This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Underwood Jr. goes to the changeup: 44.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 19.4% the rest of the time.
85 two-strike pitches in 2023.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .480 expected average against them, against .295 on his fastballs.
69 of his breaking balls thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Underwood Jr.'s changeup moves 110.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
87 thrown, averaging 88.7 mph.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Underwood Jr. throws 52.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.6% with the bases empty.
87 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 250 with the bases empty.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Underwood Jr. throws a fastball 76.4% of the time, against 35.6% when he is ahead.
89 pitches behind in the count, 104 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Underwood Jr. throws the sinker 40.1% of the time against right-handers and 11.2% against left-handers.
167 pitches to right-handers, 170 to left-handers.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Underwood Jr.'s stuff spins at 1,993 rpm, 9th percentile in the league.
337 pitches in 2023. 9th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 705th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Underwood Jr. projects a .373 average, 10th percentile.
337 pitches in 2023. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 696th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Underwood Jr. works with 4 pitches: Changeup, Sinker, Cutter and Curveball. The changeup is 25.8% of everything he throws.
337 classified pitches in 2023.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Underwood Jr. lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
337 located pitches in 2023.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Underwood Jr. releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 38 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
337 tracked release points, averaging 6.0 feet off the ground.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Underwood Jr. puts 42.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
167 pitches to right-handed hitters, 170 to left-handed hitters.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Underwood Jr.'s cutter carries 11.0 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
82 thrown, averaging 92.5 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Underwood Jr.'s changeup leaves the bat at 88.9 mph, against 86.3 off his curveball.
87 and 69 of them thrown.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Underwood Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 63.3% of the time.
98 plate appearances started in 2023.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Underwood Jr. averages 89.9 mph across his arsenal, 61st percentile in the league.
337 pitches in 2023. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 301st in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.5 mph separates Underwood Jr.'s sinker from his curveball, 93.6 against 83.2.
86 and 69 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Underwood Jr. puts 51.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.4% when he is ahead.
89 located pitches behind, 104 ahead.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Underwood Jr.'s sinker averages 93.6 mph, and has touched 96.0.
86 thrown, 25.5% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Underwood Jr.'s curveball spins at 2,309 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
69 thrown in 2023.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Underwood Jr. has thrown 13 4-seam fastballs this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 93.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
337 classified pitches in 2023.
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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 Underwood Jr. goes to the changeup: 44.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 19.4% the rest of the time.
85 two-strike pitches in 2023.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Underwood Jr. throws a fastball 76.4% of the time, against 35.6% when he is ahead.
89 pitches behind in the count, 104 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Underwood Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 63.3% of the time.
98 plate appearances started in 2023.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Underwood Jr. puts 51.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.4% when he is ahead.
89 located pitches behind, 104 ahead.
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 breaking balls: a .480 expected average against them, against .295 on his fastballs.
69 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Underwood Jr.'s changeup moves 110.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
87 thrown, averaging 88.7 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Underwood Jr.'s cutter carries 11.0 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
82 thrown, averaging 92.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Underwood Jr. throws 52.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 41.6% with the bases empty.
87 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 250 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Underwood Jr. throws the sinker 40.1% of the time against right-handers and 11.2% against left-handers.
167 pitches to right-handers, 170 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Underwood Jr. works with 4 pitches: Changeup, Sinker, Cutter and Curveball. The changeup is 25.8% of everything he throws.
337 classified pitches in 2023.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Underwood Jr.'s changeup leaves the bat at 88.9 mph, against 86.3 off his curveball.
87 and 69 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.5 mph separates Underwood Jr.'s sinker from his curveball, 93.6 against 83.2.
86 and 69 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Underwood Jr.'s sinker averages 93.6 mph, and has touched 96.0.
86 thrown, 25.5% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Underwood Jr.'s curveball spins at 2,309 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
69 thrown in 2023.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Underwood Jr. has thrown 13 4-seam fastballs this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 93.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
337 classified pitches in 2023.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Underwood Jr.'s stuff spins at 1,993 rpm, 9th percentile in the league.
337 pitches in 2023. 9th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 705th 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 Underwood Jr. projects a .373 average, 10th percentile.
337 pitches in 2023. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 696th 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
Underwood Jr. lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
337 located pitches in 2023.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Underwood Jr. releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 38 degrees above horizontal and 2.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
337 tracked release points, averaging 6.0 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Underwood Jr. puts 42.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
167 pitches to right-handed hitters, 170 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Underwood Jr. averages 89.9 mph across his arsenal, 61st percentile in the league.
337 pitches in 2023. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 301st in MLB.
Pirates
Career team 2021–2023