He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Hale puts 46.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 36.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
253 pitches to right-handed hitters, 209 to left-handed hitters.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .427 expected average against them, against .225 on his breaking balls.
257 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hale's sinker moves 116.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
40 thrown, averaging 92.2 mph.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Hale throws a strike on the first pitch 47.4% of the time.
116 plate appearances started in 2021.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hale's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 95.5 mph, against 78.7 off his curveball.
217 and 93 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hale 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.
462 located pitches in 2021.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Hale works off the plate, with only 42% of his pitches in the zone, 18th percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 18th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 661st in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hale throws a fastball 61.7% of the time, against 45.5% when he is ahead.
149 pitches behind in the count, 101 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hale's 4-seam fastball carries 13.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
217 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Hale projects a .366 average, 16th percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 673rd in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hale works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Curveball and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 47% of everything he throws.
462 classified pitches in 2021.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hale releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 39 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
462 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hale puts 55% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.7% when he is ahead.
149 located pitches behind, 101 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hale throws the changeup 34% of the time against left-handers and 16.2% against right-handers.
253 pitches to right-handers, 209 to left-handers.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.8% of Hale's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
73 of 462 located pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Hale's stuff spins at 2,087 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
462 pitches in 2021. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 617th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Hale gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 633rd in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hale throws 44.7% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.2% with the bases empty.
103 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 359 with the bases empty.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hale goes to the changeup: 30.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
126 two-strike pitches in 2021.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hale lands 45.9% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.6% of his offspeed pitches.
257 of his fastballs, 112 of his offspeed pitches.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hale's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.6.
217 thrown, 47% of his pitches.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Hale releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
462 tracked pitches in 2021.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Hale averages 88.3 mph across his arsenal, 39th percentile in the league.
462 pitches in 2021. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 491st in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.2 mph separates Hale's 4-seam fastball from his changeup, 92.8 against 82.7.
217 and 112 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hale's curveball spins at 2,303 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
93 thrown in 2021.
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The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Hale puts 46.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 36.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
253 pitches to right-handed hitters, 209 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 fastballs: a .427 expected average against them, against .225 on his breaking balls.
257 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hale lands 45.9% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.6% of his offspeed pitches.
257 of his fastballs, 112 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hale's sinker moves 116.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
40 thrown, averaging 92.2 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hale's 4-seam fastball carries 13.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
217 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He falls behind hitters far too often
Hale throws a strike on the first pitch 47.4% of the time.
116 plate appearances started in 2021.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hale throws a fastball 61.7% of the time, against 45.5% when he is ahead.
149 pitches behind in the count, 101 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hale puts 55% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.7% when he is ahead.
149 located pitches behind, 101 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hale goes to the changeup: 30.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
126 two-strike pitches in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hale's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 95.5 mph, against 78.7 off his curveball.
217 and 93 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hale works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Curveball and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 47% of everything he throws.
462 classified pitches in 2021.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hale throws the changeup 34% of the time against left-handers and 16.2% against right-handers.
253 pitches to right-handers, 209 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hale's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.6.
217 thrown, 47% of his pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.2 mph separates Hale's 4-seam fastball from his changeup, 92.8 against 82.7.
217 and 112 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hale's curveball spins at 2,303 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
93 thrown in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hale 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.
462 located pitches in 2021.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.8% of Hale's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
73 of 462 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Hale works off the plate, with only 42% of his pitches in the zone, 18th percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 18th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 661st in MLB.
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 Hale projects a .366 average, 16th percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 673rd in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Hale gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
462 pitches in 2021. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 633rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hale releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 39 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
462 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Hale releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
462 tracked pitches in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Hale's stuff spins at 2,087 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
462 pitches in 2021. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 617th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hale throws 44.7% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.2% with the bases empty.
103 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 359 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
Hale averages 88.3 mph across his arsenal, 39th percentile in the league.
462 pitches in 2021. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 491st in MLB.
Braves
Career team 2013–2014