This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Messick goes to the changeup: 39.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 17.6% the rest of the time.
258 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his offspeed pitches: a .440 expected average against them, against .249 on his breaking balls.
202 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Messick's sinker leaves the bat at 91.9 mph, against 75.0 off his curveball.
114 and 94 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Messick's 4-seam fastball carries 16.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
249 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Messick throws a fastball 64.8% of the time, against 39.7% when he is ahead.
216 pitches behind in the count, 242 ahead.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Messick puts 38.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
622 pitches to right-handed hitters, 198 to left-handed hitters.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Messick's changeup moves 14.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
202 thrown, averaging 85.3 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.8 mph separates Messick's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.7 against 78.9.
249 and 94 of them respectively.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Messick works off the plate, with only 40.1% of his pitches in the zone, 23rd percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 416th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Messick puts 63.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.5% when he is ahead.
216 located pitches behind, 242 ahead.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Messick is weak: 85.4 mph off the bat on average, 86th percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 75th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Messick lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
820 located pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Messick throws the slider 26.8% of the time against left-handers and 3.2% against right-handers.
622 pitches to right-handers, 198 to left-handers.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Messick's stuff spins at 2,082 rpm, 16th percentile in the league.
820 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 449th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.1% of the contact Messick gives up is hit hard, 84th percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 85th in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Messick works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 30.4% of everything he throws.
820 classified pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Messick averages 88.8 mph across his arsenal, 35th percentile in the league.
820 pitches in 2026. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 349th in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Messick lands 48.1% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.5% of his breaking balls.
451 of his fastballs, 167 of his breaking balls.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Messick throws a strike on the first pitch 62.9% of the time.
205 plate appearances started in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.8% of Messick's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
154 of 820 located pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Messick's slider spins at 2,353 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Messick's 4-seam fastball averages 93.7 mph, and has touched 96.1.
249 thrown, 30.4% of his pitches.
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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 Messick goes to the changeup: 39.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 17.6% the rest of the time.
258 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Messick throws a fastball 64.8% of the time, against 39.7% when he is ahead.
216 pitches behind in the count, 242 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Messick puts 63.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.5% when he is ahead.
216 located pitches behind, 242 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Messick throws a strike on the first pitch 62.9% of the time.
205 plate appearances started in 2026.
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 offspeed pitches: a .440 expected average against them, against .249 on his breaking balls.
202 of his offspeed pitches thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Messick lands 48.1% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.5% of his breaking balls.
451 of his fastballs, 167 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Messick's sinker leaves the bat at 91.9 mph, against 75.0 off his curveball.
114 and 94 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.8 mph separates Messick's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 93.7 against 78.9.
249 and 94 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Messick throws the slider 26.8% of the time against left-handers and 3.2% against right-handers.
622 pitches to right-handers, 198 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Messick works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Sinker and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 30.4% of everything he throws.
820 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Messick's slider spins at 2,353 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Messick's 4-seam fastball averages 93.7 mph, and has touched 96.1.
249 thrown, 30.4% of his pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Messick's 4-seam fastball carries 16.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
249 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Messick's changeup moves 14.7 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
202 thrown, averaging 85.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Messick puts 38.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 45.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
622 pitches to right-handed hitters, 198 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Messick works off the plate, with only 40.1% of his pitches in the zone, 23rd percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 416th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Messick is weak: 85.4 mph off the bat on average, 86th percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 75th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.1% of the contact Messick gives up is hit hard, 84th percentile.
820 pitches in 2026. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 85th 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
Messick lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
820 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.8% of Messick's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
154 of 820 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Messick's stuff spins at 2,082 rpm, 16th percentile in the league.
820 pitches in 2026. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 449th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Messick averages 88.8 mph across his arsenal, 35th percentile in the league.
820 pitches in 2026. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 349th in MLB.
Guardians