This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Valdez goes to the curveball: 45.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.8% the rest of the time.
244 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Valdez lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.01 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
799 located pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Valdez's sinker leaves the bat at 92.9 mph, against 86.4 off his curveball.
373 and 238 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Valdez's sinker moves 15.8 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
373 thrown, averaging 93.8 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Valdez releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.7 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
799 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Valdez lands 54% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.2% of his breaking balls.
377 of his fastballs, 269 of his breaking balls.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Valdez's curveball carries 15.0 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
238 thrown, averaging 78.5 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.3 mph separates Valdez's sinker from his curveball, 93.8 against 78.5.
373 and 238 of them respectively.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Valdez throws a strike on the first pitch 67.3% of the time.
223 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Valdez's curveball spins at 2,876 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
238 thrown in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Valdez releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
603 tracked pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Valdez averages 88.0 mph across his arsenal, 25th percentile in the league.
800 pitches in 2026. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 403rd in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Valdez throws a fastball 51.4% of the time, against 36.5% when he is ahead.
173 pitches behind in the count, 285 ahead.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Valdez lives in the strike zone: 44.7% of his pitches are in it, 71st percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 158th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Valdez throws the changeup 23.8% of the time against right-handers and 5.1% against left-handers.
605 pitches to right-handers, 195 to left-handers.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Valdez's fastball averages 94.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 93.2 past his 75th.
119 early fastballs, 67 late ones.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Valdez throws 42.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
191 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 609 with the bases empty.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Valdez, 27th percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 390th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Valdez works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and Changeup. The sinker is 46.6% of everything he throws.
800 classified pitches in 2026.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44.6% of the contact Valdez gives up is hit hard, 27th percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 390th in MLB.
He lives on one side of the plate
Valdez works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.7 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
799 located pitches in 2026.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .336 expected average against them, against .303 on his offspeed pitches.
377 of his fastballs thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Valdez puts 56.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.9% when he is ahead.
172 located pitches behind, 285 ahead.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Valdez's sinker averages 93.8 mph, and has touched 96.5.
373 thrown, 46.6% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Valdez has thrown 31 sliders this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 85.3 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
800 classified pitches in 2026.
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 Valdez goes to the curveball: 45.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.8% the rest of the time.
244 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Valdez throws a strike on the first pitch 67.3% of the time.
223 plate appearances started in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Valdez throws a fastball 51.4% of the time, against 36.5% when he is ahead.
173 pitches behind in the count, 285 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Valdez puts 56.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.9% when he is ahead.
172 located pitches behind, 285 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Valdez lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.01 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
799 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Valdez works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.7 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
799 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Valdez's sinker leaves the bat at 92.9 mph, against 86.4 off his curveball.
373 and 238 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.3 mph separates Valdez's sinker from his curveball, 93.8 against 78.5.
373 and 238 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Valdez's curveball spins at 2,876 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
238 thrown in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Valdez throws the changeup 23.8% of the time against right-handers and 5.1% against left-handers.
605 pitches to right-handers, 195 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Valdez works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and Changeup. The sinker is 46.6% of everything he throws.
800 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Valdez's sinker averages 93.8 mph, and has touched 96.5.
373 thrown, 46.6% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Valdez has thrown 31 sliders this season, 3.9% of his pitches, at 85.3 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
800 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Valdez's sinker moves 15.8 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
373 thrown, averaging 93.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Valdez's curveball carries 15.0 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
238 thrown, averaging 78.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Valdez releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.7 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
799 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Valdez releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
603 tracked pitches in 2026.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Valdez's fastball averages 94.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 93.2 past his 75th.
119 early fastballs, 67 late ones.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Valdez lands 54% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.2% of his breaking balls.
377 of his fastballs, 269 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .336 expected average against them, against .303 on his offspeed pitches.
377 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Valdez averages 88.0 mph across his arsenal, 25th percentile in the league.
800 pitches in 2026. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 403rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Valdez lives in the strike zone: 44.7% of his pitches are in it, 71st percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 158th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Valdez throws 42.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
191 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 609 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Valdez, 27th percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 390th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44.6% of the contact Valdez gives up is hit hard, 27th percentile.
800 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 390th in MLB.
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