His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Leake's cutter averages 86.7 mph, and has touched 92.4.
774 thrown, 26.1% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Leake releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 20 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2968 tracked release points, averaging 4.9 feet off the ground.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Leake's changeup moves 90.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
615 thrown, averaging 84.0 mph.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Leake averages 85.3 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
2975 pitches in 2019. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 672nd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Leake's sinker leaves the bat at 94.4 mph, against 88.0 off his knuckle curve.
544 and 235 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Leake lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.13 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2968 located pitches in 2019.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Leake lives in the strike zone: 47.3% of his pitches are in it, 84th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 122nd in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Leake releases the ball 5.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
2968 tracked pitches in 2019.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Leake throws a fastball 67.2% of the time, against 52.6% when he is ahead.
719 pitches behind in the count, 916 ahead.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.3 mph off the bat against Leake, 13th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 13th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 652nd in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Leake works with 6 pitches: Cutter, Changeup, Sinker and 4-Seam Fastball, and a little else. The cutter is 26.1% of everything he throws.
2968 classified pitches in 2019.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Leake goes to the slider: 18.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.5% the rest of the time.
792 two-strike pitches in 2019.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47% of the contact Leake gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 639th in MLB.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Leake's stuff spins at 2,115 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
2975 pitches in 2019. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 577th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Leake puts 49.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
1324 pitches to right-handed hitters, 1651 to left-handed hitters.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Leake lands 51.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.4% of his offspeed pitches.
1745 of his fastballs, 615 of his offspeed pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Leake throws the changeup 27.8% of the time against left-handers and 11.9% against right-handers.
1322 pitches to right-handers, 1646 to left-handers.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .403 expected average against them, against .364 on his breaking balls.
615 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Leake puts 56.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.2% when he is ahead.
719 located pitches behind, 916 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Leake's knuckle curve spins at 2,571 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
235 thrown in 2019.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Leake throws 49.2% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.8% with the bases empty.
594 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 2381 with the bases empty.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Leake throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
836 plate appearances started in 2019.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Leake's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
553 of 2968 located pitches.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Leake's 4-seam fastball carries 8.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
427 thrown, averaging 88.6 mph.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Leake projects a .384 average, 32nd percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 508th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.3 mph separates Leake's 4-seam fastball from his knuckle curve, 88.6 against 79.3.
427 and 235 of them respectively.
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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
Leake's cutter averages 86.7 mph, and has touched 92.4.
774 thrown, 26.1% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Leake's sinker leaves the bat at 94.4 mph, against 88.0 off his knuckle curve.
544 and 235 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Leake works with 6 pitches: Cutter, Changeup, Sinker and 4-Seam Fastball, and a little else. The cutter is 26.1% of everything he throws.
2968 classified pitches in 2019.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Leake throws the changeup 27.8% of the time against left-handers and 11.9% against right-handers.
1322 pitches to right-handers, 1646 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Leake's knuckle curve spins at 2,571 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
235 thrown in 2019.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.3 mph separates Leake's 4-seam fastball from his knuckle curve, 88.6 against 79.3.
427 and 235 of them respectively.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Leake releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 20 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2968 tracked release points, averaging 4.9 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Leake releases the ball 5.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
2968 tracked pitches in 2019.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Leake's changeup moves 90.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
615 thrown, averaging 84.0 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Leake's 4-seam fastball carries 8.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
427 thrown, averaging 88.6 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Leake averages 85.3 mph across his arsenal, 11th percentile in the league.
2975 pitches in 2019. 11th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 672nd 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
Leake lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.13 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2968 located pitches in 2019.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Leake's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
553 of 2968 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Leake lives in the strike zone: 47.3% of his pitches are in it, 84th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 122nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Leake throws a fastball 67.2% of the time, against 52.6% when he is ahead.
719 pitches behind in the count, 916 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Leake goes to the slider: 18.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.5% the rest of the time.
792 two-strike pitches in 2019.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Leake puts 56.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.2% when he is ahead.
719 located pitches behind, 916 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Leake throws a strike on the first pitch 63.4% of the time.
836 plate appearances started in 2019.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.3 mph off the bat against Leake, 13th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 13th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 652nd in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47% of the contact Leake gives up is hit hard, 15th percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 639th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Leake projects a .384 average, 32nd percentile.
2975 pitches in 2019. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 508th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Leake's stuff spins at 2,115 rpm, 23rd percentile in the league.
2975 pitches in 2019. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2019, 577th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Leake puts 49.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
1324 pitches to right-handed hitters, 1651 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Leake lands 51.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.4% of his offspeed pitches.
1745 of his fastballs, 615 of his offspeed pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .403 expected average against them, against .364 on his breaking balls.
615 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Leake throws 49.2% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.8% with the bases empty.
594 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 2381 with the bases empty.
Reds
Career team 2010–2015