One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .382 expected average against them, against .234 on his breaking balls.
54 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's changeup moves 16.0 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
324 thrown, averaging 87.0 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Pfaadt releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 26 degrees above horizontal and 2.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2032 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Pfaadt throws 34% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42% with the bases empty.
94 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 417 with the bases empty.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Pfaadt's curveball leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 84.8 off his changeup.
297 and 324 of them thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Pfaadt lands 52.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.1% of his breaking balls.
269 of his fastballs, 188 of his breaking balls.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Pfaadt lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.17 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2032 located pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Pfaadt puts 60.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.6% when he is ahead.
506 located pitches behind, 587 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Pfaadt throws the sweeper 25.8% of the time against right-handers and 1.9% against left-handers.
952 pitches to right-handers, 1080 to left-handers.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball carries 14.3 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
547 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Pfaadt throws a strike on the first pitch 66.8% of the time.
560 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sweeper spins at 2,781 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
266 thrown in 2026.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Pfaadt works off the plate, with only 40.5% of his pitches in the zone, 26th percentile.
511 pitches in 2026. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 396th in MLB.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Pfaadt's stuff spins at 2,436 rpm, 81st percentile in the league.
511 pitches in 2026. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 102nd in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Pfaadt goes to the sweeper: 20.1% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.4% the rest of the time.
561 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Pfaadt averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 30th percentile in the league.
511 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 374th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Pfaadt works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.9% of everything he throws.
2032 classified pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Pfaadt throws a fastball 59.1% of the time, against 44.8% when he is ahead.
506 pitches behind in the count, 587 ahead.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Pfaadt's fastball averages 93.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.2 past his 75th.
420 early fastballs, 146 late ones.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.2% of Pfaadt's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
370 of 2032 located pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.8 mph separates Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.2 against 82.4.
547 and 297 of them respectively.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Pfaadt releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
1898 tracked pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 95.4.
547 thrown, 26.9% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Pfaadt has thrown 21 sliders this season, 1% of his pitches, at 84.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
2032 classified pitches in 2026.
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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 offspeed pitches: a .382 expected average against them, against .234 on his breaking balls.
54 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Pfaadt lands 52.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.1% of his breaking balls.
269 of his fastballs, 188 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's changeup moves 16.0 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
324 thrown, averaging 87.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball carries 14.3 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
547 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Pfaadt releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 26 degrees above horizontal and 2.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2032 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Pfaadt's fastball averages 93.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.2 past his 75th.
420 early fastballs, 146 late ones.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Pfaadt releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
1898 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Pfaadt throws 34% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42% with the bases empty.
94 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 417 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Pfaadt's curveball leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 84.8 off his changeup.
297 and 324 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Pfaadt throws the sweeper 25.8% of the time against right-handers and 1.9% against left-handers.
952 pitches to right-handers, 1080 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sweeper spins at 2,781 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
266 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Pfaadt works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.9% of everything he throws.
2032 classified pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.8 mph separates Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.2 against 82.4.
547 and 297 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 95.4.
547 thrown, 26.9% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Pfaadt has thrown 21 sliders this season, 1% of his pitches, at 84.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
2032 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Pfaadt lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.17 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2032 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.2% of Pfaadt's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
370 of 2032 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Pfaadt puts 60.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.6% when he is ahead.
506 located pitches behind, 587 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Pfaadt throws a strike on the first pitch 66.8% of the time.
560 plate appearances started in 2026.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Pfaadt goes to the sweeper: 20.1% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.4% the rest of the time.
561 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Pfaadt throws a fastball 59.1% of the time, against 44.8% when he is ahead.
506 pitches behind in the count, 587 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Pfaadt works off the plate, with only 40.5% of his pitches in the zone, 26th percentile.
511 pitches in 2026. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 396th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Pfaadt's stuff spins at 2,436 rpm, 81st percentile in the league.
511 pitches in 2026. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 102nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Pfaadt averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 30th percentile in the league.
511 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 374th in MLB.
Diamondbacks