The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Sisk releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 13 degrees above horizontal and 3.4 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
830 tracked release points, averaging 5.1 feet off the ground.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Sisk throws a fastball 61.9% of the time, against 35.6% when he is ahead.
252 pitches behind in the count, 225 ahead.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Sisk averages 84.0 mph across his arsenal, 2nd percentile in the league.
294 pitches in 2026. 2nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 524th in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sisk's changeup moves 16.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
72 thrown, averaging 83.5 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Sisk's changeup leaves the bat at 89.9 mph, against 77.2 off his curveball.
72 and 223 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sisk goes to the sweeper: 28.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 11.2% the rest of the time.
245 two-strike pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sisk's sinker averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 95.1.
261 thrown, 31.3% of his pitches.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Sisk projects a .246 average, 94th percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 94th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 31st in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Sisk is weak: 83.9 mph off the bat on average, 93rd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 37th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Sisk 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.
830 located pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sisk throws the sweeper 27.9% of the time against left-handers and 5.1% against right-handers.
428 pitches to right-handers, 405 to left-handers.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Sisk's stuff spins at 2,086 rpm, 17th percentile in the league.
294 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 445th in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Sisk's 4-seam fastball carries 12.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
141 thrown, averaging 91.5 mph.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Sisk releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
767 tracked pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.3% of Sisk's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
127 of 830 located pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.9 mph separates Sisk's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.5 against 77.6.
141 and 223 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Sisk puts 51.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.8% when he is ahead.
250 located pitches behind, 225 ahead.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.7% of the contact Sisk gives up is hit hard, 83rd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 83rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 94th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sisk works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Curveball, 4-Seam Fastball and Sweeper, and a little else. The sinker is 31.3% of everything he throws.
833 classified pitches in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Sisk throws a strike on the first pitch 56.1% of the time.
198 plate appearances started in 2026.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Sisk lives in the strike zone: 44% of his pitches are in it, 62nd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 62nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 206th in MLB.
He lives on one side of the plate
Sisk works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
830 located pitches in 2026.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Sisk lands 49.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.2% of his breaking balls.
126 of his fastballs, 136 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .246 expected average against them, against .221 on his fastballs.
136 of his breaking balls thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sisk's sweeper spins at 2,236 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
135 thrown in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Sisk releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 13 degrees above horizontal and 3.4 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
830 tracked release points, averaging 5.1 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Sisk releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
767 tracked pitches in 2026.
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 Sisk throws a fastball 61.9% of the time, against 35.6% when he is ahead.
252 pitches behind in the count, 225 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sisk goes to the sweeper: 28.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 11.2% the rest of the time.
245 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Sisk puts 51.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.8% when he is ahead.
250 located pitches behind, 225 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Sisk throws a strike on the first pitch 56.1% of the time.
198 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
Sisk averages 84.0 mph across his arsenal, 2nd percentile in the league.
294 pitches in 2026. 2nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 524th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sisk's changeup moves 16.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
72 thrown, averaging 83.5 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Sisk's 4-seam fastball carries 12.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
141 thrown, averaging 91.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Sisk's changeup leaves the bat at 89.9 mph, against 77.2 off his curveball.
72 and 223 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sisk's sinker averages 91.1 mph, and has touched 95.1.
261 thrown, 31.3% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sisk throws the sweeper 27.9% of the time against left-handers and 5.1% against right-handers.
428 pitches to right-handers, 405 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.9 mph separates Sisk's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.5 against 77.6.
141 and 223 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sisk works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Curveball, 4-Seam Fastball and Sweeper, and a little else. The sinker is 31.3% of everything he throws.
833 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sisk's sweeper spins at 2,236 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
135 thrown in 2026.
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 Sisk projects a .246 average, 94th percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 94th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 31st in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Sisk is weak: 83.9 mph off the bat on average, 93rd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 37th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.7% of the contact Sisk gives up is hit hard, 83rd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 83rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 94th 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
Sisk 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.
830 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.3% of Sisk's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
127 of 830 located pitches.
He lives on one side of the plate
Sisk works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
830 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Sisk's stuff spins at 2,086 rpm, 17th percentile in the league.
294 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 445th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Sisk lives in the strike zone: 44% of his pitches are in it, 62nd percentile.
294 pitches in 2026. 62nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 206th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Sisk lands 49.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.2% of his breaking balls.
126 of his fastballs, 136 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .246 expected average against them, against .221 on his fastballs.
136 of his breaking balls thrown.
Pirates