When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Samaniego throws a fastball 93% of the time, against 50% when he is ahead.
57 pitches behind in the count, 70 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Samaniego's sinker moves 16.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
101 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Samaniego throws the sinker 56.6% of the time against left-handers and 29.4% against right-handers.
109 pitches to right-handers, 122 to left-handers.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Samaniego goes to the sweeper: 28.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.9% the rest of the time.
63 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Samaniego's 4-seam fastball carries 15.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Samaniego releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
180 tracked pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Samaniego throws a strike on the first pitch 68.3% of the time.
63 plate appearances started in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Samaniego puts 42.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
109 pitches to right-handed hitters, 122 to left-handed hitters.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Samaniego releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
231 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Samaniego works with 5 pitches: Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper and Cutter, and a little else. The sinker is 43.7% of everything he throws.
231 classified pitches in 2026.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Samaniego lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.27 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
231 located pitches in 2026.
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Samaniego is weak: 86.0 mph off the bat on average, 81st percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 101st in MLB.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Samaniego lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 70th percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 70th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 164th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16% of Samaniego's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
37 of 231 located pitches.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.9 mph separates Samaniego's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 93.7 against 81.7.
50 and 43 of them respectively.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Samaniego puts 57.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.6% when he is ahead.
57 located pitches behind, 70 ahead.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 34.9% of the contact Samaniego gives up is hit hard, 71st percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 159th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Samaniego's sinker leaves the bat at 88.6 mph, against 85.9 off his sweeper.
101 and 43 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Samaniego's sinker averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.4.
101 thrown, 43.7% of his pitches.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Samaniego's stuff spins at 2,207 rpm, 39th percentile in the league.
231 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 330th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Samaniego's sweeper spins at 2,385 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
43 thrown in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Samaniego throws a fastball 93% of the time, against 50% when he is ahead.
57 pitches behind in the count, 70 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Samaniego goes to the sweeper: 28.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.9% the rest of the time.
63 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Samaniego throws a strike on the first pitch 68.3% of the time.
63 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Samaniego puts 57.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.6% when he is ahead.
57 located pitches behind, 70 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Samaniego's sinker moves 16.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
101 thrown, averaging 92.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Samaniego's 4-seam fastball carries 15.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 93.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Samaniego throws the sinker 56.6% of the time against left-handers and 29.4% against right-handers.
109 pitches to right-handers, 122 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Samaniego works with 5 pitches: Sinker, 4-Seam Fastball, Sweeper and Cutter, and a little else. The sinker is 43.7% of everything he throws.
231 classified pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.9 mph separates Samaniego's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 93.7 against 81.7.
50 and 43 of them respectively.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Samaniego's sinker leaves the bat at 88.6 mph, against 85.9 off his sweeper.
101 and 43 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Samaniego's sinker averages 92.8 mph, and has touched 95.4.
101 thrown, 43.7% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Samaniego's sweeper spins at 2,385 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
43 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Samaniego releases the ball 7.0 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
180 tracked pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Samaniego releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 36 degrees above horizontal and 1.5 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
231 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Samaniego puts 42.2% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 46.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
109 pitches to right-handed hitters, 122 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Samaniego lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.27 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
231 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16% of Samaniego's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
37 of 231 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Hitters cannot square him up, the contact is weak
Contact against Samaniego is weak: 86.0 mph off the bat on average, 81st percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 81st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 101st in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 34.9% of the contact Samaniego gives up is hit hard, 71st percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 159th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Samaniego lives in the strike zone: 44.6% of his pitches are in it, 70th percentile.
231 pitches in 2026. 70th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 164th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Samaniego's stuff spins at 2,207 rpm, 39th percentile in the league.
231 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 330th in MLB.
Red Sox
Career team 2026