One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hammel's sinker moves 105.8 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
803 thrown, averaging 91.7 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hammel goes to the slider: 48.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 33.3% the rest of the time.
574 two-strike pitches in 2018.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hammel's curveball leaves the bat at 94.1 mph, against 87.9 off his slider.
136 and 777 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hammel's 4-seam fastball carries 15.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
264 thrown, averaging 91.9 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.9 mph separates Hammel's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.9 against 77.0.
264 and 136 of them respectively.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Hammel's fastball averages 92.3 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.1 past his 75th.
459 early fastballs, 170 late ones.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Hammel projects a .394 average, 15th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 621st in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hammel throws a strike on the first pitch 66.6% of the time.
581 plate appearances started in 2018.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hammel's sinker averages 91.7 mph, and has touched 94.7.
803 thrown, 38.9% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hammel releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2066 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hammel puts 59.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.1% when he is ahead.
508 located pitches behind, 603 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hammel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.32 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2066 located pitches in 2018.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Hammel lives in the strike zone: 46.9% of his pitches are in it, 67th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 237th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hammel works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Slider, 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The sinker is 38.9% of everything he throws.
2066 classified pitches in 2018.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
43% of the contact Hammel gives up is hit hard, 26th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 536th in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hammel throws a fastball 53.5% of the time, against 45.1% when he is ahead.
508 pitches behind in the count, 603 ahead.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Hammel, 27th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 533rd in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Hammel averages 88.0 mph across his arsenal, 38th percentile in the league.
2069 pitches in 2018. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 450th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hammel's slider spins at 2,526 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
777 thrown in 2018.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hammel throws 45.3% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.5% with the bases empty.
591 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 1478 with the bases empty.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hammel lands 48.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.2% of his offspeed pitches.
1067 of his fastballs, 85 of his offspeed pitches.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.7% of Hammel's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
386 of 2066 located pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hammel throws the slider 43.9% of the time against right-handers and 31.2% against left-handers.
1041 pitches to right-handers, 1025 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hammel has thrown 85 changeups this season, 4.1% of his pitches, at 84.7 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
2066 classified pitches in 2018.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hammel's sinker moves 105.8 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
803 thrown, averaging 91.7 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hammel's 4-seam fastball carries 15.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
264 thrown, averaging 91.9 mph.
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 Hammel goes to the slider: 48.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 33.3% the rest of the time.
574 two-strike pitches in 2018.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hammel throws a strike on the first pitch 66.6% of the time.
581 plate appearances started in 2018.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hammel puts 59.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.1% when he is ahead.
508 located pitches behind, 603 ahead.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hammel throws a fastball 53.5% of the time, against 45.1% when he is ahead.
508 pitches behind in the count, 603 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hammel's curveball leaves the bat at 94.1 mph, against 87.9 off his slider.
136 and 777 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.9 mph separates Hammel's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 91.9 against 77.0.
264 and 136 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hammel's sinker averages 91.7 mph, and has touched 94.7.
803 thrown, 38.9% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hammel works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Slider, 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The sinker is 38.9% of everything he throws.
2066 classified pitches in 2018.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hammel's slider spins at 2,526 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
777 thrown in 2018.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hammel throws the slider 43.9% of the time against right-handers and 31.2% against left-handers.
1041 pitches to right-handers, 1025 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hammel has thrown 85 changeups this season, 4.1% of his pitches, at 84.7 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
2066 classified pitches in 2018.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Hammel's fastball averages 92.3 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.1 past his 75th.
459 early fastballs, 170 late ones.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hammel releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2066 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
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 Hammel projects a .394 average, 15th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 621st in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
43% of the contact Hammel gives up is hit hard, 26th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 536th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Hammel, 27th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 533rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hammel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.32 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2066 located pitches in 2018.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.7% of Hammel's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
386 of 2066 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Hammel lives in the strike zone: 46.9% of his pitches are in it, 67th percentile.
2069 pitches in 2018. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 237th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Hammel averages 88.0 mph across his arsenal, 38th percentile in the league.
2069 pitches in 2018. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 450th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hammel throws 45.3% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.5% with the bases empty.
591 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 1478 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hammel lands 48.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.2% of his offspeed pitches.
1067 of his fastballs, 85 of his offspeed pitches.
Cubs
Career team 2014–2016