One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .493 expected average against them, against .369 on his breaking balls.
509 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Grilli's 4-seam fastball carries 15.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
485 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Grilli works with 2 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The 4-seam fastball is 60.8% of everything he throws.
798 classified pitches in 2017.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Grilli releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 2.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
798 tracked release points, averaging 6.1 feet off the ground.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Grilli projects a .440 average, 5th percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 668th in MLB.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Grilli's stuff spins at 2,454 rpm, 92nd percentile in the league.
800 pitches in 2017. 92nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 59th in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Grilli goes to the 4-seam fastball: 66.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 57.9% the rest of the time.
257 two-strike pitches in 2017.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Grilli's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.4 mph, against 84.1 off his slider.
485 and 269 of them thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Grilli puts 57.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.5% when he is ahead.
259 located pitches behind, 195 ahead.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Grilli puts 47.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.4% of his pitches to left-handers.
503 pitches to right-handed hitters, 297 to left-handed hitters.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Grilli's slider spins at 2,674 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
269 thrown in 2017.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.2% of Grilli's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
137 of 798 located pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Grilli releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
798 tracked pitches in 2017.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.8 mph separates Grilli's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.8 against 81.0.
485 and 269 of them respectively.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Grilli lives in the strike zone: 45.9% of his pitches are in it, 64th percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 64th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 252nd in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Grilli throws a strike on the first pitch 57.1% of the time.
184 plate appearances started in 2017.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Grilli lands 49.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 40.1% of his breaking balls.
509 of his fastballs, 269 of his breaking balls.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Grilli's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.2.
485 thrown, 60.8% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Grilli throws the slider 36.9% of the time against right-handers and 28.3% against left-handers.
501 pitches to right-handers, 297 to left-handers.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.8% of the contact Grilli gives up is hit hard, 61st percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 275th in MLB.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Grilli has thrown 24 sinkers this season, 3% of his pitches, at 92.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
798 classified pitches in 2017.
Show more
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 .493 expected average against them, against .369 on his breaking balls.
509 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Grilli lands 49.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 40.1% of his breaking balls.
509 of his fastballs, 269 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Grilli's 4-seam fastball carries 15.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
485 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Grilli works with 2 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The 4-seam fastball is 60.8% of everything he throws.
798 classified pitches in 2017.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Grilli's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.4 mph, against 84.1 off his slider.
485 and 269 of them thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Grilli's slider spins at 2,674 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
269 thrown in 2017.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.8 mph separates Grilli's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.8 against 81.0.
485 and 269 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Grilli's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.2.
485 thrown, 60.8% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Grilli throws the slider 36.9% of the time against right-handers and 28.3% against left-handers.
501 pitches to right-handers, 297 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Grilli has thrown 24 sinkers this season, 3% of his pitches, at 92.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
798 classified pitches in 2017.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Grilli releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 2.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
798 tracked release points, averaging 6.1 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Grilli releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
798 tracked pitches in 2017.
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 Grilli projects a .440 average, 5th percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 668th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.8% of the contact Grilli gives up is hit hard, 61st percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 275th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Grilli's stuff spins at 2,454 rpm, 92nd percentile in the league.
800 pitches in 2017. 92nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 59th in MLB.
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 Grilli goes to the 4-seam fastball: 66.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 57.9% the rest of the time.
257 two-strike pitches in 2017.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Grilli puts 57.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.5% when he is ahead.
259 located pitches behind, 195 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Grilli throws a strike on the first pitch 57.1% of the time.
184 plate appearances started in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Grilli puts 47.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.4% of his pitches to left-handers.
503 pitches to right-handed hitters, 297 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.2% of Grilli's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
137 of 798 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Grilli lives in the strike zone: 45.9% of his pitches are in it, 64th percentile.
800 pitches in 2017. 64th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 252nd in MLB.
Pirates
Career team 2011–2014