This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Kuhnel goes to the changeup: 23.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 6.7% the rest of the time.
60 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Kuhnel averages 92.7 mph across his arsenal, 89th percentile in the league.
223 pitches in 2026. 89th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 61st in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kuhnel's sinker moves 14.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
123 thrown, averaging 94.3 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kuhnel works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Cutter and Changeup. The sinker is 55.2% of everything he throws.
223 classified pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kuhnel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.14 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
223 located pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kuhnel puts 60% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.7% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 55 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kuhnel throws the sinker 67% of the time against right-handers and 47% against left-handers.
91 pitches to right-handers, 132 to left-handers.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kuhnel throws a fastball 91.4% of the time, against 74.5% when he is ahead.
70 pitches behind in the count, 55 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kuhnel's sinker leaves the bat at 90.1 mph, against 85.8 off his cutter.
123 and 55 of them thrown.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kuhnel releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 59 degrees above horizontal and 1.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
223 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kuhnel's sinker averages 94.3 mph, and has touched 96.5.
123 thrown, 55.2% of his pitches.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Kuhnel releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
176 tracked pitches in 2026.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.3 mph off the bat against Kuhnel, 37th percentile.
223 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 340th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kuhnel's cutter spins at 2,434 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
55 thrown in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kuhnel throws a strike on the first pitch 58.5% of the time.
65 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Kuhnel has thrown 10 sliders this season, 4.5% of his pitches, at 87.8 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
223 classified pitches in 2026.
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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 Kuhnel goes to the changeup: 23.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 6.7% the rest of the time.
60 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kuhnel puts 60% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.7% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 55 ahead.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kuhnel throws a fastball 91.4% of the time, against 74.5% when he is ahead.
70 pitches behind in the count, 55 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kuhnel throws a strike on the first pitch 58.5% of the time.
65 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Kuhnel averages 92.7 mph across his arsenal, 89th percentile in the league.
223 pitches in 2026. 89th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 61st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kuhnel's sinker moves 14.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
123 thrown, averaging 94.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kuhnel works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Cutter and Changeup. The sinker is 55.2% of everything he throws.
223 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kuhnel throws the sinker 67% of the time against right-handers and 47% against left-handers.
91 pitches to right-handers, 132 to left-handers.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kuhnel's sinker leaves the bat at 90.1 mph, against 85.8 off his cutter.
123 and 55 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kuhnel's sinker averages 94.3 mph, and has touched 96.5.
123 thrown, 55.2% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kuhnel's cutter spins at 2,434 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
55 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Kuhnel has thrown 10 sliders this season, 4.5% of his pitches, at 87.8 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
223 classified pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kuhnel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.14 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
223 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kuhnel releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 59 degrees above horizontal and 1.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
223 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Kuhnel releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
176 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.3 mph off the bat against Kuhnel, 37th percentile.
223 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 340th in MLB.
Giants