Diamondbacks prospect Peter O’Brien crushes monster home run in spring game
Mar 23, 2016, 11:28 AM
Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Peter O’Brien is known for his ability to hit the baseball.
It’s not that he hits it often, though his career .265 average in four seasons of professional baseball is nothing to sneeze at.
But what O’Brien really gets attention for is his propensity to hit home runs, and the one he smashed Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants off of pitcher Mike Broadway was especially…umm….special.
The eighth-inning blast would have traveled a projected 461.6 feet had the concourse not impeded its feet and left his bat speeding at 119.5 mph.
According to an article on MLB.com, it was the hardest-hit home run of the Statcast (which tracks this stuff) era, and it is noted that just two balls were hit harder in 2015, though neither left the park.
The home run was O’Brien’s fourth of the spring, and while his bat certainly appears to be ready for the big leagues, the D-backs still may not have room for him on the Opening Day roster because there may not be much room in the outfield for the converted catcher.
However, Tuesday afternoon the 25-year-old said he would have no problem returning to his former spot behind the plate if the team asked him to make the switch.
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