His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Saalfrank's sinker averages 89.3 mph, and has touched 91.8.
195 thrown, 45.7% of his pitches.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Saalfrank puts 49.1% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
287 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Saalfrank's sinker moves 56.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
195 thrown, averaging 89.3 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Saalfrank goes to the curveball: 56.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 40.1% the rest of the time.
120 two-strike pitches in 2025.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Saalfrank lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.93 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
427 located pitches in 2025.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Saalfrank averages 85.0 mph across his arsenal, 6th percentile in the league.
427 pitches in 2025. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 730th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Saalfrank's curveball leaves the bat at 93.5 mph, against 79.4 off his 4-seam fastball.
191 and 41 of them thrown.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Saalfrank throws a fastball 63.6% of the time, against 42% when he is ahead.
121 pitches behind in the count, 119 ahead.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Saalfrank releases the ball from over the top, about 65 degrees above horizontal and 0.8 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
427 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Saalfrank projects a .300 average, 87th percentile.
427 pitches in 2025. 87th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 100th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Saalfrank works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 45.7% of everything he throws.
427 classified pitches in 2025.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Saalfrank lands 50.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.8% of his breaking balls.
236 of his fastballs, 191 of his breaking balls.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Saalfrank puts 58.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.5% when he is ahead.
121 located pitches behind, 119 ahead.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Saalfrank releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
427 tracked pitches in 2025.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Saalfrank's curveball carries 9.7 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
191 thrown, averaging 79.7 mph.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Saalfrank's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
76 of 427 located pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Saalfrank throws the sinker 53.6% of the time against left-handers and 41.8% against right-handers.
287 pitches to right-handers, 140 to left-handers.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Saalfrank throws a strike on the first pitch 57.1% of the time.
112 plate appearances started in 2025.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.6 mph separates Saalfrank's sinker from his curveball, 89.3 against 79.7.
195 and 191 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Saalfrank's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,350 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
41 thrown in 2025.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
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His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Saalfrank's sinker averages 89.3 mph, and has touched 91.8.
195 thrown, 45.7% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Saalfrank's curveball leaves the bat at 93.5 mph, against 79.4 off his 4-seam fastball.
191 and 41 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Saalfrank works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 45.7% of everything he throws.
427 classified pitches in 2025.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Saalfrank throws the sinker 53.6% of the time against left-handers and 41.8% against right-handers.
287 pitches to right-handers, 140 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.6 mph separates Saalfrank's sinker from his curveball, 89.3 against 79.7.
195 and 191 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Saalfrank's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,350 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
41 thrown in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Saalfrank puts 49.1% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
287 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Saalfrank's sinker moves 56.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
195 thrown, averaging 89.3 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Saalfrank's curveball carries 9.7 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
191 thrown, averaging 79.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Saalfrank goes to the curveball: 56.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 40.1% the rest of the time.
120 two-strike pitches in 2025.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Saalfrank throws a fastball 63.6% of the time, against 42% when he is ahead.
121 pitches behind in the count, 119 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Saalfrank puts 58.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.5% when he is ahead.
121 located pitches behind, 119 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Saalfrank throws a strike on the first pitch 57.1% of the time.
112 plate appearances started in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Saalfrank lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.93 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
427 located pitches in 2025.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Saalfrank's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
76 of 427 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Saalfrank averages 85.0 mph across his arsenal, 6th percentile in the league.
427 pitches in 2025. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 730th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Saalfrank releases the ball from over the top, about 65 degrees above horizontal and 0.8 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
427 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Saalfrank releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
427 tracked pitches in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Saalfrank projects a .300 average, 87th percentile.
427 pitches in 2025. 87th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 100th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Saalfrank lands 50.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.8% of his breaking balls.
236 of his fastballs, 191 of his breaking balls.
Diamondbacks
Career team 2023 to 2025