Pitch Lab

MLB pitch arsenals, movement, discipline, and sequencing.

Pitch design, translated

How an arsenal creates the result

Velocity and movement matter. So do location, the previous pitch, the hitter’s handedness, and the count.

Pitch identities

Six pitches with a visual fingerprint

Movement location, velocity, bat-missing, chase, and usage combine into a transparent pitch-quality board.

Breaking identity

Mason Miller

San Diego Padres | Slider

92.2
Whiff53.6%
Chase41.5%
Usage53.7%
Average velocity87.8 mph
Offspeed identity

Fernando Cruz

New York Yankees | Splitter

91.2
Whiff52.0%
Chase37.6%
Usage61.8%
Average velocity79.9 mph
Breaking identity

Cam Sanders

Baltimore Orioles | Slider

89.4
Whiff45.1%
Chase42.9%
Usage100.0%
Average velocity87.0 mph
Breaking identity

Erik Miller

San Francisco Giants | Slider

89.3
Whiff52.7%
Chase38.7%
Usage48.5%
Average velocity85.9 mph
Offspeed identity

Cristopher Sánchez

Philadelphia Phillies | Changeup

89.0
Whiff42.6%
Chase45.7%
Usage38.9%
Average velocity87.0 mph
Breaking identity

Dylan Lee

Atlanta Braves | Slider

88.9
Whiff44.2%
Chase46.1%
Usage53.5%
Average velocity82.8 mph
Arsenal leaderboard

Highest whiff pitch types

At least 50 swings and 100 total pitches in the underlying product.

Pitcher Team Pitch Pitches Usage Velo Whiff Chase Changed from prior
Luis Medina Athletics Changeup 111 15.4% 89.7 62.3% 29.5% 77.6%
Aaron Ashby Milwaukee Brewers Slider 154 15.1% 85.1 55.4% 39.3% 70.9%
Josh Hader Houston Astros Slider 119 36.6% 84.5 54.0% 44.7% 60.5%
Mason Miller San Diego Padres Slider 354 53.7% 87.8 53.6% 41.5% 43.7%
Aaron Ashby Milwaukee Brewers Curveball 202 19.7% 83.4 53.6% 28.5% 79.7%
Erik Miller San Francisco Giants Slider 249 48.5% 85.9 52.7% 38.7% 54.6%
Fernando Cruz New York Yankees Splitter 390 61.8% 79.9 52.0% 37.6% 40.1%
Tarik Skubal Detroit Tigers Changeup 339 26.4% 87.3 51.7% 48.9% 71.6%
Adrian Morejon San Diego Padres Changeup 184 21.2% 92.1 51.4% 55.5% 60.2%
Aaron Ashby Milwaukee Brewers Changeup 116 11.3% 91.7 50.8% 38.6% 76.7%
Expanded arsenal spotlights

When a pitch earns a larger job and better results

The detector requires the pitch to gain usage and whiffs across the recent five-game window. Every card keeps the rest of the arsenal visible so the featured pitch is analyzed as part of a complete plan.

Arsenal takeover #1

Bryce Elder

Atlanta Braves · throws R

Cutter
Usage change+10.1 ptsWhiff change+18.8%Current whiff20.3%Shape-1.8 HB / 10.5 IVB
  1. Sinker27.4%12.0% whiff
  2. Slider25.7%28.5% whiff
  3. Four-Seam Fastball23.3%14.7% whiff
  4. Cutter14.7%20.3% whiff
  5. Changeup8.9%26.4% whiff
Arsenal takeover #2

Kenley Jansen

Detroit Tigers · throws R

Cutter
Usage change+11.7 ptsWhiff change+18.2%Current whiff26.1%Shape-5.8 HB / 16.6 IVB
  1. Cutter100.0%26.1% whiff
Arsenal takeover #3

Jacob Misiorowski

Milwaukee Brewers · throws R

Cutter
Usage change+17.1 ptsWhiff change+23.9%Current whiff24.6%Shape-2.0 HB / 6.3 IVB
  1. Four-Seam Fastball63.8%37.5% whiff
  2. Slider16.6%23.6% whiff
  3. Curveball11.6%44.0% whiff
  4. Cutter8.0%24.6% whiff
Arsenal takeover #4

Payton Tolle

Boston Red Sox · throws L

Cutter
Usage change+8.6 ptsWhiff change+14.0%Current whiff27.1%Shape3.1 HB / 6.5 IVB
  1. Four-Seam Fastball49.5%24.5% whiff
  2. Sinker22.9%9.9% whiff
  3. Cutter19.3%27.1% whiff
  4. Curveball8.3%46.2% whiff
Pitch movement maps for four pitchers whose featured offering gained usage and whiffs
Arsenal takeover map. Horizontal break and induced vertical break locate every pitch; the red mark identifies the offering gaining both trust and success.
Arsenal change detector

The pitches whose jobs changed most

The final five appearances are compared with the non-overlapping earlier season. Percentage-point movement is paired with a same-pitch z-score and both window sizes.

usage up+11.7 pts

Kenley Jansen

Detroit Tigers · Cutter

+1.6 SD vs same-pitch peers82 recent pitches
usage up+17.4 pts

Tyron Guerrero

Boston Red Sox · Sinker

+0.7 SD vs same-pitch peers81 recent pitches
usage down-12.2 pts

Germán Márquez

San Diego Padres · Knuckle Curve

+0.7 SD vs same-pitch peers84 recent pitches
usage down-13.9 pts

Luinder Avila

Kansas City Royals · Slider

-0.6 SD vs same-pitch peers55 recent pitches
usage down-25.8 pts

Robbie Ray

San Francisco Giants · Four-Seam Fastball

-0.5 SD vs same-pitch peers67 recent pitches
usage up+4.3 pts

Kyle Harrison

Milwaukee Brewers · Slurve

+0.3 SD vs same-pitch peers135 recent pitches
Full context board

Usage, velocity, and shape moved together

Large usage shifts lead the ranking; velocity, horizontal break, induced vertical break, and whiff changes show what else moved.

Rank Pitcher Team Pitch Earlier N Recent N Earlier use Recent use Delta Peer z Velo delta HB delta IVB delta Whiff delta
1 Kenley Jansen Detroit Tigers Cutter 307 82 82.5% 94.3% +11.7 pts +1.6 SD +0.3 +1.1 -1.8 +18.2%
2 Cal Quantrill Texas Rangers Cutter 172 71 32.3% 20.8% -11.5 pts +1.6 SD +0.6 +0.4 +0.8 -7.2%
3 Bryce Elder Atlanta Braves Cutter 159 91 12.2% 22.3% +10.1 pts +1.6 SD +0.0 -0.4 -0.6 +18.8%
4 Brandon Sproat Milwaukee Brewers Cutter 279 78 26.1% 17.0% -9.2 pts +1.6 SD +0.1 +0.1 -0.9 -1.0%
5 Kyle Freeland Colorado Rockies Cutter 217 120 19.4% 28.5% +9.1 pts +1.6 SD +1.2 -1.7 +1.4 -3.3%
6 Payton Tolle Boston Red Sox Cutter 153 101 16.1% 24.7% +8.6 pts +1.6 SD -0.4 -0.1 -0.9 +14.0%
7 Martín Pérez Atlanta Braves Cutter 205 113 21.4% 28.2% +6.7 pts +1.6 SD -1.6 +0.9 -0.9 -3.7%
8 Foster Griffin Washington Nationals Cutter 502 152 31.6% 38.3% +6.7 pts +1.6 SD +0.9 -1.2 +0.8 -5.5%
9 Slade Cecconi Cleveland Guardians Cutter 345 86 27.0% 20.4% -6.6 pts +1.6 SD +0.8 +0.9 +1.9 -6.9%
10 Nick Martinez Tampa Bay Rays Cutter 260 85 19.6% 25.5% +5.9 pts +1.6 SD -0.3 +0.3 +1.0 -12.1%
11 J.T. Ginn Athletics Cutter 249 57 19.1% 13.5% -5.6 pts +1.6 SD -1.5 0.0 -1.3 +2.5%
12 Seth Lugo Kansas City Royals Cutter 212 91 14.8% 20.1% +5.3 pts +1.6 SD +0.2 +0.6 -0.1 +8.6%
13 Tanner Bibee Cleveland Guardians Cutter 387 92 25.7% 20.5% -5.2 pts +1.6 SD -0.7 -0.4 -2.8 -8.3%
14 Aaron Civale Chicago Cubs Cutter 364 114 36.5% 31.4% -5.1 pts +1.6 SD +0.4 -0.2 -1.1 -3.1%
15 Drew Rasmussen Tampa Bay Rays Cutter 423 95 32.4% 27.3% -5.1 pts +1.6 SD -0.4 +0.2 -1.0 +0.9%
16 Nathan Eovaldi Texas Rangers Cutter 266 70 20.7% 15.6% -5.1 pts +1.6 SD -0.2 -0.5 -1.7 +0.7%
17 Eric Lauer Los Angeles Dodgers Cutter 152 103 17.7% 22.3% +4.6 pts +1.6 SD +1.0 +0.3 -0.8 -5.6%
18 Landen Roupp San Francisco Giants Cutter 184 83 12.8% 17.1% +4.4 pts +1.6 SD +2.0 +2.7 +2.2 -1.9%
19 Anthony Kay Chicago White Sox Cutter 172 61 12.1% 16.3% +4.2 pts +1.6 SD +1.6 -2.1 +0.7 +6.5%
20 Shane Baz Baltimore Orioles Cutter 257 67 17.8% 13.9% -3.9 pts +1.6 SD +0.3 -0.3 +0.8 -4.9%
21 Taj Bradley Minnesota Twins Cutter 332 134 22.9% 26.8% +3.9 pts +1.6 SD +0.2 +0.1 -0.8 -2.2%
22 Noah Cameron Kansas City Royals Cutter 274 114 20.1% 23.8% +3.7 pts +1.6 SD +0.5 +0.3 -0.6 -1.3%
23 Sandy Alcantara Miami Marlins Cutter 211 83 12.8% 16.4% +3.6 pts +1.6 SD +0.1 -0.5 -0.1 -1.1%
24 Ranger Suarez Boston Red Sox Cutter 200 102 19.9% 23.1% +3.2 pts +1.6 SD 0.0 +0.1 -1.2 +5.2%
25 Michael Wacha Kansas City Royals Cutter 246 54 15.7% 12.9% -2.8 pts +1.6 SD +0.4 +1.0 +0.3 +1.2%
Hitter recognition layer

Chase and contact belong beside the arsenal

Pitch-level discipline separates hitters who avoid expanding the zone from hitters who make exceptional contact when they do swing.

Qualified hitters plotted by chase rate and zone contact rate
Low chase and high zone contact define the upper discipline frontier.
Rank Hitter Team Pitches Swing Whiff Chase Zone contact Score
1 Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers 1,070 41.3% 11.8% 18.9% 94.5% 98.1
2 Steven Kwan Cleveland Guardians 1,524 36.2% 7.1% 21.3% 97.2% 98.0
3 Myles Straw Toronto Blue Jays 693 40.4% 10.4% 20.9% 93.3% 96.7
4 Geraldo Perdomo Arizona Diamondbacks 1,826 39.0% 11.0% 21.4% 92.4% 95.0
5 Sal Frelick Milwaukee Brewers 1,195 42.8% 8.8% 23.8% 95.6% 94.2
6 Chase DeLauter Cleveland Guardians 1,409 42.5% 13.7% 20.7% 92.2% 94.2
7 Will Smith Los Angeles Dodgers 858 41.3% 14.1% 21.3% 92.0% 92.8
8 Maikel Garcia Kansas City Royals 1,130 39.2% 13.8% 22.7% 92.7% 92.8
9 José Fermín St. Louis Cardinals 811 40.6% 12.2% 23.3% 92.3% 92.0
10 Alex Call Los Angeles Dodgers 616 43.0% 12.5% 22.4% 91.9% 92.0
11 Trent Grisham New York Yankees 1,352 38.5% 15.9% 17.5% 90.8% 91.3
12 Spencer Horwitz Pittsburgh Pirates 1,189 40.5% 13.7% 24.3% 93.3% 91.1
Reporter’s rule: the board finds the largest changes; it does not assign a cause. Confirm role, health, opponent mix, and pitch-classification stability before turning a signal into a story.
Pitch context

Sequence change

Previous to current

Every pitch can be evaluated relative to the pitch before it.

Location

Separation

Feet at the plate

Measures how far consecutive pitches move across the hitting window.

Contact

Quality

EV + launch angle

Hard-hit and barrel-proxy fields remain explicitly labeled.

Explore handedness matchup edges