Height and weight are the only physical attributes that are available to the general public in regard to MLB players. For the past month or so I’ve really been diving into the weight and height of the pitchers that we will see on MLB mounds this year. If you missed my previous post where I do a brief overview of the shapes and sizes of pitchers in the MLB check it out here

My goal in digging into this subject is to learn as much as I can about all the different body types and how they can all create elite levels of throwing velocity. There are many ways to skin a cat, so to speak. By putting these posts together I hope to gain some knowledge as I go about how the light, heavy, short, and tall guys use their bodies to throw a baseball.

I send this info out on Twitter too. I’ve been making a thread on each team one at a time. @GraemeLehman

I’m going to be continuing this trend until I’m done. As I go along I’ll be making posts like this one where I group the teams into their respective divisions.

Let’s start with the American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Here’s what the height and weight look like on a scatter plot

The averages, max, and min for the 40-man roster pitching staff

Here’s the guy that best fits this average at 6’3″ and 215 lbs – Kyle Bradish

The Outliers

If we look at Felix Bautista we see the heaviest and tied for the tallest pitcher on their staff. He’s big. Tipping the scale at 285 lbs and standing 6’8″ is big in any league. The Ravens could stick him on their O-Line and he wouldn’t look out of place. Source @pitchingninja.

Bautista is the poster boy for the mass = gas. According to the Pitcher’s List, Felix cranks it up to an average of 99.1 mph which ranks him 5th in the bigs.

This is a 103 mph fastball that just missed the top of the zone

The lightest pitcher on the staff is Cionel Pérez at 175 lbs. His average fastball @ 96.9 mph isn’t much slower than Bautista’s despite being 110 lbs lighter.

If the general rule is that “mass equals gas” as Bautista showed us then Pérez is one of the exceptions to the rule. His fastball velocity ranks 33rd in the league according to the Pitcher List

The shortest pitcher on the staff is Danny Coulombe. He sits at 91.3 mph which ranks him 321st in the league and this puts him into the crafty lefty category.

Boston Red Sox

Here’s what the height and weight of the Boston Red Sox pitching staff looks like on a scatter plot

Here are there are averages, maximums, and minimums for height, weight, and BMI

At exactly 75 inches (6’3″) and 215 lbs, Richard Bleier fits the exact staff average. The way he pitches is not average at all. Check out this great video by Foolish Baseball @FoolishBB.

The shortest pitcher on their staff is 6-footer Ryan Braiser. Despite being “short” he’s 227 lbs giving him a BMI just north of 30.

Here he is flashing a really nice slider/cutter. His fastball, according to the Pitcher’s List, averages 95.8 mph which is good enough for 77th in the MLB.

The tallest pitcher to make their opening-day roster is 6’8″ Chris Martin. Tied for the tallest in the league. He’s two pounds lighter than Braiser despite having 8 inches on him. This gives Martin a BMI of 24.7.

This is what 6’8″ looks like going down the mound and painting the outside corner with 96. He averages 95.3 (109th in the league)

The lightest pitcher on staff is almost the tallest. Chris Sale is 6’6″ but only 183 lbs. This is good for a BMI of 21.1 All of this makes him an outlier from a physical point of view which is apparent from his mechanics which differ from the norm.

Here we see the definition of an east-west style of delivery that gives him his 94.8 mph fastball.

The heaviest guy on the staff is none other than Kenley Jansen. I doubt he’s ever not been the heaviest on any staff he’s been a part of. This former catcher is listed at 265 lbs this year. In the past, going off memory, I’ve seen in as high as 280 lbs.

Here’s a great slow-motion video from Dean Jackson https://twitter.com/doublexcanflex

New York Yankees

The Yankees have some of the biggest players in the league. Judge and Stanton optimize this “bigger is better” approach.

When it comes to their pitching staff however there isn’t an abundance of big dudes. In fact, of the 13 pitchers to make the opening day roster, 4 of them are below 200 lbs.

Here’s a scatter plot of the pitchers on their 40-man roster

Here are the averages, maximums, and minimums for height, weight, and BMI

Here’s the most “average” guy on their staff at 6’2″ (74 inches) and 205 lbs – Ron Marianccio

The shortest and lightest guy on the staff is Jonathan Loáisiga. He’s tied with Nestor Cortes at 5’11” but he is only 165 lbs. This coupled with his 98 mph heater makes him of one the hardest pound-for-pound throwers in the league. That’s a BMI of 23.

On their 40-man roster, they have an even smaller pitcher. Deivi García is just 5’9″ and 163 lbs. Here we see his smooth mechanics that result in a 93 mph fastball.

The heaviest and tallest pitcher is Clay Holmes. His 6’5″ and 245 lbs put well above the team average in both categories. His sinker of his is really what separates him from most pitchers. Here’s an awesome video from @TreadAthletics. How anyone could hit that is beyond me.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have always been known for thinking outside of the box and developing a lot of high-level pitchers. Here’s the scatter plot of the pitchers listed on their 40-man roster.

The distribution is pretty tight compared to some of the other teams that we’ve looked at so far.

Here are the averages, maximums, and minimums for height, weight, and BMI

Based on these averages here’s the pitcher that best represents the staff. Drew Rasmussen at 73 inches tall and 211 lbs.

The shortest Pitcher on the Rays is Jalen Beeks. He’s not that short at 5’11” but he does have the shortest arm action in the league. Jalen tips the scale at 215 lbs and lights up the radar gun to 95 mph.

The tallest is Peter Fairbank who also has a very short arm action. He’s tied with Zach Eflin at 6’6″. At 225 lbs he uses his mechanics to generate one of the best fastballs in the league averaging 99 mph.

The lightest pitcher on the staff is Calvin Faucher at 190 lbs. The only pitcher below the 200 mark. He stands at 6’1″ giving him a BMI of 25.1. According to @pitcherlist, he can throw 95.3 mph.

The heaviest guy on the staff is Jason Adam at 229 lbs while standing 6’3″ with a BMI of 28.5. He averages just under 95 mph with his heater.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have a big pitching staff. No one that made the opening day roster is shorter than 6’0″ and only one guy is below 200 lbs. Here’s what a scatter plot of the pitchers listed on their 40-man roster looks like.

Here are the averages, maximums, and minimums for height, weight, and BMI

Tim Mayza is the most “average” guy on the roster at 6’3″ (aka 75 inches) and 215 lbs. His fastball averages 93.7 mph.

The only pitcher under 200 lbs is the sidearm-throwing Adam Cimber. In fact, it’s more submarine than a sidearm. He’s listed at 195 lbs and 6’3″ making him the heaviest of the light pitchers in the AL East.

The shortest guys on the staff are two of their starters last year both looking for better years. Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Berrios are both 6’0″.

Here’s a GIF of Jose Berrios – I’m hoping to more of this kind of pitching this year from Jose.

The heaviest and tallest pitcher on the Blue Jay staff is their ace, Alek Monah. He’s tied for being the heaviest in the league at 285 lbs and he stands at 6’6″ giving him a BMI of 32.9.