This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Qualls goes to the slider: 60.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.5% the rest of the time.
63 two-strike pitches in 2017.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Qualls lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.89 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
252 located pitches in 2017.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Qualls throws a fastball 94.5% of the time, against 40% when he is ahead.
73 pitches behind in the count, 60 ahead.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Qualls puts 49.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 42% of his pitches to left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handed hitters, 112 to left-handed hitters.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Qualls's sinker averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 93.2.
177 thrown, 70.2% of his pitches.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Qualls's sinker moves 14.7 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
177 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
12.7% of Qualls's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
32 of 252 located pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Qualls works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Slider. The sinker is 70.2% of everything he throws.
252 classified pitches in 2017.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Qualls releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
252 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
43.8% of the contact Qualls gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 601st in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Qualls lands 50.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 35.6% of his breaking balls.
179 of his fastballs, 73 of his breaking balls.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.5 mph off the bat against Qualls, 17th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 587th in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Qualls throws a strike on the first pitch 54.2% of the time.
72 plate appearances started in 2017.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Qualls's stuff spins at 2,093 rpm, 25th percentile in the league.
252 pitches in 2017. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 526th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Qualls's sinker leaves the bat at 90.5 mph, against 87.1 off his slider.
177 and 73 of them thrown.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Qualls releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
252 tracked pitches in 2017.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Qualls lives in the strike zone: 46% of his pitches are in it, 65th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 248th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Qualls puts 60.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.3% when he is ahead.
73 located pitches behind, 60 ahead.
He lives on one side of the plate
Qualls works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.7 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
252 located pitches in 2017.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Qualls throws the slider 33.6% of the time against right-handers and 23.2% against left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handers, 112 to left-handers.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .357 expected average against them, against .331 on his breaking balls.
179 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Qualls's slider spins at 2,399 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2017.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Qualls projects a .349 average, 65th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 249th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.0 mph separates Qualls's sinker from his slider, 91.1 against 85.1.
177 and 73 of them respectively.
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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 Qualls goes to the slider: 60.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.5% the rest of the time.
63 two-strike pitches in 2017.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Qualls throws a fastball 94.5% of the time, against 40% when he is ahead.
73 pitches behind in the count, 60 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Qualls throws a strike on the first pitch 54.2% of the time.
72 plate appearances started in 2017.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Qualls puts 60.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.3% when he is ahead.
73 located pitches behind, 60 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Qualls lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.89 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
252 located pitches in 2017.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
12.7% of Qualls's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
32 of 252 located pitches.
He lives on one side of the plate
Qualls works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.7 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
252 located pitches in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Qualls puts 49.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 42% of his pitches to left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handed hitters, 112 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Qualls's sinker averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 93.2.
177 thrown, 70.2% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Qualls works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Slider. The sinker is 70.2% of everything he throws.
252 classified pitches in 2017.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Qualls's sinker leaves the bat at 90.5 mph, against 87.1 off his slider.
177 and 73 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Qualls throws the slider 33.6% of the time against right-handers and 23.2% against left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handers, 112 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Qualls's slider spins at 2,399 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2017.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.0 mph separates Qualls's sinker from his slider, 91.1 against 85.1.
177 and 73 of them respectively.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Qualls's sinker moves 14.7 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
177 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Qualls releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
252 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Qualls releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
252 tracked pitches in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
43.8% of the contact Qualls gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 601st in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.5 mph off the bat against Qualls, 17th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 587th in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Qualls projects a .349 average, 65th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 249th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Qualls lands 50.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 35.6% of his breaking balls.
179 of his fastballs, 73 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .357 expected average against them, against .331 on his breaking balls.
179 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Qualls's stuff spins at 2,093 rpm, 25th percentile in the league.
252 pitches in 2017. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 526th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Qualls lives in the strike zone: 46% of his pitches are in it, 65th percentile.
252 pitches in 2017. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 248th in MLB.
Astros
Career team 2004–2015