One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
McGough's splitter moves 69.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
99 thrown, averaging 84.8 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
McGough lands 58.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.3% of his offspeed pitches.
128 of his fastballs, 99 of his offspeed pitches.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
McGough lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.00 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
297 located pitches in 2025.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
McGough's 4-seam fastball carries 18.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
115 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes McGough goes to the splitter: 41.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 29.4% the rest of the time.
93 two-strike pitches in 2025.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
McGough puts 46.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handed hitters, 157 to left-handed hitters.
He cannot find the zone often enough
McGough works off the plate, with only 43.4% of his pitches in the zone, 19th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 19th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 630th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.4 mph off the bat against McGough, 9th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 9th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 712th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off McGough's slider leaves the bat at 94.3 mph, against 90.0 off his splitter.
70 and 99 of them thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
McGough puts 57% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.5% when he is ahead.
79 located pitches behind, 83 ahead.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .378 expected average against them, against .306 on his offspeed pitches.
70 of his breaking balls thrown.
His ball is straighter than it should be
McGough's stuff spins at 2,103 rpm, 17th percentile in the league.
297 pitches in 2025. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 648th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
McGough's slider spins at 2,647 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
70 thrown in 2025.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47.1% of the contact McGough gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 654th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
McGough releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
297 tracked pitches in 2025.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
McGough works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter and Slider. The 4-seam fastball is 38.7% of everything he throws.
297 classified pitches in 2025.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.2% of McGough's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
51 of 297 located pitches.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
McGough averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 35th percentile in the league.
297 pitches in 2025. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 505th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
McGough's 4-seam fastball averages 92.3 mph, and has touched 94.6.
115 thrown, 38.7% of his pitches.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against McGough projects a .358 average, 22nd percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 22nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 607th in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count McGough throws a fastball 45.6% of the time, against 37.3% when he is ahead.
79 pitches behind in the count, 83 ahead.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
McGough releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 44 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
297 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
McGough throws the slider 31.4% of the time against right-handers and 16.6% against left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handers, 157 to left-handers.
He falls behind hitters far too often
McGough throws a strike on the first pitch 58.7% of the time.
75 plate appearances started in 2025.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
McGough has thrown 13 sinkers this season, 4.4% of his pitches, at 92.2 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
297 classified pitches in 2025.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
McGough's splitter moves 69.0 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
99 thrown, averaging 84.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
McGough's 4-seam fastball carries 18.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
115 thrown, averaging 92.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
McGough lands 58.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 28.3% of his offspeed pitches.
128 of his fastballs, 99 of his offspeed pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .378 expected average against them, against .306 on his offspeed pitches.
70 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
McGough lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.00 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
297 located pitches in 2025.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.2% of McGough's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
51 of 297 located pitches.
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 McGough goes to the splitter: 41.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 29.4% the rest of the time.
93 two-strike pitches in 2025.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
McGough puts 57% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 32.5% when he is ahead.
79 located pitches behind, 83 ahead.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count McGough throws a fastball 45.6% of the time, against 37.3% when he is ahead.
79 pitches behind in the count, 83 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
McGough throws a strike on the first pitch 58.7% of the time.
75 plate appearances started in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
McGough puts 46.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.8% of his pitches to left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handed hitters, 157 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
McGough works off the plate, with only 43.4% of his pitches in the zone, 19th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 19th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 630th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 91.4 mph off the bat against McGough, 9th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 9th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 712th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
47.1% of the contact McGough gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 654th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against McGough projects a .358 average, 22nd percentile.
297 pitches in 2025. 22nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 607th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off McGough's slider leaves the bat at 94.3 mph, against 90.0 off his splitter.
70 and 99 of them thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
McGough's slider spins at 2,647 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
70 thrown in 2025.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
McGough works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter and Slider. The 4-seam fastball is 38.7% of everything he throws.
297 classified pitches in 2025.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
McGough's 4-seam fastball averages 92.3 mph, and has touched 94.6.
115 thrown, 38.7% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
McGough throws the slider 31.4% of the time against right-handers and 16.6% against left-handers.
140 pitches to right-handers, 157 to left-handers.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
McGough has thrown 13 sinkers this season, 4.4% of his pitches, at 92.2 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
297 classified pitches in 2025.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
McGough's stuff spins at 2,103 rpm, 17th percentile in the league.
297 pitches in 2025. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 648th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
McGough releases the ball 6.0 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
297 tracked pitches in 2025.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
McGough releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 44 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
297 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
McGough averages 88.4 mph across his arsenal, 35th percentile in the league.
297 pitches in 2025. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2025, 505th in MLB.
Diamondbacks
Career team 2023–2025