This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Cruz goes to the slider: 43.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 16.4% the rest of the time.
44 two-strike pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Cruz's 4-seam fastball averages 97.4 mph, and has touched 101.0.
96 thrown, 55.8% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Cruz releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 14 degrees above horizontal and 3.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
172 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Cruz averages 94.1 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
172 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 25th in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Cruz throws a fastball 85.7% of the time, against 60% when he is ahead.
56 pitches behind in the count, 45 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Cruz's 4-seam fastball carries 15.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
96 thrown, averaging 97.4 mph.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 26.1% of the contact Cruz gives up is hit hard, 94th percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 94th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 33rd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Cruz's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 87.9 off his slider.
96 and 40 of them thrown.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Cruz is weak: 84.1 mph off the bat on average, 92nd percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 92nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 42nd in MLB.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Cruz works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider and Cutter. The 4-seam fastball is 55.8% of everything he throws.
172 classified pitches in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Cruz throws a strike on the first pitch 53.7% of the time.
41 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Cruz's 4-seam fastball moves 10.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
96 thrown, averaging 97.4 mph.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Cruz releases the ball 6.8 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
139 tracked pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Cruz puts 57.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40% when he is ahead.
56 located pitches behind, 45 ahead.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Cruz works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 37th percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 338th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Cruz throws the 4-seam fastball 62.5% of the time against right-handers and 52.6% against left-handers.
56 pitches to right-handers, 116 to left-handers.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Cruz's stuff spins at 2,197 rpm, 37th percentile in the league.
172 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 341st in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.4 mph separates Cruz's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 97.4 against 88.0.
96 and 40 of them respectively.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Cruz projects a .311 average, 63rd percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 200th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Cruz's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,231 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
96 thrown in 2026.
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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 Cruz goes to the slider: 43.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 16.4% the rest of the time.
44 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Cruz throws a fastball 85.7% of the time, against 60% when he is ahead.
56 pitches behind in the count, 45 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Cruz throws a strike on the first pitch 53.7% of the time.
41 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Cruz puts 57.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 40% when he is ahead.
56 located pitches behind, 45 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Cruz's 4-seam fastball averages 97.4 mph, and has touched 101.0.
96 thrown, 55.8% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Cruz's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 93.2 mph, against 87.9 off his slider.
96 and 40 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Cruz works with 3 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider and Cutter. The 4-seam fastball is 55.8% of everything he throws.
172 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Cruz throws the 4-seam fastball 62.5% of the time against right-handers and 52.6% against left-handers.
56 pitches to right-handers, 116 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
9.4 mph separates Cruz's 4-seam fastball from his slider, 97.4 against 88.0.
96 and 40 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Cruz's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,231 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
96 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Cruz releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 14 degrees above horizontal and 3.0 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
172 tracked release points, averaging 5.4 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Cruz releases the ball 6.8 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
139 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Cruz averages 94.1 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
172 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 25th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Cruz's 4-seam fastball carries 15.7 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
96 thrown, averaging 97.4 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Cruz's 4-seam fastball moves 10.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
96 thrown, averaging 97.4 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 26.1% of the contact Cruz gives up is hit hard, 94th percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 94th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 33rd in MLB.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Cruz is weak: 84.1 mph off the bat on average, 92nd percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 92nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 42nd in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Cruz projects a .311 average, 63rd percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 200th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Cruz works off the plate, with only 41.9% of his pitches in the zone, 37th percentile.
172 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 338th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Cruz's stuff spins at 2,197 rpm, 37th percentile in the league.
172 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 341st in MLB.
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