John King
2026Grade
Rarely walks anyone and lets the defense work.
King allows more bases than most pitchers
The simulator expects him to allow 0.473 bases per batter faced, better than 21% of qualified pitchers. His weakest skill is getting strikeouts (5th percentile). Short relief outings push strikeout rates up a little, so read his K% spoke with that in mind.
His grade rests on 197 batters faced, with data through 2026-09-27.
How to read this chart
Plays like…
Each of these pitchers shares his archetype and sits closest to him in xEB/PA. Pick one to see him side by side with John King.
Pitcher type
Pitcher type
He lands in the “Limits hard contact, pitches to contact” corner of the map.
League best:K% − BB% Jacob Misiorowski (26.8%)Hard-hit% allowed Blake Snell (29.0%)
How to read this chart
| John King | League median | Percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bases per ball in play(lower = better) | .535 | .527 | — |
| Walk rate(lower = better) | 9% | 9% | 60th |
| Strikeout rate(higher = better) | 19% | 22% | 5th |
A higher percentile is better, and the 99th is the top of the league.
Arsenal
John King mixes his sinker (32%) and changeup (20%). His best pitch has been the sweeper, saving 4.1 bases per 100 thrown against league average.
Pitch mix & swing-and-miss
He allowed about 94 estimated bases, against a replacement arm's 103 over the same batters faced.
Replacement level is per-batter and can't be split by pitch type, so the bars below use league average.
He cost 3.8 bases against league average across 705 pitches, or 0.5 per 100 pitches.
He rarely throws his four-seam fastball (1% of his pitches).
How to read this chart
Mix by batter side
Compared with the league, his sinker tilts 15 points more toward righties.
How to read this chart
John King's pitch movement, 2026
3 of his 5 pitches have moved 2+ inches from their early-season shapes.
The verdict above compares each pitch with his own early-season outings in 2026, not with other pitchers, after taking out the league-wide drift in break.
How to read this chart
By appearance
These charts follow his velocity, movement and pitch mix one outing at a time, and each pitch keeps the same color in every chart. The velocity and movement charts also shade the middle of the league for scale.
Platoon splits
Platoon splits (EB/PA allowed)
He handles lefty bats better than righty bats, by 0.038 EB/PA allowed.
50% probable range: +0.029 to +0.046
vs LHB: shrunk estimate 0.443 EB/PA, 50% probable range 0.423 to 0.463, based on 110 plate appearances. Raw (unshrunk) rate: 0.465 EB/PA. League median vs LHB: 0.451 EB/PA.
vs RHB: shrunk estimate 0.480 EB/PA, 50% probable range 0.460 to 0.500, based on 87 plate appearances. Raw (unshrunk) rate: 0.526 EB/PA. League median vs RHB: 0.435 EB/PA.
His raw rate vs RHB (0.526) is off this scale. Small samples can push a raw rate this far, which is why the dot, the shrunk estimate, is the number to trust.
His split is about typical for a lefty arm (median 0.038). Against righty bats he allows more than the league median, which is a real platoon weakness.
How to read this chart
- Each dot is his estimate against that side, with its 50% probable range as the bar. These are bases allowed, so lower is better.
- The diamond is his raw rate, which small samples make noisy, so the simulator pulls the dot toward a more trustworthy value.
- The dashed tick is the league median, and the shaded strip is the middle half of pitchers with 100 or more batters faced.
- The two splits average back to his modeled overall EB/PA allowed, not the xEB/PA headline.
- Tap or hover a mark for its number. LHB and RHB are left- and right-handed batters. More on the About page
Contact allowed
Batters go to the pull side off him most often, and that's also where they do the most damage.
Pull side and opposite field depend on which side each batter hits from, so this pools every hitter he faced.
Batted balls allowed
Luck check
3 outs behind him came on balls the simulator values at 1.5 bases or more.
One hit off him had less than a 20% chance of being a hit.
How to read this chart
Deserved vs. actual
Batters have been credited with about 12 fewer bases than their contact off John King deserved, so his results have been lucky so far.
Both bars count 142 balls in play, with walks and strikeouts left out.
How to read this chart
ERA 3.99 · WHIP 1.01 · BABIP against 0.193 (Lg median 0.286)
Best games
Best games
These are his best outings this season, ranked by bases saved against a replacement arm.
- vs NationalsJun 2, 2026score only
5 BF · 0 K
- Bases allowed
- 0.5
- Above replacement
- +2.1
- vs CardinalsApr 21, 2026score only
4 BF · 2 K
- Bases allowed
- 0.2
- Above replacement
- +1.8
- vs BrewersApr 17, 2026score only
4 BF · 2 K
- Bases allowed
- 0.3
- Above replacement
- +1.8
- vs RaysMay 17, 2026
3 BF · 0 K
- Bases allowed
- 0.1
- Above replacement
- +1.5
- vs CardinalsJun 27, 2026
4 BF · 1 K
- Bases allowed
- 0.7
- Above replacement
- +1.4
Trends
Multi-season trends · John King
Compared with last season, his BB% is up, his K% is up, his Barrel% against is up, his Hard-hit% against is down, his GB% against is down, his FB% against is up and his Pull% against is up.
Actual rates show what happened on the field, season by season.