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Highest Whiff Rate in MLB 2023
Source MLB StatcastSeason 2023 (archive)527 qualified pitchers
Robert Stephenson led MLB in whiff rate in 2023 at 46.6%. The top three were Robert Stephenson, Félix Bautista, Aroldis Chapman, from Statcast data.
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Chase Stephenson's strikeouts
Robert Stephenson led 2023. Play a half-inning in our Statcast-driven sim with today's leaders: the same kind of numbers drive every card's rating.
| # | Player | Team | Whiff Rate % ▾ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Stephenson |  | 46.6% |
| 2 | Félix Bautista |  | 44.3% |
| 3 | Aroldis Chapman |  | 42.2% |
| 4 | Jacob deGrom |  | 42.1% |
| 5 | Devin Williams |  | 41.8% |
| 6 | Brock Stewart |  | 41.5% |
| 7 | Bryan Abreu |  | 39.8% |
| 8 | Andrés Muñoz |  | 39.4% |
| 9 | Alex Lange |  | 39.1% |
| 10 | Spencer Strider |  | 38.6% |
| 11 | Matt Brash | | 38.3% |
| 12 | Blake Snell |  | 37.3% |
| 13 | Josh Sborz | | 37.2% |
| 14 | Trevor Richards |  | 37.0% |
| 15 | Jovani Morán | | 37.0% |
| 16 | JoJo Romero |  | 36.3% |
| 17 | Tanner Scott |  | 36.2% |
| 18 | Giovanny Gallegos | | 36.2% |
| 19 | José Soriano |  | 36.2% |
| 20 | Keynan Middleton |  | 36.0% |
| 21 | Jordan Romano | | 35.9% |
| 22 | José Leclerc | | 35.6% |
| 23 | Tyler Glasnow | | 35.4% |
| 24 | Jhoan Duran | | 35.4% |
| 25 | Tommy Kahnle |  | 35.2% |
| 26 | Julian Merryweather |  | 35.1% |
| 27 | Ryan Helsley | | 35.0% |
| 28 | Alexis Díaz |  | 34.8% |
| 29 | Ian Hamilton | | 34.6% |
| 30 | Jeff Hoffman |  | 34.6% |
| 31 | Fernando Cruz | | 34.5% |
| 32 | Jason Adam | | 34.4% |
| 33 | Gregory Soto | | 34.2% |
| 34 | Dominic Leone |  | 34.1% |
| 35 | Andrew Bellatti | | 33.9% |
| 36 | Eury Pérez | | 33.7% |
| 37 | Dauri Moreta |  | 33.6% |
| 38 | Freddy Peralta | | 33.6% |
| 39 | Michael Fulmer | | 33.5% |
| 40 | Shane McClanahan | | 33.5% |
| 41 | José Alvarado | | 33.5% |
| 42 | Camilo Doval |  | 33.3% |
| 43 | Pierce Johnson |  | 33.1% |
| 44 | Josh Hader | | 33.1% |
| 45 | Lucas Sims | | 33.1% |
| 46 | Craig Kimbrel | | 33.1% |
| 47 | A.J. Puk | | 33.0% |
| 48 | Ronel Blanco | | 33.0% |
| 49 | Abner Uribe | | 32.9% |
| 50 | Phil Maton | | 32.9% |
| 51 | David Bednar | | 32.8% |
| 52 | Raisel Iglesias | | 32.7% |
| 53 | Erik Swanson | | 32.6% |
| 54 | Trevor Megill | | 32.5% |
| 55 | Aaron Bummer | | 32.5% |
| 56 | Mark Leiter Jr. | | 32.3% |
| 57 | Joe Jiménez | | 32.2% |
| 58 | Charlie Morton | | 32.2% |
| 59 | Jacob Webb | | 32.2% |
| 60 | Ray Kerr | | 32.2% |
| 61 | Scott McGough |  | 32.0% |
| 62 | Angel Perdomo | | 32.0% |
| 63 | Nick Sandlin |  | 32.0% |
| 64 | Ryan Walker | | 32.0% |
| 65 | Andrew Chafin | | 31.8% |
| 66 | Huascar Brazobán | | 31.7% |
| 67 | Jesús Luzardo | | 31.4% |
| 68 | A.J. Minter | | 31.4% |
| 69 | Joe Kelly | | 31.4% |
| 70 | Ryan Pressly | | 31.4% |
| 71 | Yimi García | | 31.3% |
| 72 | Elvis Peguero | | 31.3% |
| 73 | Tarik Skubal | | 31.3% |
| 74 | Kevin Ginkel | | 31.2% |
| 75 | David Robertson | | 31.2% |
| 76 | Scott Barlow | | 31.2% |
| 77 | Kyle Nelson | | 31.0% |
| 78 | Jalen Beeks | | 31.0% |
| 79 | Dylan Cease | | 31.0% |
| 80 | Cole Ragans | | 31.0% |
| 81 | Luis Garcia | | 31.0% |
| 82 | Gavin Stone |  | 30.9% |
| 83 | Edward Cabrera | | 30.9% |
| 84 | Kirby Yates | | 30.8% |
| 85 | Daniel Palencia | | 30.8% |
| 86 | Matthew Boyd | | 30.8% |
| 87 | Shohei Ohtani | | 30.8% |
| 88 | Gabe Speier | | 30.8% |
| 89 | Hunter Greene | | 30.7% |
| 90 | Pete Fairbanks | | 30.7% |
| 91 | Ryne Stanek | | 30.7% |
| 92 | Keaton Winn | | 30.7% |
| 93 | Steven Okert | | 30.7% |
| 94 | Drew VerHagen | | 30.6% |
| 95 | Héctor Neris | | 30.6% |
| 96 | Trevor Stephan | | 30.6% |
| 97 | Luis Castillo | | 30.6% |
| 98 | Yency Almonte | | 30.5% |
| 99 | Reynaldo López | | 30.5% |
| 100 | Nick Lodolo | | 30.4% |
What whiff rate measures
Whiff rate is the percentage of swings that a pitcher generates without contact (swinging strikes divided by total swings, not total pitches). It isolates a pitcher's pure "miss-bats" ability independent of whether hitters chase out of the zone. League average hovers around 24-25%; elite swing-and-miss pitchers clear 30%, and the unicorns exceed 35%. Pitchers need at least 100 batters faced.
Why whiff rate matters
Whiff rate is highly predictive of strikeout rate and tends to stabilize early in a season. Pitchers with elite whiff rates but modest strikeout totals are often called-ball-dependent arms about to break out once command catches up to their stuff.
This archive captures the 2023 season as it ended; for the live, nightly-updated leaderboard see Highest Whiff Rate in MLB.
Questions
Who led MLB in whiff rate in 2023?
Robert Stephenson led MLB in whiff rate in 2023 at 46.6%. The top three were Robert Stephenson, Félix Bautista, Aroldis Chapman, based on Statcast data.
What is whiff rate in baseball?
Whiff rate is the percentage of swings that a pitcher generates without contact (swinging strikes divided by total swings, not total pitches). It isolates a pitcher's pure "miss-bats" ability independent of whether hitters chase out of the zone. League average hovers around 24-25%; elite swing-and-miss pitchers clear 30%, and the unicorns exceed 35%. Pitchers need at least 100 batters faced.