This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Kela goes to the curveball: 72.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 34.4% the rest of the time.
62 two-strike pitches in 2021.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .412 expected average against them, against .290 on his breaking balls.
111 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kela's 4-seam fastball moves 41.1 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
109 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Kela lives in the strike zone: 49.8% of his pitches are in it, 91st percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 91st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 72nd in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kela throws a fastball 58.6% of the time, against 35.1% when he is ahead.
70 pitches behind in the count, 57 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kela's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 87.5 off his curveball.
109 and 99 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kela's 4-seam fastball carries 16.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
109 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kela releases the ball from over the top, about 67 degrees above horizontal and 0.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
219 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 feet off the ground.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kela works with 2 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 49.8% of everything he throws.
219 classified pitches in 2021.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Kela's stuff spins at 2,400 rpm, 82nd percentile in the league.
219 pitches in 2021. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 148th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kela puts 62.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.4% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 57 ahead.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.1 mph separates Kela's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.7 against 81.6.
109 and 99 of them respectively.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kela lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.31 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
219 located pitches in 2021.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.7 mph off the bat against Kela, 27th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 589th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kela's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 96.6.
109 thrown, 49.8% of his pitches.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kela throws a strike on the first pitch 55.1% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2021.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.4% of the contact Kela gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 562nd in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kela's curveball spins at 2,473 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
99 thrown in 2021.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kela projects a .339 average, 39th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 494th in MLB.
Show more
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 Kela goes to the curveball: 72.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 34.4% the rest of the time.
62 two-strike pitches in 2021.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kela throws a fastball 58.6% of the time, against 35.1% when he is ahead.
70 pitches behind in the count, 57 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kela puts 62.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.4% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 57 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kela throws a strike on the first pitch 55.1% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2021.
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 .412 expected average against them, against .290 on his breaking balls.
111 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kela's 4-seam fastball moves 41.1 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
109 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kela's 4-seam fastball carries 16.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
109 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Kela lives in the strike zone: 49.8% of his pitches are in it, 91st percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 91st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 72nd 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 Kela's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 87.5 off his curveball.
109 and 99 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kela works with 2 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 49.8% of everything he throws.
219 classified pitches in 2021.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.1 mph separates Kela's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.7 against 81.6.
109 and 99 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kela's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 96.6.
109 thrown, 49.8% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kela's curveball spins at 2,473 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
99 thrown in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kela releases the ball from over the top, about 67 degrees above horizontal and 0.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
219 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Kela's stuff spins at 2,400 rpm, 82nd percentile in the league.
219 pitches in 2021. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 148th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kela lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.31 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
219 located pitches in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.7 mph off the bat against Kela, 27th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 589th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
42.4% of the contact Kela gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 562nd in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kela projects a .339 average, 39th percentile.
219 pitches in 2021. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 494th in MLB.
Rangers
Career team 2015 to 2018