Walker Buehler
- Free agent est. 1 yr × $4.2M ($2M–$10M) · +0.2 wins to Pittsburgh’s Winter Plan as call-up depth
Pitching · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB pitchers with 500+ pitches · 2,608 pitches
Arsenal & Pitch Lab
Movement normalized to arm side · Keystone Stuff by pitch
| Pitch | Use | Velo | IVB | HB | Stuff | Loc | Whiff | xRV/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutter24% use | 24% | 90.4 | 9.9 | −4.8 | 99 | 93 | 17% | +0.35 |
| Four-seam20% use | 20% | 94.0 | 15.8 | +4.8 | 95 | 100 | 15% | −0.75 |
| Sinker20% use | 20% | 94.2 | 12.6 | +13.8 | 90 | 109 | 11% | +1.16 |
| Slider11% use | 11% | 87.1 | 2.7 | −8.2 | 102 | 114 | 23% | +1.09 |
| Changeup9% use | 9% | 89.3 | 3.3 | +12.5 | 92 | 88 | 27% | −3.00 |
| Knuckle curve8% use | 8% | 78.3 | −13.6 | −10.6 | 92 | 92 | 31% | −2.17 |
| Sweeper7% use | 7% | 82.5 | 4.1 | −13.6 | 110 | 96 | 26% | +0.53 |
Changeup grades 92 with below-average expected results; his sweeper grades 110. Neither side has 60+ of each pitch. No mix change until it clears.
Four-seam grades 95 with below-average expected results; his sweeper grades 110. The best case is against righties: the sweeper is worth +1.1 runs per 100 pitches more, 1.3 standard errors (134 and 220 pitches), short of the 2 needed. No mix change until it clears.
Knuckle curve grades 92 with below-average expected results; his sweeper grades 110. The best case is against righties: the sweeper is worth +0.8 runs per 100 pitches more, 0.9 standard errors (134 and 64 pitches), short of the 2 needed. No mix change until it clears.
Most similar pitchers
Pitches like Buehler: same hand, shape, slot and mix
| Similarity | Player | Stuff | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Ryan Johnson LAA · ’02 | 97 | 0.1 | 0.4 | — |
| 34 | Hunter Dobbins STL · ’99 | 92 | 0.4 | 1.0 | — |
| 33 | Zac Gallen AZ · ’95 | 90 | −0.1 | 0.6 | Free agent |
| 31 | Tomoyuki Sugano COL · ’89 | 84 | 0.4 | −0.1 | Free agent |
| 28 | Andre Pallante STL · ’98 | 97 | 2.7 | 1.9 | Arb |
Same-handed pitchers nearest on fastball velocity and shape, arm angle, extension, pitch mix, secondary shapes, Stuff, whiff rate and workload. 2026 regulars only.
Pitch locations · 2026
Where each pitch finishes, by batter side
Where each pitch finishes, catcher’s view. The bar marks the batter’s side; the box is an average strike zone. Pitches with 40+ thrown to this side.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
A pending free agent: no club controls his 2027. Contract Studio →
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025AAA | AAA | Lehigh Valley IronPigs | 30 | 1 | 3 IP | 3 IP · 3.00 ERA · 27.8% K · 16.7% BB |
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant