Player stats

Knuckle curve: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity 2026

Average vertical bend in inches after removing gravity's downward effect. Positive is upward; negative is downward. A positive number does not mean the ball actually rose on its way to the plate. Only measured pitches are included. Uses pitches recorded as knuckle curve.

Season

At least 100 pitches of this type with vertical movement measured with gravity removed in this season. Recorded pitch types. Usage divides by all delivered pitches, including unknown types. Speed is in mph, spin in rpm and extension in feet. Averages use measured pitches only. Whiffs divide misses by swings. Movement is in inches. Positive sideways movement is to the pitcher's right when looking toward home plate. Positive vertical movement is upward relative to the initial flight direction. Removing gravity does not mean the pitch literally rises. Larger or smaller movement is not automatically better. Data through September 27, 2026. Data refreshed Oct 11, 2026, 8:27 AM UTC.

No. 1 / Knuckle curve: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity / 2026

Germán Márquez

0.8

Season leader

Knuckle curve: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity2026 season
#	Player	Team	KC no-grav count	Type coverage	KC no-grav in
1	G. MárquezGermán Márquez	SD	292	100.0%	0.8
2	D. Lynch IVDaniel Lynch IV	KC	118	100.0%	-1.5
3	T. MegillTrevor Megill	MIL	309	100.0%	-2.1
4	B. BrownBen Brown	CHC	366	100.0%	-3.2
5	G. CanningGriffin Canning	SD	133	100.0%	-4.3
6	K. FreelandKyle Freeland	COL	486	100.0%	-4.7
7	J. SorianoJosé Soriano	TOR	747	100.0%	-6.6
8	R. RayRobbie Ray	SD	330	100.0%	-7.1
9	K. MonteroKeider Montero	DET	319	100.0%	-7.2
10	L. VarlandLouis Varland	TOR	375	100.0%	-7.4
11	L. McCullers Jr.Lance McCullers Jr.	MIL	116	100.0%	-8.8
12	J. RyanJoe Ryan	MIN	274	100.0%	-9.2
13	J. FlahertyJack Flaherty	DET	322	100.0%	-9.3
14	D. PomeranzDrew Pomeranz	CHC	129	100.0%	-9.5
15	Z. GallenZac Gallen	AZ	340	99.6%	-9.9
16	S. BazShane Baz	BAL	959	100.0%	-10.1
17	A. NolaAaron Nola	PHI	980	100.0%	-10.3
18	C. CavalliCade Cavalli	WSH	740	100.0%	-10.8
19	B. LittleBrendon Little	TOR	156	100.0%	-11.3
20	S. BieberShane Bieber	TOR	172	100.0%	-11.7
21	G. KirbyGeorge Kirby	SEA	282	100.0%	-13.1
22	D. CeaseDylan Cease	TOR	292	100.0%	-13.5
23	W. BuehlerWalker Buehler	SD	219	99.9%	-13.6
24	G. ColeGerrit Cole	NYY	271	98.6%	-13.9
25	S. BurkeSean Burke	CWS	579	100.0%	-14.0
26	G. WilliamsGavin Williams	CLE	480	99.0%	-14.3
27	C. KilianCaleb Kilian	PHI	187	100.0%	-14.8
28	T. GlasnowTyler Glasnow	LAD	245	100.0%	-16.0
29	A. PallanteAndre Pallante	STL	452	100.0%	-16.0
30	H. BrownHunter Brown	HOU	339	100.0%	-16.4

KC no-grav in: Average vertical bend in inches after removing gravity's downward effect. Positive is upward; negative is downward. A positive number does not mean the ball actually rose on its way to the plate. Only measured pitches are included. Uses pitches recorded as knuckle curve.

Understanding Knuckle curve: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity

Formula: Sum of recorded vertical movement with gravity removed ÷ pitches with this measurement

Read rates alongside playing time. A small sample can produce an extreme result, and a missing value is different from zero.

Season rankings use regular-season records. A player has one combined row across teams; the team label identifies the associated team, not a separate team stint.

Source: MLB statistics and MLBDB derived measures. Formulas describe the measure above. Data refreshed Oct 11, 2026, 8:27 AM UTC.