The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Irvin releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
795 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Irvin's curveball moves 16.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
188 thrown, averaging 77.0 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Irvin's sinker leaves the bat at 94.0 mph, against 84.6 off his sweeper.
194 and 73 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Irvin goes to the 4-seam fastball: 35.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.3% the rest of the time.
256 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Irvin lives in the strike zone: 46.8% of his pitches are in it, 86th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 78th in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Irvin averages 86.7 mph across his arsenal, 15th percentile in the league.
795 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 459th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Irvin throws the sinker 42.1% of the time against right-handers and 14.3% against left-handers.
290 pitches to right-handers, 505 to left-handers.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Irvin releases the ball 7.2 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
632 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Irvin's 4-seam fastball carries 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
212 thrown, averaging 92.5 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.5 mph separates Irvin's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.5 against 77.0.
212 and 188 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Irvin puts 61.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.7% when he is ahead.
219 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
48% of the contact Irvin gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 453rd in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Irvin lands 52.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.4% of his breaking balls.
496 of his fastballs, 261 of his breaking balls.
He lives on one side of the plate
Irvin works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
795 located pitches in 2026.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Irvin's fastball averages 92.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 90.6 past his 75th.
150 early fastballs, 76 late ones.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Irvin 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.
795 located pitches in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Irvin works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Curveball and Cutter, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.7% of everything he throws.
795 classified pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Irvin throws a fastball 68% of the time, against 56.8% when he is ahead.
219 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Irvin projects a .359 average, 21st percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 426th in MLB.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Irvin's stuff spins at 2,375 rpm, 72nd percentile in the league.
795 pitches in 2026. 72nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 153rd in MLB.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .389 expected average against them, against .352 on his fastballs.
261 of his breaking balls thrown.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Irvin throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Irvin's 4-seam fastball averages 92.5 mph, and has touched 95.8.
212 thrown, 26.7% of his pitches.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.8 mph off the bat against Irvin, 29th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Irvin's sweeper spins at 2,521 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Irvin has thrown 38 changeups this season, 4.8% of his pitches, at 84.0 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
795 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
Irvin releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
795 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Irvin releases the ball 7.2 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
632 tracked pitches in 2026.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Irvin's fastball averages 92.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 90.6 past his 75th.
150 early fastballs, 76 late ones.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Irvin's curveball moves 16.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
188 thrown, averaging 77.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Irvin's 4-seam fastball carries 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
212 thrown, averaging 92.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Irvin's sinker leaves the bat at 94.0 mph, against 84.6 off his sweeper.
194 and 73 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Irvin throws the sinker 42.1% of the time against right-handers and 14.3% against left-handers.
290 pitches to right-handers, 505 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.5 mph separates Irvin's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.5 against 77.0.
212 and 188 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Irvin works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Curveball and Cutter, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.7% of everything he throws.
795 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Irvin's 4-seam fastball averages 92.5 mph, and has touched 95.8.
212 thrown, 26.7% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Irvin's sweeper spins at 2,521 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Irvin has thrown 38 changeups this season, 4.8% of his pitches, at 84.0 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
795 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 Irvin goes to the 4-seam fastball: 35.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.3% the rest of the time.
256 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Irvin puts 61.2% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.7% when he is ahead.
219 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Irvin throws a fastball 68% of the time, against 56.8% when he is ahead.
219 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Irvin throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Irvin lives in the strike zone: 46.8% of his pitches are in it, 86th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 78th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Irvin averages 86.7 mph across his arsenal, 15th percentile in the league.
795 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 459th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
48% of the contact Irvin gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 453rd in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Irvin projects a .359 average, 21st percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 426th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.8 mph off the bat against Irvin, 29th percentile.
795 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st 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
Irvin lands 52.8% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.4% of his breaking balls.
496 of his fastballs, 261 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .389 expected average against them, against .352 on his fastballs.
261 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Irvin works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
795 located pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Irvin 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.
795 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Irvin's stuff spins at 2,375 rpm, 72nd percentile in the league.
795 pitches in 2026. 72nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 153rd in MLB.
Nationals