much as a twitch from Sox left fielder Leury García. Rosario absolutely flung his bat, sending it spinning off towards his teammates in the home dugout.
Style: 9
Rotation: 630°
Ambiance: 9
2. Fernando Tatís Jr. vs. Ryan Pressly
https://gfycat.com/allimperfectemu
5/29/2021 — SD @ HOU*
448ft, 114.9 mph, 30° LA
He’s done it again. Fernando Tatís Jr. is on a mission to dominate every baseball thrown remotely in his vicinity, and the scary thing is, is that so far he’s pretty much done it. His latest conquest was Minute Maid Park, where he demolished an inside fastball from Ryan Pressly to bring the Padres back from the brink and tie the game in the ninth.
I’m honestly not sure why the Astros thought throwing to the hottest hitter on the planet (who happens to represent the tying run) was a good idea with an open base at first, but it provided one of the most exciting moments of the week when Tatís took his time to admire his blast off of the railroad tracks soon after.
Style: 9
Rotation: 360°
Pose: 2.5 seconds
1. Adalberto Mondesi vs. Duane Underwood Jr.
https://gfycat.com/glossyimpassionedarrowcrab
5/31/2021 — PIT @ KC
417ft, 109.8 mph, 33° LA
Adalberto Mondesi capped off the month of May with an exclamation point with this gargantuan blast off of Pittsburgh veteran Duane Underwood Jr. His big swing cashed in two runs, extending the Royals’ lead over the Pirates to 5-2 in the fifth inning.
It was a huge swing for momentum, as now Kansas City could breathe a little easier with a three-run lead. Mondesi knew he got every stitch of the ball too, and skipped down the line, unfurling a frigid bat flip in his wake. It was a knockout punch in the middle innings, one that the Pirates could not overcome as they dropped the game 7-2
Style: 9
Rotation: 880°
Temperature: Below Freezing
That just about does it for our roundup this week! It was another week packed with colorful and exciting celebrations, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Now, before we finish things off with a look at the first-ever Bat Flip Power Rankings, I wanted to lay out some criteria. These rankings are just for the 2021 season, and will include the top 25 bat flippers (droppers, throwers, etc.) from around the league. The players are being graded on both their bat flips featured in our Best Bat Flip series, as well as on those that may not make the weekly spotlight. I’m stopping at 25, because if I tried to rank everyone in the league we could be here all day. Even then, there were some painful cuts. Don’t forget, if (when) you find grievances with this incredibly important list, you can voice them in the comments below or on Twitter. Now then, I give you the inaugural Bat Flip Power Rankings from around the league:
Photo by Dustin Ian D’Andrea/Flickr | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)