When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Early throws a fastball 65.8% of the time, against 37.3% when he is ahead.
202 pitches behind in the count, 249 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Early's sinker moves 18.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
153 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Early releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
798 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Early throws 34.6% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 43.6% with the bases empty.
156 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 642 with the bases empty.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Early's curveball leaves the bat at 92.7 mph, against 83.6 off his sweeper.
101 and 50 of them thrown.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Early puts 39.9% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 47.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
601 pitches to right-handed hitters, 197 to left-handed hitters.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Early throws the sinker 41.6% of the time against left-handers and 11.8% against right-handers.
601 pitches to right-handers, 197 to left-handers.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Early's 4-seam fastball carries 15.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
264 thrown, averaging 93.8 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .363 expected average against them, against .296 on his breaking balls.
170 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Early's stuff spins at 2,073 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
798 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 456th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Early puts 57.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36.1% when he is ahead.
202 located pitches behind, 249 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Early lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.26 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
798 located pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.0 mph separates Early's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.8 against 79.9.
264 and 101 of them respectively.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Early averages 88.2 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
798 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 384th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Early lands 47% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.2% of his offspeed pitches.
417 of his fastballs, 170 of his offspeed pitches.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Early goes to the curveball: 18.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.1% the rest of the time.
244 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.3 mph off the bat against Early, 24th percentile.
798 pitches in 2026. 24th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 410th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Early works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 33.1% of everything he throws.
798 classified pitches in 2026.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Early releases the ball 6.7 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
603 tracked pitches in 2026.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Early works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 38th percentile.
798 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 332nd in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Early throws a strike on the first pitch 62.8% of the time.
199 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Early's sweeper spins at 2,419 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
50 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Early's 4-seam fastball averages 93.8 mph, and has touched 97.3.
264 thrown, 33.1% of his pitches.
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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 Early throws a fastball 65.8% of the time, against 37.3% when he is ahead.
202 pitches behind in the count, 249 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Early puts 57.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36.1% when he is ahead.
202 located pitches behind, 249 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Early goes to the curveball: 18.4% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.1% the rest of the time.
244 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Early throws a strike on the first pitch 62.8% of the time.
199 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Early's sinker moves 18.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
153 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Early's 4-seam fastball carries 15.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
264 thrown, averaging 93.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Early releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
798 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Early releases the ball 6.7 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
603 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Early throws 34.6% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 43.6% with the bases empty.
156 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 642 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Early's curveball leaves the bat at 92.7 mph, against 83.6 off his sweeper.
101 and 50 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Early throws the sinker 41.6% of the time against left-handers and 11.8% against right-handers.
601 pitches to right-handers, 197 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.0 mph separates Early's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.8 against 79.9.
264 and 101 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Early works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 33.1% of everything he throws.
798 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Early's sweeper spins at 2,419 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
50 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Early's 4-seam fastball averages 93.8 mph, and has touched 97.3.
264 thrown, 33.1% of his pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Early puts 39.9% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 47.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
601 pitches to right-handed hitters, 197 to left-handed hitters.
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 offspeed pitches: a .363 expected average against them, against .296 on his breaking balls.
170 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Early lands 47% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.2% of his offspeed pitches.
417 of his fastballs, 170 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Early's stuff spins at 2,073 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
798 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 456th 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
Early lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.26 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
798 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Early averages 88.2 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
798 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 384th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.3 mph off the bat against Early, 24th percentile.
798 pitches in 2026. 24th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 410th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Early works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 38th percentile.
798 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 332nd in MLB.
Red Sox
Career team 2025–2026