One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .430 expected average against them, against .308 on his breaking balls.
113 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Thompson's forkball moves 57.2 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
72 thrown, averaging 83.8 mph.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Thompson throws 35.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 49.1% with the bases empty.
103 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 214 with the bases empty.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Thompson averages 84.5 mph across his arsenal, 5th percentile in the league.
317 pitches in 2024. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 733rd in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Thompson's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 94.7 mph, against 83.2 off his forkball.
113 and 72 of them thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Thompson's curveball carries 16.9 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
45 thrown, averaging 73.5 mph.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
17.2 mph separates Thompson's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 90.7 against 73.5.
113 and 45 of them respectively.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Thompson releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.6 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
317 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Thompson's stuff spins at 1,804 rpm, 3rd percentile in the league.
317 pitches in 2024. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 748th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Thompson's 4-seam fastball averages 90.7 mph, and has touched 94.6.
113 thrown, 35.6% of his pitches.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Thompson throws a strike on the first pitch 66.3% of the time.
83 plate appearances started in 2024.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Thompson lands 51.5% of his breaking balls in the zone and only 31.9% of his offspeed pitches.
132 of his breaking balls, 72 of his offspeed pitches.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Thompson projects a .353 average, 17th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 634th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Thompson throws the slider 46.4% of the time against left-handers and 20.6% against right-handers.
233 pitches to right-handers, 84 to left-handers.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Thompson releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
317 tracked pitches in 2024.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Thompson puts 52.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
73 located pitches behind, 103 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Thompson's curveball spins at 2,659 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
45 thrown in 2024.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Thompson works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Forkball and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 35.6% of everything he throws.
317 classified pitches in 2024.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Thompson works off the plate, with only 44.8% of his pitches in the zone, 38th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 477th in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Thompson throws a fastball 41.1% of the time, against 35% when he is ahead.
73 pitches behind in the count, 103 ahead.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
41.5% of the contact Thompson gives up is hit hard, 35th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 498th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.0 mph off the bat against Thompson, 37th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 481st in MLB.
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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 .430 expected average against them, against .308 on his breaking balls.
113 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Thompson lands 51.5% of his breaking balls in the zone and only 31.9% of his offspeed pitches.
132 of his breaking balls, 72 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Thompson's forkball moves 57.2 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
72 thrown, averaging 83.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Thompson's curveball carries 16.9 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
45 thrown, averaging 73.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Thompson throws 35.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 49.1% with the bases empty.
103 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 214 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Thompson averages 84.5 mph across his arsenal, 5th percentile in the league.
317 pitches in 2024. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 733rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Thompson's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 94.7 mph, against 83.2 off his forkball.
113 and 72 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
17.2 mph separates Thompson's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 90.7 against 73.5.
113 and 45 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Thompson's 4-seam fastball averages 90.7 mph, and has touched 94.6.
113 thrown, 35.6% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Thompson throws the slider 46.4% of the time against left-handers and 20.6% against right-handers.
233 pitches to right-handers, 84 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Thompson's curveball spins at 2,659 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
45 thrown in 2024.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Thompson works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Forkball and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 35.6% of everything he throws.
317 classified pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Thompson releases the ball from over the top, about 69 degrees above horizontal and 0.6 feet to the first-base side of the rubber.
317 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Thompson releases the ball 6.9 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
317 tracked pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Thompson's stuff spins at 1,804 rpm, 3rd percentile in the league.
317 pitches in 2024. 3rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 748th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Thompson throws a strike on the first pitch 66.3% of the time.
83 plate appearances started in 2024.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Thompson puts 52.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
73 located pitches behind, 103 ahead.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Thompson throws a fastball 41.1% of the time, against 35% when he is ahead.
73 pitches behind in the count, 103 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Thompson projects a .353 average, 17th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 634th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
41.5% of the contact Thompson gives up is hit hard, 35th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 35th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 498th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.0 mph off the bat against Thompson, 37th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 37th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 481st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Thompson works off the plate, with only 44.8% of his pitches in the zone, 38th percentile.
317 pitches in 2024. 38th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 477th in MLB.
Cardinals
Career team 2022–2024