This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Matz goes to the changeup: 43.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.2% the rest of the time.
188 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Matz puts 44.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 53.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
450 pitches to right-handed hitters, 151 to left-handed hitters.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Matz throws a fastball 61.7% of the time, against 35.3% when he is ahead.
149 pitches behind in the count, 184 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Matz's sinker moves 15.6 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
291 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.2 mph separates Matz's sinker from his curveball, 93.2 against 78.0.
291 and 54 of them respectively.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Matz lands 56.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.5% of his offspeed pitches.
291 of his fastballs, 182 of his offspeed pitches.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Matz lives in the strike zone: 47% of his pitches are in it, 86th percentile.
601 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 74th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Matz's sinker leaves the bat at 91.4 mph, against 85.7 off his changeup.
291 and 182 of them thrown.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .370 expected average against them, against .292 on his offspeed pitches.
128 of his breaking balls thrown.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Matz averages 87.4 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
601 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 428th in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Matz throws 41.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.7% with the bases empty.
75 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 526 with the bases empty.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Matz releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 35 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
600 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Matz lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.25 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
600 located pitches in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Matz works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Slider and Curveball. The sinker is 48.4% of everything he throws.
601 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Matz puts 60.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
149 located pitches behind, 183 ahead.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Matz's sinker carries 11.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
291 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Matz throws the changeup 34.2% of the time against right-handers and 18.5% against left-handers.
450 pitches to right-handers, 151 to left-handers.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Matz's fastball averages 93.4 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.8 past his 75th.
88 early fastballs, 36 late ones.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Matz throws a strike on the first pitch 63.1% of the time.
149 plate appearances started in 2026.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 37.4% of the contact Matz gives up is hit hard, 61st percentile.
601 pitches in 2026. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 211th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Matz's changeup spins at 2,363 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
182 thrown in 2026.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Matz releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
375 tracked pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Matz's sinker averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 95.2.
291 thrown, 48.4% of his pitches.
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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 Matz goes to the changeup: 43.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 24.2% the rest of the time.
188 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Matz throws a fastball 61.7% of the time, against 35.3% when he is ahead.
149 pitches behind in the count, 184 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Matz puts 60.4% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
149 located pitches behind, 183 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Matz throws a strike on the first pitch 63.1% of the time.
149 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Matz puts 44.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 53.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
450 pitches to right-handed hitters, 151 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Matz's sinker moves 15.6 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
291 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Matz's sinker carries 11.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
291 thrown, averaging 93.2 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
15.2 mph separates Matz's sinker from his curveball, 93.2 against 78.0.
291 and 54 of them respectively.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Matz's sinker leaves the bat at 91.4 mph, against 85.7 off his changeup.
291 and 182 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Matz works with 4 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Slider and Curveball. The sinker is 48.4% of everything he throws.
601 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Matz throws the changeup 34.2% of the time against right-handers and 18.5% against left-handers.
450 pitches to right-handers, 151 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Matz's changeup spins at 2,363 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
182 thrown in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Matz's sinker averages 93.2 mph, and has touched 95.2.
291 thrown, 48.4% of his pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Matz lands 56.7% of his fastballs in the zone and only 31.5% of his offspeed pitches.
291 of his fastballs, 182 of his offspeed pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .370 expected average against them, against .292 on his offspeed pitches.
128 of his breaking balls thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Matz lives in the strike zone: 47% of his pitches are in it, 86th percentile.
601 pitches in 2026. 86th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 74th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Matz averages 87.4 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
601 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 428th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Matz throws 41.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 47.7% with the bases empty.
75 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 526 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Matz releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 35 degrees above horizontal and 1.9 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
600 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Matz's fastball averages 93.4 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.8 past his 75th.
88 early fastballs, 36 late ones.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Matz releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
375 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Matz lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.25 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
600 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 37.4% of the contact Matz gives up is hit hard, 61st percentile.
601 pitches in 2026. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 211th in MLB.
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