Reds Longest Homers of 2019: #9 Aristides Aquino

The second installment in the countdown of the longest home runs of the year hit by Cincinnati Reds during the 2019 season. We will be moving up the list this week, taking a look at the home run that comes in at #9 on the list.

The 9th longest home run of the season in 2019 by a Cincinnati player came on August 8th. That’s when Aristides Aquino crushed a Cole Hamels offering into the bleachers in left field on an absolute laser-like trajectory.

The Video

The Metrics Behind The Blast

The home run was tied with two other home runs at 445 feet – one by Eugenio Suarez, and one by a player you’ll see here next week when we move on up the list. Cole Hamels thought he could get his outstanding change up by the Reds rookie phenom. He was incorrect. The pitch came in at 83.6 MPH and left at 118.3 MPH – nearly a 35 MPH difference.

Distance Metrics

Reds Rank: 10th (tie)

Major League Baseball Rank: 268th (tie)

Aristides Aquino 2019 Rank: 3rd

Other Metrics

Launch Angle: 20.0°

Exit Velocity: 118.3 MPH

Reds Exit Velocity Rank (on home runs): 1st (by a billion)

Exit Velocity Rank (on home runs) in Major League Baseball: 1st (tie)

The Story Behind The Blast

This was tied for the hardest hit home run all season. National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso, and New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez also hit home runs with an exit velocity of 118.3 MPH this season. What was different for Aristides Aquino’s home run is that he supplied a little more of the power – as his came off of an offspeed pitch, while they both hit theirs off of a fastball.

The home run itself was a 2-run shot that cut into the Chicago Cubs lead, making it a 5-3 game. It was the second and third run batted in of the game for the Reds outfielder. Cincinnati would go on to tie the game up later that inning – but the Cubs then scored seven unanswered runs the rest of the way to win the game.

The home run was his second in the last two games, and would be a part of a four game stretch that saw The Punisher homer in each game, and have six home runs total as he worked his way towards setting numerous records for most home runs in career games played to start a professional career.

You can follow along the entire series here.