Before he was Giancarlo, the man hitting some of the most powerful home runs in baseball history simply went by Mike. This episode traces how a three-sport high school star with Division I football offers signed with the Florida Marlins and grew into a 6-foot-6 wall of muscle who broke Statcast systems with a 122.4 mph exit velocity off Jamie Moyer.

We follow his violent kinetic chain, the 2014 pitch that shattered his face, his record 13-year, $325 million contract, and his 2017 MVP season of 59 home runs. Then we confront the frailty behind the power: bicep, hamstring, and quad strains, the torpedo bat that fueled his 2024 ALCS MVP run, and the elbow epicondylitis that jeopardized his career.

• How fast-twitch muscle and football skills built his explosive swing
• The biomechanics of generating 122 mph exit velocity from the ground up
• The psychology of stepping back in the box after a facial impact
• Forcing a trade to the Yankees with his full no-trade clause
• Tying Mickey Mantle for postseason home runs while battling injury