This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Bolton goes to the 4-seam fastball: 41.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 23.5% the rest of the time.
116 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Bolton's sinker moves 15.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
60 thrown, averaging 94.5 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .420 expected average against them, against .334 on his breaking balls.
232 of his fastballs thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.5 mph separates Bolton's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.8 against 79.3.
113 and 47 of them respectively.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Bolton releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 30 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
392 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Bolton projects a .404 average, 4th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 513th in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Bolton throws a strike on the first pitch 51% of the time.
96 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Bolton's 4-seam fastball carries 13.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
113 thrown, averaging 94.8 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Bolton throws the sinker 27.3% of the time against right-handers and 5.5% against left-handers.
176 pitches to right-handers, 217 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Bolton works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 28.8% of everything he throws.
393 classified pitches in 2026.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Bolton's stuff spins at 2,421 rpm, 80th percentile in the league.
342 pitches in 2026. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 110th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47.9% of the contact Bolton gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 451st in MLB.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Bolton lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 70th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 70th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 162nd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Bolton's cutter leaves the bat at 91.1 mph, against 86.4 off his curveball.
94 and 47 of them thrown.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Bolton throws a fastball 78.3% of the time, against 67% when he is ahead.
120 pitches behind in the count, 106 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Bolton's curveball spins at 2,687 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
47 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Bolton's 4-seam fastball averages 94.8 mph, and has touched 97.0.
113 thrown, 28.8% of his pitches.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Bolton throws 43% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.2% with the bases empty.
100 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 242 with the bases empty.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Bolton puts 59.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 47.6% when he is ahead.
120 located pitches behind, 105 ahead.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Bolton releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
336 tracked pitches in 2026.
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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 Bolton goes to the 4-seam fastball: 41.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 23.5% the rest of the time.
116 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Bolton throws a strike on the first pitch 51% of the time.
96 plate appearances started in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Bolton throws a fastball 78.3% of the time, against 67% when he is ahead.
120 pitches behind in the count, 106 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Bolton puts 59.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 47.6% when he is ahead.
120 located pitches behind, 105 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Bolton's sinker moves 15.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
60 thrown, averaging 94.5 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Bolton's 4-seam fastball carries 13.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
113 thrown, averaging 94.8 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 .420 expected average against them, against .334 on his breaking balls.
232 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.5 mph separates Bolton's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.8 against 79.3.
113 and 47 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Bolton throws the sinker 27.3% of the time against right-handers and 5.5% against left-handers.
176 pitches to right-handers, 217 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Bolton works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 28.8% of everything he throws.
393 classified pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Bolton's cutter leaves the bat at 91.1 mph, against 86.4 off his curveball.
94 and 47 of them thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Bolton's curveball spins at 2,687 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
47 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Bolton's 4-seam fastball averages 94.8 mph, and has touched 97.0.
113 thrown, 28.8% of his pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Bolton releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 30 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
392 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Bolton releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
336 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Bolton projects a .404 average, 4th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 513th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47.9% of the contact Bolton gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 451st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Bolton's stuff spins at 2,421 rpm, 80th percentile in the league.
342 pitches in 2026. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 110th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Bolton lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 70th percentile.
342 pitches in 2026. 70th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 162nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Bolton throws 43% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.2% with the bases empty.
100 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 242 with the bases empty.
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