He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Lao throws a strike on the first pitch 73.5% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2025.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Lao's 4-seam fastball moves 45.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
55 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Lao's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 84.9 off his slider.
55 and 89 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Lao lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
185 located pitches in 2025.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Lao goes to the slider: 60% of his two-strike pitches, against 43.1% the rest of the time.
55 two-strike pitches in 2025.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Lao throws the slider 60% of the time against right-handers and 32.5% against left-handers.
105 pitches to right-handers, 80 to left-handers.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
51.4% of the contact Lao gives up is hit hard, 6th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 733rd in MLB.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Lao lands 58.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.3% of his breaking balls.
82 of his fastballs, 89 of his breaking balls.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.1% of Lao's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
28 of 185 located pitches.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.8 mph off the bat against Lao, 15th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 663rd in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Lao's 4-seam fastball carries 11.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
55 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Lao works with 4 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Changeup. The slider is 48.1% of everything he throws.
185 classified pitches in 2025.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .394 expected average against them, against .342 on his breaking balls.
82 of his fastballs thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Lao puts 51.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.4% when he is ahead.
33 located pitches behind, 61 ahead.
He lives on one side of the plate
Lao works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
185 located pitches in 2025.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Lao releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 0.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
185 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Lao works off the plate, with only 45.4% of his pitches in the zone, 36th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 500th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Lao projects a .355 average, 25th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 586th in MLB.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Lao's stuff spins at 2,207 rpm, 33rd percentile in the league.
185 pitches in 2025. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 523rd in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Lao's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.8.
55 thrown, 29.7% of his pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
5.9 mph separates Lao's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.8 against 86.9.
55 and 89 of them respectively.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Lao releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
185 tracked pitches in 2025.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Lao's slider spins at 2,246 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
89 thrown in 2025.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Lao throws a strike on the first pitch 73.5% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2025.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Lao goes to the slider: 60% of his two-strike pitches, against 43.1% the rest of the time.
55 two-strike pitches in 2025.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Lao puts 51.5% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.4% when he is ahead.
33 located pitches behind, 61 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Lao's 4-seam fastball moves 45.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
55 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Lao's 4-seam fastball carries 11.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
55 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Lao's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 84.9 off his slider.
55 and 89 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Lao throws the slider 60% of the time against right-handers and 32.5% against left-handers.
105 pitches to right-handers, 80 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Lao works with 4 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Changeup. The slider is 48.1% of everything he throws.
185 classified pitches in 2025.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Lao's 4-seam fastball averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.8.
55 thrown, 29.7% of his pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
5.9 mph separates Lao's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 92.8 against 86.9.
55 and 89 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Lao's slider spins at 2,246 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
89 thrown 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
Lao lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.07 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
185 located pitches in 2025.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
15.1% of Lao's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
28 of 185 located pitches.
He lives on one side of the plate
Lao works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
185 located pitches in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
51.4% of the contact Lao gives up is hit hard, 6th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 733rd in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.8 mph off the bat against Lao, 15th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 663rd in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Lao projects a .355 average, 25th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 586th 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
Lao lands 58.5% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.3% of his breaking balls.
82 of his fastballs, 89 of his breaking balls.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .394 expected average against them, against .342 on his breaking balls.
82 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Lao releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 55 degrees above horizontal and 0.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
185 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Lao releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
185 tracked pitches in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Lao works off the plate, with only 45.4% of his pitches in the zone, 36th percentile.
185 pitches in 2025. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 500th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Lao's stuff spins at 2,207 rpm, 33rd percentile in the league.
185 pitches in 2025. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 523rd in MLB.
Nationals
Career team 2025