The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Bird releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 18 degrees above horizontal and 2.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
675 tracked release points, averaging 5.2 feet off the ground.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Bird lives in the strike zone: 51.4% of his pitches are in it, 97th percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 97th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 17th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Bird's sinker leaves the bat at 92.1 mph, against 78.6 off his 4-seam fastball.
226 and 80 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Bird's curveball moves 16.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
78 thrown, averaging 81.0 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Bird throws a fastball 62.1% of the time, against 41.1% when he is ahead.
169 pitches behind in the count, 202 ahead.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Bird's stuff spins at 2,553 rpm, 93rd percentile in the league.
220 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 40th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Bird's curveball spins at 2,836 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
78 thrown in 2026.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .345 expected average against them, against .279 on his fastballs.
126 of his breaking balls thrown.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Bird throws 47.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 53% with the bases empty.
71 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 149 with the bases empty.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Bird throws the sweeper 46.2% of the time against right-handers and 22.7% against left-handers.
442 pitches to right-handers, 233 to left-handers.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Bird averages 88.2 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
220 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 382nd in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Bird goes to the 4-seam fastball: 16.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 9.9% the rest of the time.
199 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Bird releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
576 tracked pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.6 mph separates Bird's sinker from his curveball, 94.5 against 81.0.
226 and 78 of them respectively.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Bird's 4-seam fastball carries 10.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
80 thrown, averaging 93.1 mph.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Bird puts 58.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.1% when he is ahead.
169 located pitches behind, 202 ahead.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Bird works with 4 pitches: Sweeper, Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The sweeper is 38.1% of everything he throws.
675 classified pitches in 2026.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.7 mph off the bat against Bird, 32nd percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 366th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Bird's sinker averages 94.5 mph, and has touched 96.8.
226 thrown, 33.5% of his pitches.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Bird projects a .309 average, 66th percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 182nd in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Bird throws a strike on the first pitch 61.2% of the time.
170 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Bird has thrown 31 cutters this season, 4.6% of his pitches, at 94.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
675 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Bird releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 18 degrees above horizontal and 2.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
675 tracked release points, averaging 5.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Bird releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
576 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Bird lives in the strike zone: 51.4% of his pitches are in it, 97th percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 97th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 17th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Bird's sinker leaves the bat at 92.1 mph, against 78.6 off his 4-seam fastball.
226 and 80 of them thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Bird's curveball spins at 2,836 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
78 thrown in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Bird throws the sweeper 46.2% of the time against right-handers and 22.7% against left-handers.
442 pitches to right-handers, 233 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.6 mph separates Bird's sinker from his curveball, 94.5 against 81.0.
226 and 78 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Bird works with 4 pitches: Sweeper, Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The sweeper is 38.1% of everything he throws.
675 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Bird's sinker averages 94.5 mph, and has touched 96.8.
226 thrown, 33.5% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Bird has thrown 31 cutters this season, 4.6% of his pitches, at 94.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
675 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
Bird's curveball moves 16.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
78 thrown, averaging 81.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Bird's 4-seam fastball carries 10.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
80 thrown, averaging 93.1 mph.
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 Bird throws a fastball 62.1% of the time, against 41.1% when he is ahead.
169 pitches behind in the count, 202 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Bird goes to the 4-seam fastball: 16.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 9.9% the rest of the time.
199 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Bird puts 58.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.1% when he is ahead.
169 located pitches behind, 202 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Bird throws a strike on the first pitch 61.2% of the time.
170 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Bird's stuff spins at 2,553 rpm, 93rd percentile in the league.
220 pitches in 2026. 93rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 40th 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 breaking balls: a .345 expected average against them, against .279 on his fastballs.
126 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Bird throws 47.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 53% with the bases empty.
71 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 149 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
Bird averages 88.2 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
220 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 382nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.7 mph off the bat against Bird, 32nd percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 366th in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Bird projects a .309 average, 66th percentile.
220 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 182nd in MLB.
Nationals