His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Alvarado's sinker averages 98.1 mph, and has touched 100.8.
205 thrown, 64.1% of his pitches.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Alvarado goes to the cutter: 53.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.3% the rest of the time.
109 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Alvarado puts 41.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 31.4% of his pitches to left-handers.
180 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Alvarado averages 95.8 mph across his arsenal, 99th percentile in the league.
320 pitches in 2026. 99th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 7th in MLB.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Alvarado works off the plate, with only 37% of his pitches in the zone, 8th percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 492nd in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Alvarado's sinker moves 15.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
205 thrown, averaging 98.1 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Alvarado works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Cutter. The sinker is 64.1% of everything he throws.
320 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Alvarado puts 62% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34% when he is ahead.
79 located pitches behind, 94 ahead.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Alvarado is weak: 84.4 mph off the bat on average, 91st percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 91st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 49th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
14.9% of Alvarado's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
47 of 316 located pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Alvarado's stuff spins at 2,068 rpm, 14th percentile in the league.
320 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 460th in MLB.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Alvarado releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
242 tracked pitches in 2026.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 28.9% of the contact Alvarado gives up is hit hard, 90th percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 90th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 56th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Alvarado lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.22 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
316 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Alvarado's sinker carries 11.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
205 thrown, averaging 98.1 mph.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Alvarado throws 34.2% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 38% with the bases empty.
80 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 240 with the bases empty.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Alvarado throws the sinker 70% of the time against left-handers and 59.4% against right-handers.
180 pitches to right-handers, 140 to left-handers.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Alvarado throws a strike on the first pitch 57% of the time.
79 plate appearances started in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Alvarado works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
316 located pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Alvarado releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 1.4 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
316 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 feet off the ground.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.5 mph separates Alvarado's sinker from his cutter, 98.1 against 91.6.
205 and 105 of them respectively.
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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
Alvarado's sinker averages 98.1 mph, and has touched 100.8.
205 thrown, 64.1% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Alvarado works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Cutter. The sinker is 64.1% of everything he throws.
320 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Alvarado throws the sinker 70% of the time against left-handers and 59.4% against right-handers.
180 pitches to right-handers, 140 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.5 mph separates Alvarado's sinker from his cutter, 98.1 against 91.6.
205 and 105 of them respectively.
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 Alvarado goes to the cutter: 53.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 22.3% the rest of the time.
109 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Alvarado puts 62% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34% when he is ahead.
79 located pitches behind, 94 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Alvarado throws a strike on the first pitch 57% of the time.
79 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Alvarado puts 41.3% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 31.4% of his pitches to left-handers.
180 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Alvarado averages 95.8 mph across his arsenal, 99th percentile in the league.
320 pitches in 2026. 99th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 7th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Alvarado works off the plate, with only 37% of his pitches in the zone, 8th percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 492nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Alvarado's sinker moves 15.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
205 thrown, averaging 98.1 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Alvarado's sinker carries 11.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
205 thrown, averaging 98.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Alvarado is weak: 84.4 mph off the bat on average, 91st percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 91st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 49th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 28.9% of the contact Alvarado gives up is hit hard, 90th percentile.
320 pitches in 2026. 90th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 56th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
14.9% of Alvarado's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
47 of 316 located pitches.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Alvarado lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.22 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
316 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Alvarado works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.9 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
316 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Alvarado's stuff spins at 2,068 rpm, 14th percentile in the league.
320 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 460th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Alvarado releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
242 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Alvarado releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 1.4 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
316 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Alvarado throws 34.2% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 38% with the bases empty.
80 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 240 with the bases empty.
Phillies