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Our friends at South Side Sox put up their results earlier today, and it got me thinking about how Minnesota's results might look. Besides, after all the negativity surrounding payroll and timelines to contention, we could all use a distraction. Right?
You can verify all of this by heading over to ESPN's home run tracker. It's a great tool with a number of fun details.
First, a few of the best.
Shortest home run: 338 feet, Oswaldo Arcia off Mike Foltynewicz on August 12
This is also the slowest home run the Twins hit in 2014, so...congrats, Oswaldo?
Fastest home run: 116.5mph, Oswaldo Arcia off Andre Rienzo on August 3
This will appear on our list of the ten longest home runs this year, so we'll skip the link to the video as you'll be watching it below.
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Highest Peak of a home run: 151 feet, Kennys Vargas off Trevor Bauer on September 19
Highest elevation angle: 39.5-degree elevation angle, Brian Dozier off Dan Straily on April 10
The difference between peak and elevation? Peak is the point where the home run ball was at its apex, and elevation angle is the highest angle off the bat.
Lowest home run: 21.3-degree elevation angle, Josh Willingham off Taylor Thompson on July 25
With that out of the way, let's move onto the ten longest home runs hit by a Twin in 2014. Surprisingly, five different players made the list...and Brian Dozier isn't one of them.
10. Kennys Vargas off Hector Noesi
Date: September 2 | Distance: 426 feet | Speed off bat: 108.6 mph
Bremer’s call of "My goodness…that got out in a hurry" more or less encapsulates what we grew accustomed to seeing on the shots that Vargas launched upon arrival with the Twins. We may see him one or two more times on this list.
9. Kennys Vargas off Scott Snodgress
Date: September 3 | Distance: 430 feet | Speed off bat: 107.8 mph
Vargas’ first homer as a right-handed hitter and, like number ten, into impressive territory in the gaps. Neither of these were straight up pull shots. They were to the deepest recesses of Target Field.
8. Oswaldo Arcia off Max Scherzer
Date: September 14 | Distance: 433 feet | Speed off bat: 106.5 mph
I’m still not entirely sure this one came down. Where did it land?
7. Trevor Plouffe off Dale Thayer
Date: May 21 | Distance: 434 feet | Speed off bat: 107.3 mph
It’s really, really hard to hit massive home runs in Petco. Trevor Plouffe did it anyway.
6. Oswalso Arcia off Wily Peralta
Date: June 5 | Distance: 440 feet | Speed off bat: 113.6 mph
"What county will this land in?" Arcia makes his debut in the Top 10, and announces his presence with authority.
5. Trevor Plouffe off Nick Tepesch
Date: May 26 | Distance: 443 feet | Speed off bat: 107.4 mph
Plouffe goes to straightaway center field. He may never again top the 20-homer plateau, but by virtue of appearing more than once on this list it’s fair to say he can…what do the kids say…lay some lumber?
4. Josh Willingham off Nick Martinez
Date: May 29 | Distance: 446 feet | Speed off bat: 109.7 mph
Remember when he did this with regularity in 2011? That was fun. Hammer’s two-run shot into the second deck in the left-center field alley of Target Field put the Twins on top.
3. Kennys Vargas off Vinnie Pestano
Date: September 7 | Distance: 446 feet | Speed off bat: 111.9 mph
"My goodness gracious." The Twins were getting mauled by the Angels, but Vargas hit one of the more impressive shots I’ve ever seen in Target Field. Bremer estimated it landed four rows from the lack of the seating area…in the right-center field gap. Just imagine this happening with 40,000 people in the stands, because that’s coming.
2. Josmil Pinto off Louis Coleman
Date: April 20 | Distance: 459 feet | Speed off bat: 114 mph
This one may not look as impressive as the shots of Vargas, Arcia, or Plouffe, but Pinto essentially smashed an unreal line drive into the depths of Kauffman Stadium.
1. Oswaldo Arcia off Andre Rienzo
Date: August 3 | Distance: 468 feet | Speed off bat: 116.5 mph
Chris Parmelee had just hit a homer in what was a route of the White Sox, and the replay hadn’t even finished before Arcia smashed the longest home run by a Twin in 2014. It cleared the grand stand in right field and bounced onto the concourse. I’ll be honest: I’m not sure who has more power between him and Vargas. Both guys are capable of hitting 30+ home runs in 2015.
Happy Thursday!