His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
McCullers Jr.'s cutter averages 89.2 mph, and has touched 91.9.
185 thrown, 26.6% of his pitches.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes McCullers Jr. goes to the knuckle curve: 30.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 9.5% the rest of the time.
192 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
McCullers Jr.'s changeup moves 16.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
95 thrown, averaging 85.5 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count McCullers Jr. throws a fastball 63.7% of the time, against 37% when he is ahead.
226 pitches behind in the count, 154 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve leaves the bat at 96.5 mph, against 86.8 off his changeup.
107 and 95 of them thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
McCullers Jr. lands 51.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.6% of his breaking balls.
373 of his fastballs, 227 of his breaking balls.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
McCullers Jr. 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.
696 located pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
McCullers Jr. averages 86.9 mph across his arsenal, 17th percentile in the league.
696 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 448th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
McCullers Jr. throws the sinker 41.8% of the time against right-handers and 11.3% against left-handers.
261 pitches to right-handers, 434 to left-handers.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
50.5% of the contact McCullers Jr. gives up is hit hard, 10th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 486th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
McCullers Jr. puts 61.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.6% when he is ahead.
226 located pitches behind, 155 ahead.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.5 mph off the bat against McCullers Jr., 11th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 480th in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
McCullers Jr. throws 37.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.4% with the bases empty.
182 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 514 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve spins at 2,819 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
107 thrown in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
McCullers Jr. releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
529 tracked pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.2% of McCullers Jr.'s pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
113 of 696 located pitches.
He cannot find the zone often enough
McCullers Jr. works off the plate, with only 41.2% of his pitches in the zone, 32nd percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 368th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
McCullers Jr. works with 5 pitches: Cutter, Sinker, Sweeper and Knuckle Curve, and a little else. The cutter is 26.6% of everything he throws.
695 classified pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
McCullers Jr. releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 42 degrees above horizontal and 1.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
696 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He falls behind hitters far too often
McCullers Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 55.5% of the time.
173 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve carries 9.5 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
107 thrown, averaging 81.6 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.7 mph separates McCullers Jr.'s sinker from his knuckle curve, 91.3 against 81.6.
158 and 107 of them respectively.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against McCullers Jr. projects a .338 average, 38th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 335th in MLB.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
McCullers Jr. has thrown 30 4-seam fastballs this season, 4.3% of his pitches, at 91.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
695 classified pitches in 2026.
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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
McCullers Jr.'s cutter averages 89.2 mph, and has touched 91.9.
185 thrown, 26.6% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve leaves the bat at 96.5 mph, against 86.8 off his changeup.
107 and 95 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
McCullers Jr. throws the sinker 41.8% of the time against right-handers and 11.3% against left-handers.
261 pitches to right-handers, 434 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve spins at 2,819 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
107 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
McCullers Jr. works with 5 pitches: Cutter, Sinker, Sweeper and Knuckle Curve, and a little else. The cutter is 26.6% of everything he throws.
695 classified pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.7 mph separates McCullers Jr.'s sinker from his knuckle curve, 91.3 against 81.6.
158 and 107 of them respectively.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
McCullers Jr. has thrown 30 4-seam fastballs this season, 4.3% of his pitches, at 91.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
695 classified pitches in 2026.
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 McCullers Jr. goes to the knuckle curve: 30.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 9.5% the rest of the time.
192 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count McCullers Jr. throws a fastball 63.7% of the time, against 37% when he is ahead.
226 pitches behind in the count, 154 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
McCullers Jr. puts 61.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.6% when he is ahead.
226 located pitches behind, 155 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
McCullers Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 55.5% of the time.
173 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
McCullers Jr.'s changeup moves 16.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
95 thrown, averaging 85.5 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
McCullers Jr.'s knuckle curve carries 9.5 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
107 thrown, averaging 81.6 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
McCullers Jr. lands 51.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.6% of his breaking balls.
373 of his fastballs, 227 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
McCullers Jr. 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.
696 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.2% of McCullers Jr.'s pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
113 of 696 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
McCullers Jr. averages 86.9 mph across his arsenal, 17th percentile in the league.
696 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 448th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
50.5% of the contact McCullers Jr. gives up is hit hard, 10th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 10th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 486th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.5 mph off the bat against McCullers Jr., 11th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 480th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against McCullers Jr. projects a .338 average, 38th percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 335th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
McCullers Jr. throws 37.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.4% with the bases empty.
182 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 514 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
McCullers Jr. releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
529 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
McCullers Jr. releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 42 degrees above horizontal and 1.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
696 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
McCullers Jr. works off the plate, with only 41.2% of his pitches in the zone, 32nd percentile.
696 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 368th in MLB.
Astros
Career team 2015–2026