His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Stanek's 4-seam fastball averages 98.0 mph, and has touched 101.0.
562 thrown, 52.1% of his pitches.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Stanek throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 45.8% when he is ahead.
273 pitches behind in the count, 308 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Stanek's 4-seam fastball carries 17.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
562 thrown, averaging 98.0 mph.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Stanek averages 94.7 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
417 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 20th in MLB.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Stanek releases the ball from over the top, about 74 degrees above horizontal and 0.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1079 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Stanek goes to the splitter: 27% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.3% the rest of the time.
359 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Stanek works off the plate, with only 38.4% of his pitches in the zone, 12th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 12th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 470th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Stanek's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 91.9 mph, against 83.2 off his splitter.
562 and 171 of them thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Stanek's sinker moves 15.2 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
93 thrown, averaging 96.9 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Stanek lands 47.9% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.2% of his breaking balls.
261 of his fastballs, 107 of his breaking balls.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 92.0 mph off the bat against Stanek, 8th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 495th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Stanek puts 36% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
228 pitches to right-handed hitters, 189 to left-handed hitters.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Stanek works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Splitter and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 52.1% of everything he throws.
1079 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Stanek puts 53.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 30.2% when he is ahead.
273 located pitches behind, 308 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Stanek lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.28 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1079 located pitches in 2026.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Stanek releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
968 tracked pitches in 2026.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Stanek projects a .356 average, 23rd percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 414th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Stanek throws the 4-seam fastball 60.9% of the time against left-handers and 44.3% against right-handers.
575 pitches to right-handers, 504 to left-handers.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Stanek's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
192 of 1079 located pitches.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Stanek throws a strike on the first pitch 63.7% of the time.
267 plate appearances started in 2026.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Stanek gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 376th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Stanek's slider spins at 2,456 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
250 thrown in 2026.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Stanek's stuff spins at 2,198 rpm, 37th percentile in the league.
417 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 340th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.5 mph separates Stanek's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 98.0 against 88.5.
562 and 250 of them respectively.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Stanek's 4-seam fastball averages 98.0 mph, and has touched 101.0.
562 thrown, 52.1% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Stanek's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 91.9 mph, against 83.2 off his splitter.
562 and 171 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Stanek works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Splitter and Sinker. The 4-seam fastball is 52.1% of everything he throws.
1079 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Stanek throws the 4-seam fastball 60.9% of the time against left-handers and 44.3% against right-handers.
575 pitches to right-handers, 504 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Stanek's slider spins at 2,456 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
250 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.5 mph separates Stanek's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 98.0 against 88.5.
562 and 250 of them respectively.
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 Stanek throws a fastball 80.2% of the time, against 45.8% when he is ahead.
273 pitches behind in the count, 308 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Stanek goes to the splitter: 27% of his two-strike pitches, against 10.3% the rest of the time.
359 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Stanek puts 53.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 30.2% when he is ahead.
273 located pitches behind, 308 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Stanek throws a strike on the first pitch 63.7% of the time.
267 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Stanek's 4-seam fastball carries 17.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
562 thrown, averaging 98.0 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Stanek's sinker moves 15.2 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
93 thrown, averaging 96.9 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Stanek averages 94.7 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
417 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 20th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Stanek releases the ball from over the top, about 74 degrees above horizontal and 0.5 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1079 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Stanek releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
968 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Stanek works off the plate, with only 38.4% of his pitches in the zone, 12th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 12th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 470th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Stanek lands 47.9% of his fastballs in the zone and only 26.2% of his breaking balls.
261 of his fastballs, 107 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 92.0 mph off the bat against Stanek, 8th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 8th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 495th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Stanek projects a .356 average, 23rd percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 414th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
44% of the contact Stanek gives up is hit hard, 30th percentile.
417 pitches in 2026. 30th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 376th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Stanek puts 36% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 41.3% of his pitches to left-handers.
228 pitches to right-handed hitters, 189 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Stanek lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.28 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1079 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.8% of Stanek's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
192 of 1079 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Stanek's stuff spins at 2,198 rpm, 37th percentile in the league.
417 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 340th in MLB.
Cardinals