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Michael Wacha

Royals
Number #52
Position SP
Bats R
Throws R
Age 35
Height 6' 6"
Weight 215 lbs
Birth Place Iowa City, IA
Born Jul 1, 1991

Key Insights

2026
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see

Wacha's 4-seam fastball carries 17.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.

840 thrown, averaging 93.1 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work

17.3 mph separates Wacha's sinker from his curveball, 93.2 against 75.9.

413 and 303 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count

Wacha puts 65.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.6% when he is ahead.

736 located pitches behind, 919 ahead.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him

Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .319 expected average against them, against .243 on his offspeed pitches.

489 of his fastballs thrown.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him

Wacha averages 87.2 mph across his arsenal, 18th percentile in the league.

816 pitches in 2026. 18th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 439th in MLB.
His ball is straighter than it should be

Wacha's stuff spins at 1,991 rpm, 7th percentile in the league.

816 pitches in 2026. 7th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 498th in MLB.

Movement Profile (Induced Break)

Catcher's Perspective • Pitch movement relative to a spinless ball

Player Bio Data
DOB Jul 1, 1991
Birth Place Iowa City, IA
Height 6' 6"
Weight 215 lbs LBS
Bats/Throws R/R
College/Draft Texas A&M