When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Shields throws a fastball 73.7% of the time, against 41.8% when he is ahead.
1021 pitches behind in the count, 727 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Shields's changeup moves 107.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
575 thrown, averaging 83.4 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
21.0 mph separates Shields's 4-seam fastball from his eephus, 89.5 against 68.5.
844 and 114 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Shields's 4-seam fastball averages 89.5 mph, and has touched 93.8.
844 thrown, 25.6% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Shields releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
3296 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Shields lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.99 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
3296 located pitches in 2018.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Shields averages 84.7 mph across his arsenal, 8th percentile in the league.
3296 pitches in 2018. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 672nd in MLB.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Shields's fastball averages 89.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 87.2 past his 75th.
604 early fastballs, 437 late ones.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Shields puts 45.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
1627 pitches to right-handed hitters, 1669 to left-handed hitters.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Shields's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.1 mph, against 82.6 off his eephus.
844 and 114 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Shields goes to the eephus: 11.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 0.7% the rest of the time.
849 two-strike pitches in 2018.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Shields works off the plate, with only 42.7% of his pitches in the zone, 23rd percentile.
3296 pitches in 2018. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 557th in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Shields's eephus carries 13.2 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 68.5 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .385 expected average against them, against .337 on his offspeed pitches.
1972 of his fastballs thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Shields throws the changeup 28.8% of the time against left-handers and 5.8% against right-handers.
1625 pitches to right-handers, 1669 to left-handers.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Shields puts 52.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.8% when he is ahead.
1022 located pitches behind, 830 ahead.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.8% of Shields's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
521 of 3296 located pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Shields works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Knuckle Curve and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 25.6% of everything he throws.
3294 classified pitches in 2018.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Shields throws 40.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 43.3% with the bases empty.
653 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 2643 with the bases empty.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Shields throws a strike on the first pitch 56.6% of the time.
869 plate appearances started in 2018.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Shields lands 45.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.7% of his offspeed pitches.
1972 of his fastballs, 575 of his offspeed pitches.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Shields projects a .367 average, 36th percentile.
3296 pitches in 2018. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 466th in MLB.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Shields releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
3296 tracked pitches in 2018.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Shields's knuckle curve spins at 2,478 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
629 thrown in 2018.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Shields has thrown 114 eephuss this season, 3.5% of his pitches, at 68.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
3294 classified pitches in 2018.
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 Shields throws a fastball 73.7% of the time, against 41.8% when he is ahead.
1021 pitches behind in the count, 727 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Shields goes to the eephus: 11.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 0.7% the rest of the time.
849 two-strike pitches in 2018.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Shields puts 52.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.8% when he is ahead.
1022 located pitches behind, 830 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Shields throws a strike on the first pitch 56.6% of the time.
869 plate appearances started in 2018.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Shields's changeup moves 107.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
575 thrown, averaging 83.4 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Shields's eephus carries 13.2 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 68.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
21.0 mph separates Shields's 4-seam fastball from his eephus, 89.5 against 68.5.
844 and 114 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Shields's 4-seam fastball averages 89.5 mph, and has touched 93.8.
844 thrown, 25.6% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Shields's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.1 mph, against 82.6 off his eephus.
844 and 114 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Shields throws the changeup 28.8% of the time against left-handers and 5.8% against right-handers.
1625 pitches to right-handers, 1669 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Shields works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Knuckle Curve and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 25.6% of everything he throws.
3294 classified pitches in 2018.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Shields's knuckle curve spins at 2,478 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
629 thrown in 2018.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Shields has thrown 114 eephuss this season, 3.5% of his pitches, at 68.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
3294 classified pitches in 2018.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Shields releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 23 degrees above horizontal and 2.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
3296 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Shields's fastball averages 89.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 87.2 past his 75th.
604 early fastballs, 437 late ones.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Shields releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
3296 tracked pitches in 2018.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Shields lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.99 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
3296 located pitches in 2018.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.8% of Shields's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
521 of 3296 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Shields averages 84.7 mph across his arsenal, 8th percentile in the league.
3296 pitches in 2018. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 672nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Shields puts 45.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
1627 pitches to right-handed hitters, 1669 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Shields works off the plate, with only 42.7% of his pitches in the zone, 23rd percentile.
3296 pitches in 2018. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 557th 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 .385 expected average against them, against .337 on his offspeed pitches.
1972 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Shields lands 45.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 36.7% of his offspeed pitches.
1972 of his fastballs, 575 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Shields throws 40.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 43.3% with the bases empty.
653 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 2643 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Shields projects a .367 average, 36th percentile.
3296 pitches in 2018. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 466th in MLB.
Rays
Career team 2006–2012