When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Romano throws a fastball 81.9% of the time, against 44.6% when he is ahead.
144 pitches behind in the count, 101 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Romano's sinker moves 114.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
269 thrown, averaging 93.6 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .410 expected average against them, against .328 on his fastballs.
164 of his breaking balls thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Romano works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Slider. The sinker is 60.7% of everything he throws.
443 classified pitches in 2021.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Romano lives in the strike zone: 48.5% of his pitches are in it, 84th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 131st in MLB.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Romano goes to the slider: 45.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 31.8% the rest of the time.
106 two-strike pitches in 2021.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Romano averages 91.2 mph across his arsenal, 80th percentile in the league.
443 pitches in 2021. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 159th in MLB.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Romano puts 46.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 51.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
277 pitches to right-handed hitters, 166 to left-handed hitters.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Romano releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 38 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
443 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He lives on one side of the plate
Romano works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
443 located pitches in 2021.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Romano lands 54.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 37.8% of his breaking balls.
278 of his fastballs, 164 of his breaking balls.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Romano throws the sinker 69.9% of the time against left-handers and 55.2% against right-handers.
277 pitches to right-handers, 166 to left-handers.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Romano throws a strike on the first pitch 53.8% of the time.
117 plate appearances started in 2021.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Romano releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
443 tracked pitches in 2021.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Romano projects a .351 average, 27th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 590th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Romano lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
443 located pitches in 2021.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Romano's stuff spins at 2,138 rpm, 32nd percentile in the league.
443 pitches in 2021. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 551st in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Romano puts 56.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 42.6% when he is ahead.
144 located pitches behind, 101 ahead.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.4 mph off the bat against Romano, 32nd percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 550th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.3 mph separates Romano's sinker from his slider, 93.6 against 87.3.
269 and 155 of them respectively.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
41.6% of the contact Romano gives up is hit hard, 34th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 34th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 530th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Romano's sinker averages 93.6 mph, and has touched 97.0.
269 thrown, 60.7% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Romano has thrown 9 4-seam fastballs this season, 2% of his pitches, at 94.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
443 classified pitches in 2021.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Romano's slider spins at 2,229 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
155 thrown in 2021.
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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 Romano throws a fastball 81.9% of the time, against 44.6% when he is ahead.
144 pitches behind in the count, 101 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Romano goes to the slider: 45.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 31.8% the rest of the time.
106 two-strike pitches in 2021.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Romano throws a strike on the first pitch 53.8% of the time.
117 plate appearances started in 2021.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Romano puts 56.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 42.6% when he is ahead.
144 located pitches behind, 101 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Romano's sinker moves 114.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
269 thrown, averaging 93.6 mph.
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 .410 expected average against them, against .328 on his fastballs.
164 of his breaking balls thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Romano lands 54.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 37.8% of his breaking balls.
278 of his fastballs, 164 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Romano works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Slider. The sinker is 60.7% of everything he throws.
443 classified pitches in 2021.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Romano throws the sinker 69.9% of the time against left-handers and 55.2% against right-handers.
277 pitches to right-handers, 166 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
6.3 mph separates Romano's sinker from his slider, 93.6 against 87.3.
269 and 155 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Romano's sinker averages 93.6 mph, and has touched 97.0.
269 thrown, 60.7% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Romano has thrown 9 4-seam fastballs this season, 2% of his pitches, at 94.1 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
443 classified pitches in 2021.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Romano's slider spins at 2,229 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
155 thrown in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Romano lives in the strike zone: 48.5% of his pitches are in it, 84th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 84th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 131st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Romano averages 91.2 mph across his arsenal, 80th percentile in the league.
443 pitches in 2021. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 159th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Romano puts 46.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 51.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
277 pitches to right-handed hitters, 166 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Romano releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 38 degrees above horizontal and 2.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
443 tracked release points, averaging 6.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Romano releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
443 tracked pitches in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Romano works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
443 located pitches in 2021.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Romano lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.37 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
443 located pitches in 2021.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Romano projects a .351 average, 27th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 590th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.4 mph off the bat against Romano, 32nd percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 550th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
41.6% of the contact Romano gives up is hit hard, 34th percentile.
443 pitches in 2021. 34th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 530th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Romano's stuff spins at 2,138 rpm, 32nd percentile in the league.
443 pitches in 2021. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2021, 551st in MLB.
Reds
Career team 2017–2021