This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Banks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 30.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 15.5% the rest of the time.
110 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Banks's 4-seam fastball carries 15.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
70 thrown, averaging 91.9 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Banks's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.4 mph, against 82.8 off his slider.
70 and 117 of them thrown.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Banks releases the ball 5.6 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
234 tracked pitches in 2026.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Banks averages 87.2 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 432nd in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Banks's sinker moves 14.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
60 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Banks throws the sinker 31.6% of the time against left-handers and 8.2% against right-handers.
207 pitches to right-handers, 136 to left-handers.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
14.3% of Banks's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
49 of 342 located pitches.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Banks is weak: 85.6 mph off the bat on average, 85th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 85th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 83rd in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Banks's 4-seam fastball averages 91.9 mph, and has touched 94.3.
70 thrown, 20.4% of his pitches.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.6% of the contact Banks gives up is hit hard, 83rd percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 83rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 90th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Banks puts 53.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.3% when he is ahead.
81 located pitches behind, 110 ahead.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Banks works with 4 pitches: Slider, Sweeper, 4-Seam Fastball and Sinker. The slider is 34.1% of everything he throws.
343 classified pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Banks releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
342 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 feet off the ground.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Banks puts 43% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40% of his pitches to left-handers.
207 pitches to right-handed hitters, 136 to left-handed hitters.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Banks throws 44% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 40.7% with the bases empty.
116 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 227 with the bases empty.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Banks projects a .362 average, 19th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 19th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 434th in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Banks throws a strike on the first pitch 64.4% of the time.
87 plate appearances started in 2026.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Banks's stuff spins at 2,176 rpm, 32nd percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 364th in MLB.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Banks works off the plate, with only 41.8% of his pitches in the zone, 37th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 339th in MLB.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .362 expected average against them, against .335 on his fastballs.
199 of his breaking balls thrown.
He lives on one side of the plate
Banks works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.5 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
342 located pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.2 mph separates Banks's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 91.9 against 81.6.
70 and 82 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Banks's slider spins at 2,307 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
117 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Banks has thrown 14 changeups this season, 4.1% of his pitches, at 83.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
343 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
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 Banks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 30.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 15.5% the rest of the time.
110 two-strike pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Banks puts 53.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.3% when he is ahead.
81 located pitches behind, 110 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Banks throws a strike on the first pitch 64.4% of the time.
87 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Banks's 4-seam fastball carries 15.2 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
70 thrown, averaging 91.9 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Banks's sinker moves 14.3 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
60 thrown, averaging 91.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Banks's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.4 mph, against 82.8 off his slider.
70 and 117 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Banks throws the sinker 31.6% of the time against left-handers and 8.2% against right-handers.
207 pitches to right-handers, 136 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Banks's 4-seam fastball averages 91.9 mph, and has touched 94.3.
70 thrown, 20.4% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Banks works with 4 pitches: Slider, Sweeper, 4-Seam Fastball and Sinker. The slider is 34.1% of everything he throws.
343 classified pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.2 mph separates Banks's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 91.9 against 81.6.
70 and 82 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Banks's slider spins at 2,307 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
117 thrown in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Banks has thrown 14 changeups this season, 4.1% of his pitches, at 83.6 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
343 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Banks releases the ball 5.6 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
234 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Banks releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
342 tracked release points, averaging 6.3 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
Banks averages 87.2 mph across his arsenal, 20th percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 432nd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
14.3% of Banks's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
49 of 342 located pitches.
He lives on one side of the plate
Banks works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.5 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
342 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Banks is weak: 85.6 mph off the bat on average, 85th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 85th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 83rd in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 31.6% of the contact Banks gives up is hit hard, 83rd percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 83rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 90th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Banks projects a .362 average, 19th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 19th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 434th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Banks puts 43% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40% of his pitches to left-handers.
207 pitches to right-handed hitters, 136 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Banks throws 44% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 40.7% with the bases empty.
116 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 227 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Banks's stuff spins at 2,176 rpm, 32nd percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 32nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 364th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Banks works off the plate, with only 41.8% of his pitches in the zone, 37th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 339th in MLB.
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 breaking balls: a .362 expected average against them, against .335 on his fastballs.
199 of his breaking balls thrown.
White Sox
Career team 2022–2024