When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kay throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 44.3% when he is ahead.
222 pitches behind in the count, 228 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kay's sinker moves 16.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
131 thrown, averaging 95.0 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kay's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 83.6 off his cutter.
217 and 146 of them thrown.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .380 expected average against them, against .299 on his offspeed pitches.
494 of his fastballs thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kay lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.16 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
791 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kay's 4-seam fastball carries 14.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
217 thrown, averaging 95.7 mph.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kay puts 58.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 29.4% when he is ahead.
222 located pitches behind, 228 ahead.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kay's 4-seam fastball averages 95.7 mph, and has touched 98.4.
217 thrown, 27.4% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kay releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
791 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kay works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Cutter and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 27.4% of everything he throws.
792 classified pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.2% of Kay's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
120 of 791 located pitches.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Kay works off the plate, with only 40.7% of his pitches in the zone, 28th percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 389th in MLB.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Kay's fastball averages 94.7 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 93.6 past his 75th.
155 early fastballs, 77 late ones.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kay projects a .357 average, 22nd percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 22nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 418th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kay throws the changeup 19.8% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
611 pitches to right-handers, 181 to left-handers.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Kay goes to the changeup: 19.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 13.2% the rest of the time.
248 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Kay releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
605 tracked pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.1 mph separates Kay's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 95.7 against 82.6.
217 and 164 of them respectively.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.4% of the contact Kay gives up is hit hard, 36th percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 343rd in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Kay throws a strike on the first pitch 61.8% of the time.
191 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kay's sweeper spins at 2,413 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
164 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Kay has thrown 13 sliders this season, 1.6% of his pitches, at 84.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
792 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kay throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 44.3% when he is ahead.
222 pitches behind in the count, 228 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kay puts 58.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 29.4% when he is ahead.
222 located pitches behind, 228 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Kay goes to the changeup: 19.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 13.2% the rest of the time.
248 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Kay throws a strike on the first pitch 61.8% of the time.
191 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kay's sinker moves 16.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
131 thrown, averaging 95.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kay's 4-seam fastball carries 14.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
217 thrown, averaging 95.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kay's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 83.6 off his cutter.
217 and 146 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kay's 4-seam fastball averages 95.7 mph, and has touched 98.4.
217 thrown, 27.4% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kay works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Cutter and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 27.4% of everything he throws.
792 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kay throws the changeup 19.8% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
611 pitches to right-handers, 181 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.1 mph separates Kay's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 95.7 against 82.6.
217 and 164 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kay's sweeper spins at 2,413 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
164 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Kay has thrown 13 sliders this season, 1.6% of his pitches, at 84.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
792 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .380 expected average against them, against .299 on his offspeed pitches.
494 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kay lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.16 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
791 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.2% of Kay's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
120 of 791 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kay releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
791 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Kay's fastball averages 94.7 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 93.6 past his 75th.
155 early fastballs, 77 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Kay releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
605 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Kay works off the plate, with only 40.7% of his pitches in the zone, 28th percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 389th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kay projects a .357 average, 22nd percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 22nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 418th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.4% of the contact Kay gives up is hit hard, 36th percentile.
792 pitches in 2026. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 343rd in MLB.
White Sox