When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Richard throws a fastball 87.5% of the time, against 51.1% when he is ahead.
216 pitches behind in the count, 190 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Richard's sinker moves 131.7 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
414 thrown, averaging 90.2 mph.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Richard puts 42.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 51.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
594 pitches to right-handed hitters, 134 to left-handed hitters.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Richard's sinker averages 90.2 mph, and has touched 94.0.
414 thrown, 56.9% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Richard releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
728 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Richard goes to the slider: 37.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
188 two-strike pitches in 2019.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
54.5% of the contact Richard gives up is hit hard, 3rd percentile.
728 pitches in 2019. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 726th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Richard lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.14 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
728 located pitches in 2019.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Richard lands 50.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.1% of his breaking balls.
526 of his fastballs, 189 of his breaking balls.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Richard releases the ball 5.5 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
728 tracked pitches in 2019.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Richard works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Slider and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 56.9% of everything he throws.
728 classified pitches in 2019.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 92.9 mph off the bat against Richard, 4th percentile.
728 pitches in 2019. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 719th in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Richard throws 40.4% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
178 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 550 with the bases empty.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Richard averages 87.4 mph across his arsenal, 28th percentile in the league.
728 pitches in 2019. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 542nd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Richard's sinker leaves the bat at 94.2 mph, against 89.8 off his slider.
414 and 189 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Richard's 4-seam fastball carries 11.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
112 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .415 expected average against them, against .369 on his fastballs.
189 of his breaking balls thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.4 mph separates Richard's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 91.1 against 79.6.
112 and 189 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Richard puts 53.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 41.6% when he is ahead.
216 located pitches behind, 190 ahead.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.5% of Richard's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
135 of 728 located pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Richard's stuff spins at 2,198 rpm, 39th percentile in the league.
728 pitches in 2019. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 458th in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Richard throws a strike on the first pitch 58.9% of the time.
202 plate appearances started in 2019.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Richard has thrown 13 changeups this season, 1.8% of his pitches, at 82.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
728 classified pitches in 2019.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Richard's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,284 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
112 thrown in 2019.
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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 Richard throws a fastball 87.5% of the time, against 51.1% when he is ahead.
216 pitches behind in the count, 190 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Richard goes to the slider: 37.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
188 two-strike pitches in 2019.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Richard puts 53.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 41.6% when he is ahead.
216 located pitches behind, 190 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Richard throws a strike on the first pitch 58.9% of the time.
202 plate appearances started in 2019.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Richard's sinker moves 131.7 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
414 thrown, averaging 90.2 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Richard's 4-seam fastball carries 11.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
112 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Richard puts 42.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 51.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
594 pitches to right-handed hitters, 134 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
Richard's sinker averages 90.2 mph, and has touched 94.0.
414 thrown, 56.9% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Richard works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Slider and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 56.9% of everything he throws.
728 classified pitches in 2019.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Richard's sinker leaves the bat at 94.2 mph, against 89.8 off his slider.
414 and 189 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.4 mph separates Richard's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 91.1 against 79.6.
112 and 189 of them respectively.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Richard has thrown 13 changeups this season, 1.8% of his pitches, at 82.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
728 classified pitches in 2019.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Richard's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,284 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
112 thrown in 2019.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Richard releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
728 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Richard releases the ball 5.5 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
728 tracked pitches in 2019.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
54.5% of the contact Richard gives up is hit hard, 3rd percentile.
728 pitches in 2019. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 726th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 92.9 mph off the bat against Richard, 4th percentile.
728 pitches in 2019. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 719th 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
Richard lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.14 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
728 located pitches in 2019.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.5% of Richard's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
135 of 728 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Richard lands 50.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.1% of his breaking balls.
526 of his fastballs, 189 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .415 expected average against them, against .369 on his fastballs.
189 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Richard throws 40.4% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
178 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 550 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Richard averages 87.4 mph across his arsenal, 28th percentile in the league.
728 pitches in 2019. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 542nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Richard's stuff spins at 2,198 rpm, 39th percentile in the league.
728 pitches in 2019. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 458th in MLB.
Padres
Career team 2009–2018