He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
King averages 84.9 mph across his arsenal, 5th percentile in the league.
245 pitches in 2026. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 508th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off King's slider leaves the bat at 92.7 mph, against 83.7 off his sweeper.
140 and 114 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
King lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.99 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
714 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper moves 15.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 81.5 mph.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
King's sinker averages 90.4 mph, and has touched 93.3.
225 thrown, 31.5% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
King releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
714 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against King projects a .244 average, 95th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 95th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 29th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
King puts 55.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.7% when he is ahead.
184 located pitches behind, 199 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
King's curveball spins at 2,854 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
79 thrown in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
King's curveball carries 12.6 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
79 thrown, averaging 79.0 mph.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 30.4% of the contact King gives up is hit hard, 86th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 78th in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes King goes to the sweeper: 21.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.1% the rest of the time.
183 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
King puts 40.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.9% of his pitches to left-handers.
122 pitches to right-handed hitters, 123 to left-handed hitters.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
King works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Slider and Sweeper, and a little else. The sinker is 31.5% of everything he throws.
714 classified pitches in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
King releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
661 tracked pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count King throws a fastball 38% of the time, against 30.2% when he is ahead.
184 pitches behind in the count, 199 ahead.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .258 expected average against them, against .231 on his fastballs.
52 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
King throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.4 mph separates King's sinker from his curveball, 90.4 against 79.0.
225 and 79 of them respectively.
He cannot find the zone often enough
King works off the plate, with only 42% of his pitches in the zone, 39th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 326th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of King's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
133 of 714 located pitches.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against King is weak: 87.2 mph off the bat on average, 68th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 171st in MLB.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
King's stuff spins at 2,333 rpm, 63rd percentile in the league.
245 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 199th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
King throws the changeup 25.8% of the time against right-handers and 15.6% against left-handers.
310 pitches to right-handers, 404 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
King has thrown 13 4-seam fastballs this season, 1.8% of his pitches, at 90.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
714 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
King averages 84.9 mph across his arsenal, 5th percentile in the league.
245 pitches in 2026. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 508th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off King's slider leaves the bat at 92.7 mph, against 83.7 off his sweeper.
140 and 114 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
King's sinker averages 90.4 mph, and has touched 93.3.
225 thrown, 31.5% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
King's curveball spins at 2,854 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
79 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
King works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Slider and Sweeper, and a little else. The sinker is 31.5% of everything he throws.
714 classified pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.4 mph separates King's sinker from his curveball, 90.4 against 79.0.
225 and 79 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
King throws the changeup 25.8% of the time against right-handers and 15.6% against left-handers.
310 pitches to right-handers, 404 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
King has thrown 13 4-seam fastballs this season, 1.8% of his pitches, at 90.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
714 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
King lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 1.99 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
714 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of King's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
133 of 714 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
King's sweeper moves 15.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
114 thrown, averaging 81.5 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
King's curveball carries 12.6 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
79 thrown, averaging 79.0 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
King releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
714 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
King releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
661 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against King projects a .244 average, 95th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 95th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 29th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 30.4% of the contact King gives up is hit hard, 86th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 78th in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against King is weak: 87.2 mph off the bat on average, 68th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 171st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
King puts 55.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.7% when he is ahead.
184 located pitches behind, 199 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes King goes to the sweeper: 21.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.1% the rest of the time.
183 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count King throws a fastball 38% of the time, against 30.2% when he is ahead.
184 pitches behind in the count, 199 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
King throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
King puts 40.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.9% of his pitches to left-handers.
122 pitches to right-handed hitters, 123 to left-handed hitters.
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 offspeed pitches: a .258 expected average against them, against .231 on his fastballs.
52 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
King works off the plate, with only 42% of his pitches in the zone, 39th percentile.
245 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 326th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
King's stuff spins at 2,333 rpm, 63rd percentile in the league.
245 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 199th in MLB.
Cardinals
Career team 2023 to 2025