No. 1 / Knuckleball: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity / 2018
0.5
Season leader
Player stats
Knuckleball: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity 2018
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 knuckleball.
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 December 31, 2018. Data refreshed Sep 9, 2026, 2:25 PM UTC.
| # | Player | Team | KN no-grav count | Type coverage | KN no-grav in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  S. WrightSteven Wright |  BOS | 719 | 100.0% |
- KN 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 knuckleball.
Understanding Knuckleball: Average Vertical Movement without Gravity
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 knuckleball.
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 Sep 9, 2026, 2:25 PM UTC.