When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Smith throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 45.9% when he is ahead.
91 pitches behind in the count, 122 ahead.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's 4-seam fastball averages 96.5 mph, and has touched 98.8.
225 thrown, 60.6% of his pitches.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
225 thrown, averaging 96.5 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .371 expected average against them, against .280 on his offspeed pitches.
225 of his fastballs thrown.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 7.3 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
289 tracked pitches in 2026.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 1,814 rpm, 1st percentile in the league.
371 pitches in 2026. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 529th in MLB.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
359 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Smith averages 92.3 mph across his arsenal, 82nd percentile in the league.
371 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 98th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 60.6% of everything he throws.
371 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 68.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39% when he is ahead.
88 located pitches behind, 118 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smith lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.22 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
359 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's sweeper moves 13.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
49 thrown, averaging 85.0 mph.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.1 mph off the bat against Smith, 14th percentile.
371 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 462nd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 92.9 mph, against 87.4 off his splitter.
225 and 97 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smith goes to the splitter: 31.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.6% the rest of the time.
141 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the splitter 36.8% of the time against left-handers and 15.9% against right-handers.
189 pitches to right-handers, 182 to left-handers.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Smith puts 44.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
189 pitches to right-handed hitters, 182 to left-handed hitters.
He leaves too much of it over the heart of the plate
22.3% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, the part of the plate hitters do their damage on.
80 of 359 located pitches.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
371 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 375th in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 56.6% of the time.
83 plate appearances started in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.5 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 96.5 against 85.0.
225 and 49 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,292 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
225 thrown in 2026.
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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 Smith throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 45.9% when he is ahead.
91 pitches behind in the count, 122 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 68.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39% when he is ahead.
88 located pitches behind, 118 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smith goes to the splitter: 31.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.6% the rest of the time.
141 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 56.6% of the time.
83 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's 4-seam fastball averages 96.5 mph, and has touched 98.8.
225 thrown, 60.6% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 60.6% of everything he throws.
371 classified pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 92.9 mph, against 87.4 off his splitter.
225 and 97 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the splitter 36.8% of the time against left-handers and 15.9% against right-handers.
189 pitches to right-handers, 182 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.5 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 96.5 against 85.0.
225 and 49 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,292 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
225 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
225 thrown, averaging 96.5 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's sweeper moves 13.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
49 thrown, averaging 85.0 mph.
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 .371 expected average against them, against .280 on his offspeed pitches.
225 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 7.3 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
289 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
359 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 1,814 rpm, 1st percentile in the league.
371 pitches in 2026. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 529th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Smith averages 92.3 mph across his arsenal, 82nd percentile in the league.
371 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 98th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smith lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.22 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
359 located pitches in 2026.
He leaves too much of it over the heart of the plate
22.3% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, the part of the plate hitters do their damage on.
80 of 359 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.1 mph off the bat against Smith, 14th percentile.
371 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 462nd in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
371 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 375th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Smith puts 44.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
189 pitches to right-handed hitters, 182 to left-handed hitters.
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