One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .456 expected average against them, against .304 on his breaking balls.
106 of his fastballs thrown.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Smith throws 48.6% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 37.1% with the bases empty.
74 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 151 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's 4-seam fastball carries 15.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
74 thrown, averaging 95.3 mph.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 51% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2026.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Smith is weak: 82.2 mph off the bat on average, 98th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 98th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 13th in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's changeup moves 15.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
41 thrown, averaging 90.3 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smith lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.15 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
225 located pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's 4-seam fastball averages 95.3 mph, and has touched 97.3.
74 thrown, 32.9% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
225 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 2,060 rpm, 14th percentile in the league.
225 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 463rd in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Curveball, Changeup and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 32.9% of everything he throws.
225 classified pitches in 2026.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Smith works off the plate, with only 40.9% of his pitches in the zone, 29th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's changeup leaves the bat at 78.9 mph, against 74.6 off his curveball.
41 and 53 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smith goes to the 4-seam fastball: 37.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 30.7% the rest of the time.
75 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Smith averages 91.0 mph across his arsenal, 68th percentile in the league.
225 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 175th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.9 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 95.3 against 82.4.
74 and 53 of them respectively.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 6.8 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
156 tracked pitches in 2026.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 33.3% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 76th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 76th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 129th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 52.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.3% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 67 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the changeup 25.2% of the time against left-handers and 9.2% against right-handers.
98 pitches to right-handers, 127 to left-handers.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Smith projects a .346 average, 31st percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 373rd in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.7% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
42 of 225 located pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,233 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
74 thrown in 2026.
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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 fastballs: a .456 expected average against them, against .304 on his breaking balls.
106 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Smith throws 48.6% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 37.1% with the bases empty.
74 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 151 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Smith's 4-seam fastball carries 15.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
74 thrown, averaging 95.3 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Smith's changeup moves 15.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
41 thrown, averaging 90.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He falls behind hitters far too often
Smith throws a strike on the first pitch 51% of the time.
49 plate appearances started in 2026.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Smith goes to the 4-seam fastball: 37.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 30.7% the rest of the time.
75 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Smith puts 52.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40.3% when he is ahead.
70 located pitches behind, 67 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Smith is weak: 82.2 mph off the bat on average, 98th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 98th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 13th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 33.3% of the contact Smith gives up is hit hard, 76th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 76th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 129th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Smith projects a .346 average, 31st percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 31st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 373rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Smith lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.15 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
225 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.7% of Smith's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
42 of 225 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Smith's 4-seam fastball averages 95.3 mph, and has touched 97.3.
74 thrown, 32.9% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Smith works with 5 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Curveball, Changeup and Sinker, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 32.9% of everything he throws.
225 classified pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Smith's changeup leaves the bat at 78.9 mph, against 74.6 off his curveball.
41 and 53 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.9 mph separates Smith's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 95.3 against 82.4.
74 and 53 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Smith throws the changeup 25.2% of the time against left-handers and 9.2% against right-handers.
98 pitches to right-handers, 127 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Smith's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,233 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
74 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Smith releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 37 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
225 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Smith releases the ball 6.8 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
156 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Smith's stuff spins at 2,060 rpm, 14th percentile in the league.
225 pitches in 2026. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 463rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Smith works off the plate, with only 40.9% of his pitches in the zone, 29th percentile.
225 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Smith averages 91.0 mph across his arsenal, 68th percentile in the league.
225 pitches in 2026. 68th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 175th in MLB.
White Sox
Career team 2025–2026