This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Leiter Jr. goes to the splitter: 69.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 17.2% the rest of the time.
162 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
18.3 mph separates Leiter Jr.'s 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.2 against 73.9.
64 and 106 of them respectively.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Leiter Jr.'s curveball carries 16.8 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
106 thrown, averaging 73.9 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Leiter Jr. lands 59.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.5% of his offspeed pitches.
149 of his fastballs, 102 of his offspeed pitches.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Leiter Jr. throws a fastball 74.6% of the time, against 16.8% when he is ahead.
138 pitches behind in the count, 173 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Leiter Jr. lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
551 located pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Leiter Jr. averages 86.1 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
313 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 479th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Leiter Jr.'s 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 95.0 mph, against 82.4 off his sinker.
64 and 143 of them thrown.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Leiter Jr.'s stuff spins at 1,649 rpm, 1st percentile in the league.
313 pitches in 2026. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 532nd in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Leiter Jr. projects a .413 average, 3rd percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 521st in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Leiter Jr.'s sinker moves 14.8 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
143 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .452 expected average against them, against .380 on his fastballs.
102 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Leiter Jr. puts 55.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 27.2% when he is ahead.
138 located pitches behind, 173 ahead.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Leiter Jr. lives in the strike zone: 45% of his pitches are in it, 73rd percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 73rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 145th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Leiter Jr. puts 47.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
118 pitches to right-handed hitters, 195 to left-handed hitters.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Leiter Jr. works with 5 pitches: Splitter, Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball, and a little else. The splitter is 32.7% of everything he throws.
551 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Leiter Jr.'s sinker averages 92.1 mph, and has touched 94.8.
143 thrown, 26% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Leiter Jr. releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 56 degrees above horizontal and 1.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
551 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 33.9% of the contact Leiter Jr. gives up is hit hard, 75th percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 75th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 135th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Leiter Jr.'s pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
98 of 551 located pitches.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Leiter Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 63.7% of the time.
146 plate appearances started in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Leiter Jr. throws the splitter 37.2% of the time against left-handers and 25.9% against right-handers.
220 pitches to right-handers, 331 to left-handers.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Leiter Jr. is weak: 87.1 mph off the bat on average, 69th percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 167th in MLB.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Leiter Jr. releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
481 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Leiter Jr.'s curveball spins at 2,316 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
106 thrown 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 Leiter Jr. goes to the splitter: 69.8% of his two-strike pitches, against 17.2% the rest of the time.
162 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Leiter Jr. throws a fastball 74.6% of the time, against 16.8% when he is ahead.
138 pitches behind in the count, 173 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Leiter Jr. puts 55.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 27.2% when he is ahead.
138 located pitches behind, 173 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Leiter Jr. throws a strike on the first pitch 63.7% of the time.
146 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
18.3 mph separates Leiter Jr.'s 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.2 against 73.9.
64 and 106 of them respectively.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Leiter Jr.'s 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 95.0 mph, against 82.4 off his sinker.
64 and 143 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Leiter Jr. works with 5 pitches: Splitter, Sinker, Curveball and 4-Seam Fastball, and a little else. The splitter is 32.7% of everything he throws.
551 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Leiter Jr.'s sinker averages 92.1 mph, and has touched 94.8.
143 thrown, 26% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Leiter Jr. throws the splitter 37.2% of the time against left-handers and 25.9% against right-handers.
220 pitches to right-handers, 331 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Leiter Jr.'s curveball spins at 2,316 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
106 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Leiter Jr.'s curveball carries 16.8 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
106 thrown, averaging 73.9 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Leiter Jr.'s sinker moves 14.8 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
143 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Leiter Jr. lands 59.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.5% of his offspeed pitches.
149 of his fastballs, 102 of his offspeed pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .452 expected average against them, against .380 on his fastballs.
102 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Leiter Jr. lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
551 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Leiter Jr.'s pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
98 of 551 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Leiter Jr. averages 86.1 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
313 pitches in 2026. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 479th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Leiter Jr.'s stuff spins at 1,649 rpm, 1st percentile in the league.
313 pitches in 2026. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 532nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Leiter Jr. projects a .413 average, 3rd percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 521st in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 33.9% of the contact Leiter Jr. gives up is hit hard, 75th percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 75th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 135th in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Leiter Jr. is weak: 87.1 mph off the bat on average, 69th percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 167th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Leiter Jr. lives in the strike zone: 45% of his pitches are in it, 73rd percentile.
313 pitches in 2026. 73rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 145th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Leiter Jr. puts 47.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
118 pitches to right-handed hitters, 195 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Leiter Jr. releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 56 degrees above horizontal and 1.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
551 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Leiter Jr. releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
481 tracked pitches in 2026.
Cubs
Career team 2022 to 2024