IntermediateOverall · Tracking
Sprint Speed
How many feet a player covers in his fastest one-second window while running all out.
27.0 ft/sMLB average (competitive runs)
Simple explanation
Home-to-first times depend on which side of the plate a hitter bats from, his first step and the kind of ball he hit. Sprint speed strips that away and looks only at the top speed his legs can reach.
The MLB average is about 27 feet per second, and any run over 30 is called a Bolt. One second is roughly seven full-speed strides, so players who can hold their speed do better than ones with a quick burst.
Benchmarks
- 25.5 ft/s
- Bottom 10%
- 29.0 ft/s
- Top 10%
Distribution from the 2026 Savant leaderboard (567 players with 10+ competitive runs). A run at 30 ft/s or faster is a Bolt.
Detailed explanation
Not every run counts. Only runs of two bases or more on non-homers (leaving out runners starting from second on an extra-base hit) and home-to-first runs on topped or weakly hit balls qualify. The fastest two-thirds or so of those are averaged for the season number.
It was introduced during the 2017 season. In 2018 home-to-first runs were added, so the sample builds up faster.
Being fast isn't the same as running the bases well. Jumps, reads and slides aren't in this number. How many runs a player actually added is counted separately by baserunning run value and BsR.
Common misconception
“The players with the most steals are the fastest.”
Steals depend heavily on the jump, reading the pitcher's delivery and the team's strategy. Raw speed is only one piece.