Pete Crow-Armstrong is ready to go. Same goes for Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos. Ceddanne Rafaela, too.

They are the kings of swinging at the first pitch — and they have some company.

By the numbers:

Through Thursday's games, the MLB-wide swing percentage on first pitches this year was 32.1%, according to Sportradar. That is the same number as last year, and an increase from 31% in both 2022 and 2023.

While there are some pitches missing from the data before the 2000 season, the percentage for each of the last two years is the highest such number since it was 32.6% in 1988.

"I just think that the message that gets preached more often these days is being ready to hit good pitches," Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. "And obviously pitchers want to get ahead because they’re

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