When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Johnson throws a fastball 84.1% of the time, against 54.4% when he is ahead.
283 pitches behind in the count, 283 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Johnson's changeup moves 106.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
44 thrown, averaging 87.8 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Johnson lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1012 located pitches in 2018.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Johnson's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
91 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Johnson works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 59.3% of everything he throws.
1012 classified pitches in 2018.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Johnson releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1012 tracked release points, averaging 6.8 feet off the ground.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Johnson's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.3 mph, against 88.1 off his changeup.
91 and 44 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Johnson goes to the curveball: 35% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.5% the rest of the time.
277 two-strike pitches in 2018.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.9% of the contact Johnson gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 618th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Johnson releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1012 tracked pitches in 2018.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.7 mph separates Johnson's sinker from his curveball, 92.9 against 79.1.
600 and 277 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Johnson puts 59.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.2% when he is ahead.
283 located pitches behind, 283 ahead.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Johnson throws 49.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.1% with the bases empty.
214 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 799 with the bases empty.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .349 expected average against them, against .309 on his breaking balls.
691 of his fastballs thrown.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.4% of Johnson's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
166 of 1012 located pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Johnson throws the sinker 65.9% of the time against right-handers and 48.7% against left-handers.
622 pitches to right-handers, 390 to left-handers.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Johnson lives in the strike zone: 46.8% of his pitches are in it, 66th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 246th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.0 mph off the bat against Johnson, 25th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 548th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Johnson puts 45.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 48.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
623 pitches to right-handed hitters, 390 to left-handed hitters.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Johnson projects a .336 average, 74th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 74th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 187th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Johnson lands 50.4% of his fastballs in the zone and only 40.8% of his breaking balls.
691 of his fastballs, 277 of his breaking balls.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Johnson's stuff spins at 2,157 rpm, 36th percentile in the league.
1013 pitches in 2018. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 467th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Johnson's sinker averages 92.9 mph, and has touched 96.2.
600 thrown, 59.3% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Johnson has thrown 44 changeups this season, 4.3% of his pitches, at 87.8 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1012 classified pitches in 2018.
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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 Johnson throws a fastball 84.1% of the time, against 54.4% when he is ahead.
283 pitches behind in the count, 283 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Johnson goes to the curveball: 35% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.5% the rest of the time.
277 two-strike pitches in 2018.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Johnson puts 59.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.2% when he is ahead.
283 located pitches behind, 283 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Johnson's changeup moves 106.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
44 thrown, averaging 87.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Johnson's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
91 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Johnson lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1012 located pitches in 2018.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.4% of Johnson's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
166 of 1012 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Johnson works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 59.3% of everything he throws.
1012 classified pitches in 2018.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Johnson's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.3 mph, against 88.1 off his changeup.
91 and 44 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.7 mph separates Johnson's sinker from his curveball, 92.9 against 79.1.
600 and 277 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Johnson throws the sinker 65.9% of the time against right-handers and 48.7% against left-handers.
622 pitches to right-handers, 390 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Johnson's sinker averages 92.9 mph, and has touched 96.2.
600 thrown, 59.3% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Johnson has thrown 44 changeups this season, 4.3% of his pitches, at 87.8 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1012 classified pitches in 2018.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Johnson releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1012 tracked release points, averaging 6.8 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Johnson releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1012 tracked pitches in 2018.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.9% of the contact Johnson gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 618th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.0 mph off the bat against Johnson, 25th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 548th in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Johnson projects a .336 average, 74th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 74th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 187th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Johnson throws 49.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.1% with the bases empty.
214 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 799 with the bases empty.
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 .349 expected average against them, against .309 on his breaking balls.
691 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Johnson lands 50.4% of his fastballs in the zone and only 40.8% of his breaking balls.
691 of his fastballs, 277 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Johnson lives in the strike zone: 46.8% of his pitches are in it, 66th percentile.
1013 pitches in 2018. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 246th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Johnson puts 45.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 48.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
623 pitches to right-handed hitters, 390 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Johnson's stuff spins at 2,157 rpm, 36th percentile in the league.
1013 pitches in 2018. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2018, 467th in MLB.
Orioles
Career team 2006–2013