One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .406 expected average against them, against .280 on his breaking balls.
96 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Javier's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
84 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Javier's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 91.3 mph, against 86.0 off his sweeper.
84 and 44 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Javier's sweeper moves 14.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
44 thrown, averaging 79.1 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Javier goes to the changeup: 22.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.9% the rest of the time.
44 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Javier averages 87.3 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
176 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 430th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Javier throws the changeup 28.8% of the time against left-handers and 7.3% against right-handers.
110 pitches to right-handers, 66 to left-handers.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Javier puts 52.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.6% when he is ahead.
55 located pitches behind, 43 ahead.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Javier releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 39 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
176 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.7 mph separates Javier's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 92.8 against 79.1.
84 and 44 of them respectively.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Javier lives in the strike zone: 44.9% of his pitches are in it, 72nd percentile.
176 pitches in 2026. 72nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 149th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Javier works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Changeup and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 47.7% of everything he throws.
176 classified pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Javier throws a strike on the first pitch 64.6% of the time.
48 plate appearances started in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Javier releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
131 tracked pitches in 2026.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Javier's stuff spins at 2,358 rpm, 68th percentile in the league.
176 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 173rd in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Javier's sweeper spins at 2,578 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
44 thrown in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.8% of Javier's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
33 of 176 located pitches.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 36.4% of the contact Javier gives up is hit hard, 64th percentile.
176 pitches in 2026. 64th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 192nd in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Javier's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.2.
84 thrown, 47.7% of his pitches.
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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 .406 expected average against them, against .280 on his breaking balls.
96 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Javier's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
84 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Javier's sweeper moves 14.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
44 thrown, averaging 79.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Javier's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 91.3 mph, against 86.0 off his sweeper.
84 and 44 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Javier throws the changeup 28.8% of the time against left-handers and 7.3% against right-handers.
110 pitches to right-handers, 66 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.7 mph separates Javier's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 92.8 against 79.1.
84 and 44 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Javier works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper, Changeup and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 47.7% of everything he throws.
176 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Javier's sweeper spins at 2,578 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
44 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Javier's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.2.
84 thrown, 47.7% of his pitches.
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 Javier goes to the changeup: 22.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.9% the rest of the time.
44 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Javier puts 52.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.6% when he is ahead.
55 located pitches behind, 43 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Javier throws a strike on the first pitch 64.6% of the time.
48 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Javier averages 87.3 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
176 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 430th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Javier releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 39 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
176 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Javier releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
131 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Javier lives in the strike zone: 44.9% of his pitches are in it, 72nd percentile.
176 pitches in 2026. 72nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 149th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Javier's stuff spins at 2,358 rpm, 68th percentile in the league.
176 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 173rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.8% of Javier's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
33 of 176 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 36.4% of the contact Javier gives up is hit hard, 64th percentile.
176 pitches in 2026. 64th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 192nd in MLB.
Astros