He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Lauer puts 37.1% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 48.1% of his pitches to left-handers.
496 pitches to right-handed hitters, 106 to left-handed hitters.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Lauer's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.4 mph, against 82.1 off his cutter.
762 and 420 of them thrown.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Lauer throws 31.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 40.7% with the bases empty.
113 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 489 with the bases empty.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Lauer averages 86.1 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
602 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 478th in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Lauer's 4-seam fastball carries 14.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
762 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Lauer works off the plate, with only 39% of his pitches in the zone, 14th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 460th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Lauer's 4-seam fastball averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 94.4.
762 thrown, 42% of his pitches.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Lauer throws a fastball 72.4% of the time, against 57.5% when he is ahead.
464 pitches behind in the count, 546 ahead.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Lauer's stuff spins at 2,005 rpm, 10th percentile in the league.
602 pitches in 2026. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 486th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Lauer releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1663 tracked pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.2 mph separates Lauer's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.1 against 75.9.
762 and 221 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Lauer puts 62.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.8% when he is ahead.
464 located pitches behind, 546 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Lauer's changeup moves 12.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
267 thrown, averaging 84.6 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Lauer lands 43.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.3% of his offspeed pitches.
374 of his fastballs, 106 of his offspeed pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Lauer throws the slider 22.7% of the time against left-handers and 3.8% against right-handers.
1413 pitches to right-handers, 401 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Lauer works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42% of everything he throws.
1814 classified pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Lauer throws a strike on the first pitch 63% of the time.
467 plate appearances started in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Lauer releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 46 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1814 tracked release points, averaging 6.0 feet off the ground.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.3 mph off the bat against Lauer, 37th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 341st in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Lauer's curveball spins at 2,452 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
221 thrown in 2026.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42% of the contact Lauer gives up is hit hard, 38th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 333rd in MLB.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Lauer puts 37.1% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 48.1% of his pitches to left-handers.
496 pitches to right-handed hitters, 106 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Lauer's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.4 mph, against 82.1 off his cutter.
762 and 420 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Lauer's 4-seam fastball averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 94.4.
762 thrown, 42% of his pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.2 mph separates Lauer's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.1 against 75.9.
762 and 221 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Lauer throws the slider 22.7% of the time against left-handers and 3.8% against right-handers.
1413 pitches to right-handers, 401 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Lauer works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42% of everything he throws.
1814 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Lauer's curveball spins at 2,452 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
221 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Lauer throws 31.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 40.7% with the bases empty.
113 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 489 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
Lauer averages 86.1 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
602 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 478th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Lauer's 4-seam fastball carries 14.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
762 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Lauer's changeup moves 12.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
267 thrown, averaging 84.6 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Lauer works off the plate, with only 39% of his pitches in the zone, 14th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 460th in MLB.
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 Lauer throws a fastball 72.4% of the time, against 57.5% when he is ahead.
464 pitches behind in the count, 546 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Lauer puts 62.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.8% when he is ahead.
464 located pitches behind, 546 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Lauer throws a strike on the first pitch 63% of the time.
467 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Lauer's stuff spins at 2,005 rpm, 10th percentile in the league.
602 pitches in 2026. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 486th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Lauer releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1663 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Lauer releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 46 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
1814 tracked release points, averaging 6.0 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
Lauer lands 43.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.3% of his offspeed pitches.
374 of his fastballs, 106 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.3 mph off the bat against Lauer, 37th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 341st in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42% of the contact Lauer gives up is hit hard, 38th percentile.
602 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 333rd in MLB.
Dodgers