White Sox batsman -- and we do mean "batsma" -- Yermin Mercedes recently crafted history when he became the first player in modern MLB history to begin a season with eight consecutive hits. On Thursday against the Royals, Mercedes provided onlookers with a more instantaneous source of wonderment. Please enjoy via the magic of technicolor:
As you can see, that blast off K.C. starter Brad Keller traveled a whopping 485 feet, which makes it longest home run of the 2021 MLB season thus far. It's worth another angle:
The man, the myth, the legend.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 8, 2021
Yermín Mercedes! pic.twitter.com/Vo24IaoOkm
The 28-year-old rookie now has a pair of home runs this year and has 15 hits (!) in just six games. Overall, he's batting .556/.571/.889. That's impressive stuff for a journeyman former Rule 5 pick who probably wouldn't even be getting ABs if not for the late spring injury to Eloy Jimenez. Suffice it to say, the White Sox will ride this particular mode of conveyance until the wheels come off.
Anyhow, Mercedes' clout is the longest home run by a White Sock since Joe Borchard sent one 504 feet back in 2004, which means it's the longest Sox blast of the Statcast era (i.e., since 2015). Now here's the updated home run distance leaderboard for 2021 so far:
| Rank | Hitter | Distance in feet | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Yermin Mercedes, White Sox | 485 | Royals | 4/8/21 |
2. | 471 | 4/5/21 | ||
T-3. | 465 | Royals | 4/4/21 | |
T-3. | Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres | 465 | 4/4/21 | |
5. | 464 | 4/6/21 |
If the season thus far is any guide, these rankings will be changing on the reg. For now, though, Mighty Yermin is lord of all he surveys.
