There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Mikolas's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.6 mph, against 85.1 off his curveball.
449 and 276 of them thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Mikolas lands 56.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.7% of his offspeed pitches.
305 of his fastballs, 64 of his offspeed pitches.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Mikolas throws a fastball 61.2% of the time, against 41.1% when he is ahead.
443 pitches behind in the count, 564 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Mikolas's 4-seam fastball carries 14.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
449 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Mikolas lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.11 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1827 located pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
16.4 mph separates Mikolas's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.2 against 76.8.
449 and 276 of them respectively.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Mikolas's sinker moves 14.9 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
441 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Mikolas puts 67% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.4% when he is ahead.
443 located pitches behind, 564 ahead.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Mikolas averages 87.7 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
624 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 414th in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Mikolas throws 39.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.8% with the bases empty.
124 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 500 with the bases empty.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Mikolas puts 46.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
276 pitches to right-handed hitters, 348 to left-handed hitters.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Mikolas works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Slider and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 24.6% of everything he throws.
1827 classified pitches in 2026.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.9% of the contact Mikolas gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
624 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 422nd in MLB.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Mikolas's fastball averages 93.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.5 past his 75th.
335 early fastballs, 75 late ones.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Mikolas throws a strike on the first pitch 65.2% of the time.
500 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Mikolas's curveball spins at 2,503 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
276 thrown in 2026.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Mikolas goes to the sweeper: 8.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 3.5% the rest of the time.
528 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Mikolas releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1646 tracked pitches in 2026.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Mikolas's stuff spins at 2,183 rpm, 34th percentile in the league.
624 pitches in 2026. 34th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 354th in MLB.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Mikolas releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 1.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1827 tracked release points, averaging 6.4 feet off the ground.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Mikolas throws the changeup 12.8% of the time against left-handers and 1.3% against right-handers.
772 pitches to right-handers, 1055 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Mikolas's 4-seam fastball averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 97.1.
449 thrown, 24.6% of his pitches.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Mikolas's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.6 mph, against 85.1 off his curveball.
449 and 276 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
16.4 mph separates Mikolas's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.2 against 76.8.
449 and 276 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Mikolas works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Slider and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 24.6% of everything he throws.
1827 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Mikolas's curveball spins at 2,503 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
276 thrown in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Mikolas throws the changeup 12.8% of the time against left-handers and 1.3% against right-handers.
772 pitches to right-handers, 1055 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Mikolas's 4-seam fastball averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 97.1.
449 thrown, 24.6% of his pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Mikolas lands 56.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.7% of his offspeed pitches.
305 of his fastballs, 64 of his offspeed pitches.
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 Mikolas throws a fastball 61.2% of the time, against 41.1% when he is ahead.
443 pitches behind in the count, 564 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Mikolas puts 67% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.4% when he is ahead.
443 located pitches behind, 564 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Mikolas throws a strike on the first pitch 65.2% of the time.
500 plate appearances started in 2026.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Mikolas goes to the sweeper: 8.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 3.5% the rest of the time.
528 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Mikolas's 4-seam fastball carries 14.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
449 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Mikolas's sinker moves 14.9 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
441 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Mikolas lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.11 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1827 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Mikolas averages 87.7 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
624 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 414th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Mikolas throws 39.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.8% with the bases empty.
124 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 500 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Mikolas puts 46.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
276 pitches to right-handed hitters, 348 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.9% of the contact Mikolas gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
624 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 422nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Mikolas's fastball averages 93.2 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.5 past his 75th.
335 early fastballs, 75 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Mikolas releases the ball 6.1 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1646 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Mikolas releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 1.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1827 tracked release points, averaging 6.4 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Mikolas's stuff spins at 2,183 rpm, 34th percentile in the league.
624 pitches in 2026. 34th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 354th in MLB.
Cardinals
Career team 2018 to 2025