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.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Pfaadt releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 22 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
511 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Pfaadt throws a fastball 66.1% of the time, against 42.5% when he is ahead.
121 pitches behind in the count, 146 ahead.
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 2.00 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
511 located pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.9 mph, against 83.9 off his sweeper.
93 and 59 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sinker moves 16.0 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
107 thrown, averaging 93.3 mph.
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.
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.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Pfaadt goes to the sweeper: 20.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 7.9% the rest of the time.
145 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Pfaadt throws the sweeper 24.5% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
241 pitches to right-handers, 270 to left-handers.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Pfaadt's fastball averages 93.3 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.8 past his 75th.
103 early fastballs, 31 late ones.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball carries 14.0 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
93 thrown, averaging 93.6 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Pfaadt works with 6 pitches: Curveball, Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Cutter, and a little else. The curveball is 21.3% of everything he throws.
511 classified pitches 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.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Pfaadt throws a strike on the first pitch 67.6% of the time.
139 plate appearances started in 2026.
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.
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.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Pfaadt puts 54.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.2% when he is ahead.
121 located pitches behind, 146 ahead.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.2% of Pfaadt's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
83 of 511 located pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sweeper spins at 2,680 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
59 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.7 mph separates Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.6 against 81.9.
93 and 109 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Pfaadt's sinker averages 93.3 mph, and has touched 95.4.
107 thrown, 20.9% of his pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Pfaadt releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
377 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Pfaadt has thrown 20 sliders this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 84.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
511 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 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
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Pfaadt releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 22 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
511 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Pfaadt's fastball averages 93.3 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.8 past his 75th.
103 early fastballs, 31 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Pfaadt releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
377 tracked pitches in 2026.
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 Pfaadt throws a fastball 66.1% of the time, against 42.5% when he is ahead.
121 pitches behind in the count, 146 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Pfaadt goes to the sweeper: 20.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 7.9% the rest of the time.
145 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Pfaadt throws a strike on the first pitch 67.6% of the time.
139 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Pfaadt puts 54.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.2% when he is ahead.
121 located pitches behind, 146 ahead.
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 2.00 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
511 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.2% of Pfaadt's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
83 of 511 located pitches.
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 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.9 mph, against 83.9 off his sweeper.
93 and 59 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Pfaadt throws the sweeper 24.5% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
241 pitches to right-handers, 270 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Pfaadt works with 6 pitches: Curveball, Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Cutter, and a little else. The curveball is 21.3% of everything he throws.
511 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sweeper spins at 2,680 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
59 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.7 mph separates Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.6 against 81.9.
93 and 109 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Pfaadt's sinker averages 93.3 mph, and has touched 95.4.
107 thrown, 20.9% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Pfaadt has thrown 20 sliders this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 84.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
511 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Pfaadt's sinker moves 16.0 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
107 thrown, averaging 93.3 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Pfaadt's 4-seam fastball carries 14.0 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
93 thrown, averaging 93.6 mph.
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
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