When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Contreras throws a fastball 71.2% of the time, against 34.6% when he is ahead.
52 pitches behind in the count, 52 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Contreras's 4-seam fastball moves 57.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
83 thrown, averaging 95.2 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Contreras throws the slider 32.7% of the time against right-handers and 3.2% against left-handers.
104 pitches to right-handers, 93 to left-handers.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Contreras's 4-seam fastball carries 16.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
83 thrown, averaging 95.2 mph.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Contreras projects a .262 average, 98th percentile.
197 pitches in 2025. 98th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 18th in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Contreras goes to the curveball: 26.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.4% the rest of the time.
60 two-strike pitches in 2025.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Contreras's 4-seam fastball averages 95.2 mph, and has touched 97.8.
83 thrown, 42.1% of his pitches.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Contreras puts 63.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.5% when he is ahead.
52 located pitches behind, 52 ahead.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .310 expected average against them, against .258 on his fastballs.
70 of his breaking balls thrown.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Contreras releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 60 degrees above horizontal and 1.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
197 tracked release points, averaging 6.1 feet off the ground.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Contreras works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Curveball and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42.1% of everything he throws.
197 classified pitches in 2025.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Contreras lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.36 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
197 located pitches in 2025.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Contreras's stuff spins at 2,380 rpm, 71st percentile in the league.
197 pitches in 2025. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 225th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.3% of Contreras's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
36 of 197 located pitches.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Contreras throws a strike on the first pitch 56.9% of the time.
51 plate appearances started in 2025.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Contreras lands 54.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 45.7% of his breaking balls.
105 of his fastballs, 70 of his breaking balls.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Contreras's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,358 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
83 thrown in 2025.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.6 mph off the bat against Contreras, 36th percentile.
197 pitches in 2025. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 499th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Contreras releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
197 tracked pitches in 2025.
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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 Contreras throws a fastball 71.2% of the time, against 34.6% when he is ahead.
52 pitches behind in the count, 52 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Contreras goes to the curveball: 26.7% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.4% the rest of the time.
60 two-strike pitches in 2025.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Contreras puts 63.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.5% when he is ahead.
52 located pitches behind, 52 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Contreras throws a strike on the first pitch 56.9% of the time.
51 plate appearances started in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Contreras's 4-seam fastball moves 57.5 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
83 thrown, averaging 95.2 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Contreras's 4-seam fastball carries 16.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
83 thrown, averaging 95.2 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Contreras throws the slider 32.7% of the time against right-handers and 3.2% against left-handers.
104 pitches to right-handers, 93 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Contreras's 4-seam fastball averages 95.2 mph, and has touched 97.8.
83 thrown, 42.1% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Contreras works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Curveball and Changeup, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 42.1% of everything he throws.
197 classified pitches in 2025.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Contreras's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,358 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
83 thrown in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Contreras projects a .262 average, 98th percentile.
197 pitches in 2025. 98th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 18th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.6 mph off the bat against Contreras, 36th percentile.
197 pitches in 2025. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 499th in MLB.
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 breaking balls: a .310 expected average against them, against .258 on his fastballs.
70 of his breaking balls thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Contreras lands 54.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 45.7% of his breaking balls.
105 of his fastballs, 70 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Contreras releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 60 degrees above horizontal and 1.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
197 tracked release points, averaging 6.1 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Contreras releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
197 tracked pitches in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Contreras lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.36 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
197 located pitches in 2025.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.3% of Contreras's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
36 of 197 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Contreras's stuff spins at 2,380 rpm, 71st percentile in the league.
197 pitches in 2025. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 225th in MLB.
Pirates
Career team 2021–2024