One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .317 expected average against them, against .120 on his offspeed pitches.
461 of his fastballs thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Elder goes to the slider: 44.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 27% the rest of the time.
183 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Elder puts 46.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 38.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
245 pitches to right-handed hitters, 538 to left-handed hitters.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Elder throws the sinker 55.5% of the time against right-handers and 8.2% against left-handers.
245 pitches to right-handers, 538 to left-handers.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Elder's 4-seam fastball carries 15.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
190 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Elder throws a fastball 66.2% of the time, against 47.2% when he is ahead.
219 pitches behind in the count, 212 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Elder 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.
783 located pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Elder's cutter leaves the bat at 91.5 mph, against 86.0 off his changeup.
91 and 79 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Elder's sinker moves 14.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
180 thrown, averaging 91.5 mph.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Elder projects a .286 average, 84th percentile.
783 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 88th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Elder works with 5 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Cutter, and a little else. The slider is 31% of everything he throws.
783 classified pitches in 2026.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Elder works off the plate, with only 40.9% of his pitches in the zone, 29th percentile.
783 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 380th in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Elder averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 31st percentile in the league.
783 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 370th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Elder lands 48.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 35% of his breaking balls.
461 of his fastballs, 243 of his breaking balls.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Elder throws 38% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.4% with the bases empty.
129 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 654 with the bases empty.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Elder puts 54.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.7% when he is ahead.
219 located pitches behind, 212 ahead.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Elder's stuff spins at 2,170 rpm, 31st percentile in the league.
783 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 369th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Elder's 4-seam fastball averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.2.
190 thrown, 24.3% of his pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Elder releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
563 tracked pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.4% of Elder's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
144 of 783 located pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Elder's slider spins at 2,462 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
243 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.3 mph separates Elder's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.6 against 83.3.
190 and 243 of them respectively.
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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 fastballs: a .317 expected average against them, against .120 on his offspeed pitches.
461 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Elder lands 48.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 35% of his breaking balls.
461 of his fastballs, 243 of his breaking balls.
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 Elder goes to the slider: 44.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 27% the rest of the time.
183 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Elder throws a fastball 66.2% of the time, against 47.2% when he is ahead.
219 pitches behind in the count, 212 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Elder puts 54.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.7% when he is ahead.
219 located pitches behind, 212 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Elder puts 46.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 38.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
245 pitches to right-handed hitters, 538 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Elder throws the sinker 55.5% of the time against right-handers and 8.2% against left-handers.
245 pitches to right-handers, 538 to left-handers.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Elder's cutter leaves the bat at 91.5 mph, against 86.0 off his changeup.
91 and 79 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Elder works with 5 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Cutter, and a little else. The slider is 31% of everything he throws.
783 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Elder's 4-seam fastball averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.2.
190 thrown, 24.3% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Elder's slider spins at 2,462 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
243 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.3 mph separates Elder's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.6 against 83.3.
190 and 243 of them respectively.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Elder's 4-seam fastball carries 15.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
190 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Elder's sinker moves 14.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
180 thrown, averaging 91.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Elder 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.
783 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.4% of Elder's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
144 of 783 located pitches.
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 Elder projects a .286 average, 84th percentile.
783 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 88th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Elder works off the plate, with only 40.9% of his pitches in the zone, 29th percentile.
783 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 380th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Elder averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 31st percentile in the league.
783 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 370th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Elder throws 38% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.4% with the bases empty.
129 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 654 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Elder's stuff spins at 2,170 rpm, 31st percentile in the league.
783 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 369th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Elder releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
563 tracked pitches in 2026.
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