There is no question descriptions of highlight plays suffer from recency bias. The newest great play is one of the best you've ever seen or the best of the year. With that giant caveat, this catch by Kansas City's Jarrod Dyson is really dang good.
Just ridiculous, @mrzoombiya! https://t.co/3h8YXohViFhttps://t.co/dl19WI71SC
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2016
There are a lot of really impressive home run robbing catches. But very few happen in full stride like Dyson. Instead, most occur as the player tracks to the wall and has a chance to time his leap against the wall. Dyson had to cover so much ground, there was no chance to time anything. Instead, in full stride, he leaped up against the wall to steal a home run. It was Ken Griffey Jr.-esque.
The end of the play is phenomenal, but the catch is really impressive for its entirety. Look at home much ground Dyson had to cover even to have a chance at a grab. This is where he was when the camera first panned to the outfield.
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The ball was already well into the air at that point. And it wasn't a moonshot that stayed in the air like it was a punt. Dyson can just fly. He covered nearly 100 feet to make the catch.
Just wow, @mrzoombiya:
— #Statcast (@statcast) August 25, 2016
First Step: 0.1 seconds
Distance covered: 98 ft
Route efficiency: 95.8%
Top speed: 19.8 mph pic.twitter.com/cWVCwzTXuv
98 feet! 19.8 mph!
Oh and it was the first home run robbing catch in the history of Marlins Park.
If you're trying to hit a home run against the Marlins, you better make sure it clears the wall by more than a few feet.