One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .484 expected average against them, against .326 on his offspeed pitches.
165 of his fastballs thrown.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Abel throws a strike on the first pitch 71.7% of the time.
92 plate appearances started in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Abel's changeup leaves the bat at 90.9 mph, against 72.4 off his curveball.
63 and 43 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Abel's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
153 thrown, averaging 94.8 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Abel throws the changeup 33.5% of the time against left-handers and 1.7% against right-handers.
178 pitches to right-handers, 179 to left-handers.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Abel releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 29 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
357 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Abel throws a fastball 56.6% of the time, against 35.9% when he is ahead.
76 pitches behind in the count, 131 ahead.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Abel projects a .384 average, 8th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 492nd in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Abel goes to the curveball: 20.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 7.6% the rest of the time.
121 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.4 mph separates Abel's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.8 against 80.5.
153 and 43 of them respectively.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Abel's curveball moves 12.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
43 thrown, averaging 80.5 mph.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Abel releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
250 tracked pitches in 2026.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Abel throws 41.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.8% with the bases empty.
106 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 251 with the bases empty.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Abel is weak: 85.6 mph off the bat on average, 84th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 88th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Abel lands 50.8% of his offspeed pitches in the zone and only 34.9% of his breaking balls.
63 of his offspeed pitches, 129 of his breaking balls.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Abel's stuff spins at 2,390 rpm, 75th percentile in the league.
357 pitches in 2026. 75th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 135th in MLB.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Abel lives in the strike zone: 44.5% of his pitches are in it, 68th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 171st in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Abel's curveball spins at 2,667 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
43 thrown in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Abel works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
357 located pitches in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Abel works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Slider and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42.9% of everything he throws.
357 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Abel puts 64.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 50.4% when he is ahead.
76 located pitches behind, 131 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Abel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
357 located pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Abel's 4-seam fastball averages 94.8 mph, and has touched 97.4.
153 thrown, 42.9% of his pitches.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.3% of Abel's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
76 of 357 located pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Abel has thrown 12 sinkers this season, 3.4% of his pitches, at 93.7 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
357 classified pitches in 2026.
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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 .484 expected average against them, against .326 on his offspeed pitches.
165 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Abel lands 50.8% of his offspeed pitches in the zone and only 34.9% of his breaking balls.
63 of his offspeed pitches, 129 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Abel throws a strike on the first pitch 71.7% of the time.
92 plate appearances started in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Abel throws a fastball 56.6% of the time, against 35.9% when he is ahead.
76 pitches behind in the count, 131 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Abel goes to the curveball: 20.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 7.6% the rest of the time.
121 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Abel puts 64.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 50.4% when he is ahead.
76 located pitches behind, 131 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Abel's changeup leaves the bat at 90.9 mph, against 72.4 off his curveball.
63 and 43 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Abel throws the changeup 33.5% of the time against left-handers and 1.7% against right-handers.
178 pitches to right-handers, 179 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.4 mph separates Abel's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 94.8 against 80.5.
153 and 43 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Abel's curveball spins at 2,667 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
43 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Abel works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Slider and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42.9% of everything he throws.
357 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Abel's 4-seam fastball averages 94.8 mph, and has touched 97.4.
153 thrown, 42.9% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Abel has thrown 12 sinkers this season, 3.4% of his pitches, at 93.7 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
357 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Abel's 4-seam fastball carries 16.4 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
153 thrown, averaging 94.8 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Abel's curveball moves 12.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
43 thrown, averaging 80.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Abel releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 29 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
357 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Abel releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
250 tracked pitches in 2026.
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 Abel projects a .384 average, 8th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 492nd in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Abel is weak: 85.6 mph off the bat on average, 84th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 88th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Abel throws 41.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.8% with the bases empty.
106 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 251 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Abel's stuff spins at 2,390 rpm, 75th percentile in the league.
357 pitches in 2026. 75th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 135th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Abel lives in the strike zone: 44.5% of his pitches are in it, 68th percentile.
357 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 171st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Abel works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
357 located pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Abel lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
357 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
21.3% of Abel's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
76 of 357 located pitches.
Twins
Career team 2025–2026