This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smyly goes to the knuckle curve: 67.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 40.1% the rest of the time.
320 two-strike pitches in 2024.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smyly's sinker moves 52.9 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
484 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Smyly throws a fastball 64.5% of the time, against 32.8% when he is ahead.
262 pitches behind in the count, 299 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smyly's sinker carries 17.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
484 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smyly lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.09 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1014 located pitches in 2024.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Smyly averages 86.4 mph across his arsenal, 16th percentile in the league.
1014 pitches in 2024. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 649th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smyly works with 2 pitches: Knuckle Curve and Sinker. The knuckle curve is 48.6% of everything he throws.
1014 classified pitches in 2024.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Smyly releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1013 tracked pitches in 2024.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Smyly lands 54.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.7% of his breaking balls.
521 of his fastballs, 493 of his breaking balls.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smyly puts 59.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36.5% when he is ahead.
262 located pitches behind, 299 ahead.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.6 mph separates Smyly's sinker from his knuckle curve, 92.6 against 80.0.
484 and 493 of them respectively.
He lives on one side of the plate
Smyly works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.4 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
1014 located pitches in 2024.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smyly releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 58 degrees above horizontal and 1.3 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1014 tracked release points, averaging 6.4 feet off the ground.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Smyly puts 44.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 47.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
564 pitches to right-handed hitters, 450 to left-handed hitters.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smyly's sinker averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.0.
484 thrown, 47.7% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smyly throws the sinker 54.2% of the time against left-handers and 42.6% against right-handers.
564 pitches to right-handers, 450 to left-handers.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Smyly projects a .311 average, 66th percentile.
1014 pitches in 2024. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 264th in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Smyly throws a strike on the first pitch 63.1% of the time.
252 plate appearances started in 2024.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Smyly has thrown 34 cutters this season, 3.4% of his pitches, at 88.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1014 classified pitches in 2024.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smyly's knuckle curve spins at 2,283 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
493 thrown in 2024.
Show more
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 Smyly goes to the knuckle curve: 67.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 40.1% the rest of the time.
320 two-strike pitches in 2024.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Smyly throws a fastball 64.5% of the time, against 32.8% when he is ahead.
262 pitches behind in the count, 299 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smyly puts 59.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36.5% when he is ahead.
262 located pitches behind, 299 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Smyly throws a strike on the first pitch 63.1% of the time.
252 plate appearances started in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smyly's sinker moves 52.9 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
484 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smyly's sinker carries 17.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
484 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smyly lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.09 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1014 located pitches in 2024.
He lives on one side of the plate
Smyly works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.4 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
1014 located pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Smyly averages 86.4 mph across his arsenal, 16th percentile in the league.
1014 pitches in 2024. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 649th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smyly works with 2 pitches: Knuckle Curve and Sinker. The knuckle curve is 48.6% of everything he throws.
1014 classified pitches in 2024.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.6 mph separates Smyly's sinker from his knuckle curve, 92.6 against 80.0.
484 and 493 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smyly's sinker averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.0.
484 thrown, 47.7% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smyly throws the sinker 54.2% of the time against left-handers and 42.6% against right-handers.
564 pitches to right-handers, 450 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Smyly has thrown 34 cutters this season, 3.4% of his pitches, at 88.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1014 classified pitches in 2024.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smyly's knuckle curve spins at 2,283 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
493 thrown in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Smyly releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1013 tracked pitches in 2024.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smyly releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 58 degrees above horizontal and 1.3 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1014 tracked release points, averaging 6.4 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Smyly lands 54.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.7% of his breaking balls.
521 of his fastballs, 493 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Smyly puts 44.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 47.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
564 pitches to right-handed hitters, 450 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Smyly projects a .311 average, 66th percentile.
1014 pitches in 2024. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 264th in MLB.
Tigers
Career team 2012–2014