His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's sinker averages 83.6 mph, and has touched 86.5.
188 thrown, 41.8% of his pitches.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smith goes to the 4-seam fastball: 44.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.8% the rest of the time.
139 two-strike pitches in 2022.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a submarine slot, about -24 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
450 tracked release points, averaging 3.3 feet off the ground.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball moves 128.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
139 thrown, averaging 86.0 mph.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Smith averages 82.5 mph across his arsenal, 4th percentile in the league.
450 pitches in 2022. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 747th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the sinker 56.4% of the time against right-handers and 16% against left-handers.
287 pitches to right-handers, 163 to left-handers.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 2,033 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
450 pitches in 2022. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 658th in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 65.3% of the time.
121 plate appearances started in 2022.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's sinker leaves the bat at 90.5 mph, against 86.2 off his slider.
188 and 123 of them thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 51% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.8% when he is ahead.
102 located pitches behind, 142 ahead.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
78 of 450 located pitches.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Smith lives in the strike zone: 46.4% of his pitches are in it, 67th percentile.
450 pitches in 2022. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 254th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 3 pitches: Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The sinker is 41.8% of everything he throws.
450 classified pitches in 2022.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.1% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 29th percentile.
450 pitches in 2022. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 553rd in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's slider carries 9.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
123 thrown, averaging 76.9 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Smith lands 48.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.5% of his breaking balls.
327 of his fastballs, 123 of his breaking balls.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
450 tracked pitches in 2022.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.2 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 86.0 against 76.9.
139 and 123 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's slider spins at 2,223 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
123 thrown in 2022.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's sinker averages 83.6 mph, and has touched 86.5.
188 thrown, 41.8% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the sinker 56.4% of the time against right-handers and 16% against left-handers.
287 pitches to right-handers, 163 to left-handers.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's sinker leaves the bat at 90.5 mph, against 86.2 off his slider.
188 and 123 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 3 pitches: Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball and Slider. The sinker is 41.8% of everything he throws.
450 classified pitches in 2022.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.2 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 86.0 against 76.9.
139 and 123 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's slider spins at 2,223 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
123 thrown in 2022.
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 Smith goes to the 4-seam fastball: 44.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.8% the rest of the time.
139 two-strike pitches in 2022.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 65.3% of the time.
121 plate appearances started in 2022.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 51% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.8% when he is ahead.
102 located pitches behind, 142 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a submarine slot, about -24 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
450 tracked release points, averaging 3.3 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
450 tracked pitches in 2022.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball moves 128.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
139 thrown, averaging 86.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's slider carries 9.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
123 thrown, averaging 76.9 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Smith averages 82.5 mph across his arsenal, 4th percentile in the league.
450 pitches in 2022. 4th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 747th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 2,033 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
450 pitches in 2022. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 658th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
78 of 450 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Smith lives in the strike zone: 46.4% of his pitches are in it, 67th percentile.
450 pitches in 2022. 67th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 254th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.1% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 29th percentile.
450 pitches in 2022. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2022, 553rd 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
Smith lands 48.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 41.5% of his breaking balls.
327 of his fastballs, 123 of his breaking balls.
Twins
Career team 2009–2022