This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes May goes to the sweeper: 23.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 3.8% the rest of the time.
220 two-strike pitches in 2023.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
May's changeup moves 113.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
173 thrown, averaging 87.8 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off May's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 75.5 off his sweeper.
330 and 73 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
May's 4-seam fastball carries 17.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
330 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
May releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
777 tracked pitches in 2023.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
May throws the changeup 36.6% of the time against left-handers and 13.8% against right-handers.
487 pitches to right-handers, 290 to left-handers.
He lives on one side of the plate
May works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.3 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
777 located pitches in 2023.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
May throws 40.7% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
236 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 541 with the bases empty.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
May puts 42.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
487 pitches to right-handed hitters, 290 to left-handed hitters.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against May is weak: 86.7 mph off the bat on average, 81st percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 149th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.2 mph separates May's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 94.7 against 81.5.
330 and 73 of them respectively.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.1% of May's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
125 of 777 located pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
May works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 42.5% of everything he throws.
777 classified pitches in 2023.
He cannot find the zone often enough
May works off the plate, with only 44% of his pitches in the zone, 36th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 497th in MLB.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
May releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 44 degrees above horizontal and 1.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
777 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .332 expected average against them, against .303 on his offspeed pitches.
330 of his fastballs thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
May's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 97.5.
330 thrown, 42.5% of his pitches.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
May puts 51.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 42.5% when he is ahead.
231 located pitches behind, 212 ahead.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 36.1% of the contact May gives up is hit hard, 69th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 239th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
May's sweeper spins at 2,527 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2023.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
May lands 48% of his offspeed pitches in the zone and only 40.9% of his fastballs.
173 of his offspeed pitches, 330 of his fastballs.
He falls behind hitters far too often
May throws a strike on the first pitch 58.8% of the time.
199 plate appearances started in 2023.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against May projects a .319 average, 65th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 269th in MLB.
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 May goes to the sweeper: 23.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 3.8% the rest of the time.
220 two-strike pitches in 2023.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
May puts 51.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 42.5% when he is ahead.
231 located pitches behind, 212 ahead.
He falls behind hitters far too often
May throws a strike on the first pitch 58.8% of the time.
199 plate appearances started in 2023.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
May's changeup moves 113.2 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
173 thrown, averaging 87.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
May's 4-seam fastball carries 17.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
330 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off May's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 75.5 off his sweeper.
330 and 73 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
May throws the changeup 36.6% of the time against left-handers and 13.8% against right-handers.
487 pitches to right-handers, 290 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.2 mph separates May's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 94.7 against 81.5.
330 and 73 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
May works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 42.5% of everything he throws.
777 classified pitches in 2023.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
May's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 97.5.
330 thrown, 42.5% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
May's sweeper spins at 2,527 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
73 thrown in 2023.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
May releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
777 tracked pitches in 2023.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
May releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 44 degrees above horizontal and 1.2 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
777 tracked release points, averaging 5.6 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
May works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.3 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
777 located pitches in 2023.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.1% of May's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
125 of 777 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
May throws 40.7% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 45.5% with the bases empty.
236 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 541 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
May puts 42.5% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.6% of his pitches to left-handers.
487 pitches to right-handed hitters, 290 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against May is weak: 86.7 mph off the bat on average, 81st percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 149th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 36.1% of the contact May gives up is hit hard, 69th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 239th in MLB.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against May projects a .319 average, 65th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 269th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
May works off the plate, with only 44% of his pitches in the zone, 36th percentile.
777 pitches in 2023. 36th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2023, 497th 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 fastballs: a .332 expected average against them, against .303 on his offspeed pitches.
330 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
May lands 48% of his offspeed pitches in the zone and only 40.9% of his fastballs.
173 of his offspeed pitches, 330 of his fastballs.
Twins
Career team 2014–2020