There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kolek's sweeper leaves the bat at 92.2 mph, against 84.4 off his changeup.
78 and 96 of them thrown.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Kolek goes to the slider: 27.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.4% the rest of the time.
216 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kolek releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
837 tracked release points, averaging 5.3 feet off the ground.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kolek's sinker moves 14.8 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
182 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kolek throws a fastball 75.7% of the time, against 54.5% when he is ahead.
247 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kolek throws the sinker 37.2% of the time against right-handers and 10.8% against left-handers.
347 pitches to right-handers, 490 to left-handers.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Kolek lives in the strike zone: 45.8% of his pitches are in it, 80th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 109th in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kolek's 4-seam fastball carries 12.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
238 thrown, averaging 94.2 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.3 mph separates Kolek's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 94.2 against 79.9.
238 and 78 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kolek works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Slider and Cutter, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 28.4% of everything he throws.
837 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kolek puts 63.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.6% when he is ahead.
247 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Kolek's fastball averages 93.7 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.8 past his 75th.
166 early fastballs, 84 late ones.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.5% of the contact Kolek gives up is hit hard, 24th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 24th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 409th in MLB.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Kolek 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.
837 located pitches in 2026.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Kolek, 28th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 389th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kolek's sweeper spins at 2,571 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
78 thrown in 2026.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kolek projects a .350 average, 28th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 387th in MLB.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Kolek's stuff spins at 2,195 rpm, 36th percentile in the league.
177 pitches in 2026. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 344th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Kolek's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
156 of 837 located pitches.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kolek throws a strike on the first pitch 57.6% of the time.
224 plate appearances started in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kolek's 4-seam fastball averages 94.2 mph, and has touched 96.4.
238 thrown, 28.4% of his pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Kolek releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
827 tracked pitches in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Kolek's sweeper leaves the bat at 92.2 mph, against 84.4 off his changeup.
78 and 96 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Kolek throws the sinker 37.2% of the time against right-handers and 10.8% against left-handers.
347 pitches to right-handers, 490 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
14.3 mph separates Kolek's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 94.2 against 79.9.
238 and 78 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Kolek works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker, Slider and Cutter, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 28.4% of everything he throws.
837 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Kolek's sweeper spins at 2,571 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
78 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Kolek's 4-seam fastball averages 94.2 mph, and has touched 96.4.
238 thrown, 28.4% of his 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 Kolek goes to the slider: 27.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.4% the rest of the time.
216 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Kolek throws a fastball 75.7% of the time, against 54.5% when he is ahead.
247 pitches behind in the count, 222 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Kolek puts 63.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 44.6% when he is ahead.
247 located pitches behind, 222 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Kolek throws a strike on the first pitch 57.6% of the time.
224 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Kolek releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 27 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
837 tracked release points, averaging 5.3 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Kolek's fastball averages 93.7 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.8 past his 75th.
166 early fastballs, 84 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Kolek releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
827 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Kolek's sinker moves 14.8 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
182 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Kolek's 4-seam fastball carries 12.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
238 thrown, averaging 94.2 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Kolek lives in the strike zone: 45.8% of his pitches are in it, 80th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 80th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 109th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.5% of the contact Kolek gives up is hit hard, 24th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 24th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 409th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Kolek, 28th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 389th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Kolek projects a .350 average, 28th percentile.
177 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 387th 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
Kolek 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.
837 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Kolek's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
156 of 837 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Kolek's stuff spins at 2,195 rpm, 36th percentile in the league.
177 pitches in 2026. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 344th in MLB.
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