August has been a tour de force of explosive bat flips and high leverage moments thus far. We’ve seen bats launched into orbit (more on that later), along with a myriad of different helicoptering and tumbling celebrations that would blow the minds of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, had they happened 100 years in the past. It’s a packed week, with two weeks of game-changing swings to leave your jaw on the floor, so let’s get to it!
Here are the Best Bat Flips of Weeks 18 & 19 (7/30-8/12)!
10. Teoscar Hernández vs. Daniel Lynch
https://gfycat.com/cautiousfreeabyssiniangroundhornbill
7/30/21 — KC @ TOR
441ft, 111.6 mph, 28º LA
Teoscar Hernández connected for one of his longest drives of the season for the Blue Jays’ first home run back in the Rogers Center after playing all of 2020 and the first half of 2021 in Buffalo. Now back in a big league ballpark, the Blue Jays wasted no time in throwing their homecoming party, topping the Royals 6-4. Hernández crushed this middle-middle fastball and immediately flicked away his bat in celebration with a moment of nonchalance before the stadium erupted in a long-overdue wave of excitement.
Style: 8
Rotation: 90°
Nonchalance: 8
9. Yadiel Hernández vs. Manuel Rodríguez
https://gfycat.com/spanishimaginativeandalusianhorse
8/1/21 — CHC @ WSH
384ft, 101.8 mph, 29° LA
Yadiel Hernández struck the deciding blow in the Aug. 1 matchup between the Cubs and the Nationals, turning a nasty 100 mph seed from Manuel Rodríguez around and sending it the opposite way into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center. To be fair to Rodríguez, there wasn’t much more he could have done there, as it was a pretty difficult pitch to hit. Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat and flip your bat, however, and Hernández certainly did the latter, giving the fans a graceful overhand toss as he slowly walked down the line to touch the bases for the final time that afternoon.
Style: 8
Rotation: 180°
Pose: 8.5
8. Eloy Jiménez vs. Zach Davies
https://gfycat.com/selfassuredimpuregrayreefshark
8/8/21 — CWS @ CHC
409ft, 106.7 mph, 30° LA
Eloy Jiménez returned from the Injured List with a bang (or maybe two of them) and has made an immediate impact on the White Sox lineup in the days since. He kicked things off with this mighty blast to dead center field off the Cubs’ Zach Davies, and topped it off with a heave of his bat over his head and into the grass. It was a message to pitchers around the American League: Eloy is back, and he’s here to mash.
Style: 8
Rotation: 0°
Height: 114 inches
7. J.P. Crawford vs. Mike Foltynewicz
https://gfycat.com/handsomefamiliarcottonmouth
8/12/21 — TEX @ SEA
400ft, 106.7 mph, 34° LA
J.P. Crawford unleashed a classic two-handed flip after crushing a 3-1 “get me over” pitch from the Rangers’ Mike Foltynewicz, breaking a 1-1 tie in the middle innings. Unfortunately, the field cameras failed to capture the entirety of the toss in all of its glory, so we are forced to extrapolate a little ourselves. It had some great rotation and a tight spin as it tumbled forward into the dirt, and could have potentially scored higher on this list if it had been recorded fully. As it stands now though, Crawford’s flip tops out at seventh in the rankings. When can we get designated bat flip cameras in baseball, Mr. Manfred?
Style: 8
Rotation: ???
Hands: 2
6. Odúbel Herrera vs. Tylor Megill
https://gfycat.com/untimelypeacefulachillestang
8/7/21 — NYM @ PHI
434ft, 110.4 mph, 27° LA
Odúbel Herrera has developed something of a penchant for high-flying bat flips out of his backswing, and this missile at the expense of the Mets’ Tylor Megill was no different. After demolishing the first pitch he saw for a three-run shot, Herrera flicked his wrist and sent the lumber flying out of frame, to the apparent delight of Rhys Hoskins behind him in the home dugout. With a hop-step, Herrera was off to touch ’em all, while his ball found the seats in the upper deck.
Style: 8.5
Rotation: 180°
Rhys: STOKED.
5. Adolis García vs. Cole Irvin
https://gfycat.com/homelyzestybaleenwhale
8/7/21 — TEX @ OAK
450ft, 107.8 mph, 32° LA
Breakout bat flipper Adolis García added another notch to his belt with this titanic blast off Oakland’s Cole Irvin. García opted for a three-quarters helicopter spin here, coolly strutting and watching it fly before giving his bat the heave. Perhaps he was watching the ecstatic Mariners(??) fan all the way out in the covered box seats 450 feet away in left center, clearly having the time of his life on the receiving end of the drive. If I was García, I’d be a little perplexed at the unrelated jersey as well, but kudos to the guy bravely representing his team in a separate contest entirely.
Style: 8.5
Rotation: 630°
Seattle Fans in O.Co: 1
4. Tim Anderson vs. Zack Britton
https://gfycat.com/foolishsilverappaloosa
8/12/21 — NYY @ CWS (@ IOWA)
Statcast data not available.
Tim Anderson gave MLB’s Field of Dreams game a true Hollywood ending when he crushed an outside fastball deep into the corn to walk-off the Yankees last week. Appropriately, it looked like something from a movie when Anderson dropped his bat and circled the bases while illuminated by the red lights of the fireworks exploding in the air just beyond the batter’s eye in center field. And while Statcast data was not available for the game, MLB did have extra cameras on hand to capture the big moment in all of its glory from a multitude of different angles, giving viewers a clear view as Anderson skipped down the first baseline, swiping at his neck and yelling “it’s over” to the Yankees bench. It was an electric moment and one of the best clips of the 2021 season thus far, and the perfect ending to a remarkable game. Tim Anderson is one of the most dynamic and entertaining ballplayers in the game, and there was no one better to bring the (literal) fireworks at the end of the night.
Style: 9
Rotation: 0°
CORN: ?
3. DJ Stewart vs. Casey Mize
https://gfycat.com/frequentthickgraysquirrel
8/10/21 — DET @ BAL
365ft, 99.3 mph, 35° LA
DJ Stewart makes his second Best Bat Flip appearance of the season with this moonshot onto the walkway in right field, promptly followed up by a spirited bat spin. The Orioles were still down by three once the ball found the concourse, but that didn’t stop Stewart from unleashing one of his meanest bat flips of the year, as he sent his bat helicoptering away into the grass.
Style: 9.5
Rotation: 810°
Intensity: 9
2. Bryce Harper vs. Edwin Díaz
https://gfycat.com/silkyhappygoluckyankole
8/6/21 — NYM @ PHI
442ft, 109.0 mph, 27° LA
Bryce Harper is no stranger to absolutely crushing baseballs, but bat flips are not typically a part of the Philadelphia slugger’s repertoire. Well, that all changed with this ridiculous flip against Mets closer Edwin Díaz, which came after the lefty sent a 1-0 heater into the trees beyond the center field fence. Harper wound up and cranked his bat like a windmill as he calmly strode down the first base line, sending it spiraling end over end as he called back to his dugout in celebration. It was a downright brutal exclamation point on the blast, which tripled the Phillies’ one-run lead in a key spot in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Style: 9.5
Rotation: 1260°
Power generated: 3.0 MW
1. Brian Goodwin vs. Nick Wittgren
https://gfycat.com/dimpledsecondaryblackwidowspider
8/1/21 — CLE @ CWS
371ft, 108.5 mph, 25° LA
This is it. Brian Goodwin may have just given us the bat flip of the year with this downright ridiculous fling of his bat following a walk-off home run against Cleveland’s Nick Wittgren. Like Willson Contreras‘ classic toss from last season’s Bat Flip Thunderdome, Goodwin uses every foot of sky above him for this monstrosity, kissing the clouds with his bat as he sends it to the Moon. It was another iconic game-ender for the White Sox, and it came from someone they only added to the roster a month before, after Goodwin was designated for assignment by the Pirates. An excellent moment for Goodwin and Chicago as they headed into the final stretch of the 2021 campaign (less than excellent for Cleveland, of course).
Style: 11
Rotation: 360° flat spin
Hangtime: Two seconds
Photo by Dustin Ian D’Andrea/Flickr | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)