One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .492 expected average against them, against .209 on his fastballs.
97 of his breaking balls thrown.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
King lives in the strike zone: 48.6% of his pitches are in it, 93rd percentile.
329 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 40th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
King throws the sinker 32.2% of the time against left-handers and 4.5% against right-handers.
576 pitches to right-handers, 491 to left-handers.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
King releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1067 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes King goes to the 4-seam fastball: 64.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 50.8% the rest of the time.
348 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
King throws 53.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.3% with the bases empty.
113 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 216 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper moves 13.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
286 thrown, averaging 81.3 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
King works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 55.2% of everything he throws.
1067 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
King's 4-seam fastball carries 12.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
589 thrown, averaging 92.0 mph.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against King projects a .295 average, 79th percentile.
329 pitches in 2026. 79th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 111th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
King's 4-seam fastball averages 92.0 mph, and has touched 95.0.
589 thrown, 55.2% of his pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
King's stuff spins at 2,117 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
329 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 415th in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
King averages 88.5 mph across his arsenal, 33rd percentile in the league.
329 pitches in 2026. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 362nd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off King's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 86.8 mph, against 83.4 off his sinker.
589 and 184 of them thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
King puts 59.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 49.9% when he is ahead.
266 located pitches behind, 347 ahead.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.6% of King's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
231 of 1067 located pitches.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
King throws a strike on the first pitch 62.1% of the time.
277 plate appearances started in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.7 mph separates King's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 92.0 against 81.3.
589 and 286 of them respectively.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
King lands 50.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 43.3% of his breaking balls.
229 of his fastballs, 97 of his breaking balls.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
King releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
1016 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
King has thrown 8 changeups this season, 0.7% of his pitches, at 86.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1067 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper spins at 2,245 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
286 thrown 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 breaking balls: a .492 expected average against them, against .209 on his fastballs.
97 of his breaking balls thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
King lands 50.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 43.3% of his breaking balls.
229 of his fastballs, 97 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
King lives in the strike zone: 48.6% of his pitches are in it, 93rd percentile.
329 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 40th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
King throws the sinker 32.2% of the time against left-handers and 4.5% against right-handers.
576 pitches to right-handers, 491 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
King works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 55.2% of everything he throws.
1067 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
King's 4-seam fastball averages 92.0 mph, and has touched 95.0.
589 thrown, 55.2% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off King's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 86.8 mph, against 83.4 off his sinker.
589 and 184 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.7 mph separates King's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 92.0 against 81.3.
589 and 286 of them respectively.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
King has thrown 8 changeups this season, 0.7% of his pitches, at 86.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1067 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper spins at 2,245 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
286 thrown in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
King releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1067 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
King releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
1016 tracked pitches in 2026.
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 King goes to the 4-seam fastball: 64.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 50.8% the rest of the time.
348 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
King puts 59.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 49.9% when he is ahead.
266 located pitches behind, 347 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
King throws a strike on the first pitch 62.1% of the time.
277 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
King throws 53.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.3% with the bases empty.
113 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 216 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper moves 13.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
286 thrown, averaging 81.3 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
King's 4-seam fastball carries 12.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
589 thrown, averaging 92.0 mph.
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 King projects a .295 average, 79th percentile.
329 pitches in 2026. 79th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 111th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
King's stuff spins at 2,117 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
329 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 415th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
King averages 88.5 mph across his arsenal, 33rd percentile in the league.
329 pitches in 2026. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 362nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.6% of King's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
231 of 1067 located pitches.
Astros