This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Soto goes to the sweeper: 44.1% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.8% the rest of the time.
111 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Soto throws 33.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.2% with the bases empty.
71 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 290 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Soto's sinker moves 17.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
137 thrown, averaging 95.9 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Soto's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.3 mph, against 74.2 off his slider.
65 and 62 of them thrown.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Soto throws a fastball 75.5% of the time, against 42% when he is ahead.
94 pitches behind in the count, 100 ahead.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Soto puts 46.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.2% of his pitches to left-handers.
254 pitches to right-handed hitters, 107 to left-handed hitters.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Soto is weak: 82.9 mph off the bat on average, 96th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 25th in MLB.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Soto releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
361 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Soto's sinker averages 95.9 mph, and has touched 98.9.
137 thrown, 38% of his pitches.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Soto's 4-seam fastball carries 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
65 thrown, averaging 96.7 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Soto lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.20 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
361 located pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.5 mph separates Soto's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 96.7 against 82.2.
65 and 96 of them respectively.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Soto projects a .266 average, 90th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 90th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 56th in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Soto throws a strike on the first pitch 66.3% of the time.
86 plate appearances started in 2026.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Soto lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 69th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 165th in MLB.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Soto's stuff spins at 2,402 rpm, 76th percentile in the league.
361 pitches in 2026. 76th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 128th in MLB.
He lives on one side of the plate
Soto works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.4 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
361 located pitches in 2026.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 32% of the contact Soto gives up is hit hard, 82nd percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 99th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Soto lands 49.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 38.6% of his breaking balls.
202 of his fastballs, 158 of his breaking balls.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Soto works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Sweeper, 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The sinker is 38% of everything he throws.
361 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Soto puts 52.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36% when he is ahead.
94 located pitches behind, 100 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Soto throws the sinker 48.6% of the time against left-handers and 33.5% against right-handers.
254 pitches to right-handers, 107 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Soto's sweeper spins at 2,558 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
96 thrown in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.6% of Soto's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
78 of 361 located pitches.
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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 Soto goes to the sweeper: 44.1% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.8% the rest of the time.
111 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Soto throws a fastball 75.5% of the time, against 42% when he is ahead.
94 pitches behind in the count, 100 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Soto throws a strike on the first pitch 66.3% of the time.
86 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Soto puts 52.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 36% when he is ahead.
94 located pitches behind, 100 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Soto throws 33.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.2% with the bases empty.
71 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 290 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Soto's sinker moves 17.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
137 thrown, averaging 95.9 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Soto's 4-seam fastball carries 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
65 thrown, averaging 96.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Soto's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.3 mph, against 74.2 off his slider.
65 and 62 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Soto's sinker averages 95.9 mph, and has touched 98.9.
137 thrown, 38% of his pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.5 mph separates Soto's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 96.7 against 82.2.
65 and 96 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Soto works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Sweeper, 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The sinker is 38% of everything he throws.
361 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Soto throws the sinker 48.6% of the time against left-handers and 33.5% against right-handers.
254 pitches to right-handers, 107 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Soto's sweeper spins at 2,558 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
96 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Soto puts 46.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.2% of his pitches to left-handers.
254 pitches to right-handed hitters, 107 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Soto is weak: 82.9 mph off the bat on average, 96th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 25th in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Soto projects a .266 average, 90th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 90th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 56th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 32% of the contact Soto gives up is hit hard, 82nd percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 99th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Soto releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
361 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Soto lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.20 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
361 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Soto works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.4 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
361 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.6% of Soto's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
78 of 361 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Soto lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 69th percentile.
361 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 165th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Soto's stuff spins at 2,402 rpm, 76th percentile in the league.
361 pitches in 2026. 76th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 128th 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
Soto lands 49.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 38.6% of his breaking balls.
202 of his fastballs, 158 of his breaking balls.
Pirates