When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Nova throws a fastball 75% of the time, against 45% when he is ahead.
80 pitches behind in the count, 80 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Nova's sinker moves 120.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Nova goes to the curveball: 41.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 21.4% the rest of the time.
55 two-strike pitches in 2020.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Nova's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.5 mph, against 77.4 off his changeup.
54 and 44 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Nova throws the changeup 25.3% of the time against left-handers and 2.5% against right-handers.
122 pitches to right-handers, 162 to left-handers.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Nova releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
284 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He lives on one side of the plate
Nova works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.2 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
284 located pitches in 2020.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Nova puts 44.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.1% of his pitches to left-handers.
122 pitches to right-handed hitters, 162 to left-handed hitters.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Nova lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.26 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
284 located pitches in 2020.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.7 mph separates Nova's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.3 against 79.6.
54 and 72 of them respectively.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Nova works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 32nd percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 449th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Nova releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
284 tracked pitches in 2020.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Nova's 4-seam fastball carries 10.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
54 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Nova's sinker averages 92.1 mph, and has touched 95.1.
114 thrown, 40.1% of his pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .375 expected average against them, against .341 on his breaking balls.
168 of his fastballs thrown.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42% of the contact Nova gives up is hit hard, 29th percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 468th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Nova works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Curveball, 4-Seam Fastball and Changeup. The sinker is 40.1% of everything he throws.
284 classified pitches in 2020.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Nova's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
49 of 284 located pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Nova's stuff spins at 2,165 rpm, 33rd percentile in the league.
284 pitches in 2020. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 442nd in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Nova projects a .362 average, 37th percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 415th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Nova's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,276 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
54 thrown in 2020.
Show more
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 Nova throws a fastball 75% of the time, against 45% when he is ahead.
80 pitches behind in the count, 80 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Nova goes to the curveball: 41.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 21.4% the rest of the time.
55 two-strike pitches in 2020.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Nova's sinker moves 120.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Nova's 4-seam fastball carries 10.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
54 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Nova's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.5 mph, against 77.4 off his changeup.
54 and 44 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Nova throws the changeup 25.3% of the time against left-handers and 2.5% against right-handers.
122 pitches to right-handers, 162 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.7 mph separates Nova's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.3 against 79.6.
54 and 72 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Nova's sinker averages 92.1 mph, and has touched 95.1.
114 thrown, 40.1% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Nova works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Curveball, 4-Seam Fastball and Changeup. The sinker is 40.1% of everything he throws.
284 classified pitches in 2020.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Nova's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,276 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
54 thrown in 2020.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Nova releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
284 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Nova releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
284 tracked pitches in 2020.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Nova works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.2 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
284 located pitches in 2020.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Nova lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.26 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
284 located pitches in 2020.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Nova's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
49 of 284 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Nova puts 44.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.1% of his pitches to left-handers.
122 pitches to right-handed hitters, 162 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Nova works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 32nd percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 449th in MLB.
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 fastballs: a .375 expected average against them, against .341 on his breaking balls.
168 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42% of the contact Nova gives up is hit hard, 29th percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 468th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Nova projects a .362 average, 37th percentile.
284 pitches in 2020. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 415th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Nova's stuff spins at 2,165 rpm, 33rd percentile in the league.
284 pitches in 2020. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2020, 442nd in MLB.
Yankees
Career team 2010–2016