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Highest Chase Rate in MLB 2024
Source MLB StatcastSeason 2024 (archive)511 qualified pitchers
Dedniel Núñez led MLB in chase rate in 2024 at 39.0%. The top three were Dedniel Núñez, Andrew Kittredge, Joe Mantiply, from Statcast data.
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Dedniel Núñez led 2024. Play a half-inning in our Statcast-driven sim with today's leaders: the same kind of numbers drive every card's rating.
What chase rate measures
Chase rate (O-Chase%) is the percentage of pitches a pitcher throws OUTSIDE the strike zone that the hitter swings at. It measures a pitcher's ability to entice hitters to expand the zone — breaking balls that look like strikes before diving off the plate, two-seamers that run off the inside edge. League average sits around 28-31%; elite zone-manipulators push hitters past 35%. Unlike whiff rate, which rewards pure miss-bats, chase rate rewards pitch design and tunneling — the deception that makes a hitter commit to a pitch he should take. Higher is better for the pitcher, and this is the chase rate pitchers induce, not the chase rate hitters show. Pitchers need at least 100 batters faced.
Why chase rate matters
Chase rate complements whiff rate: a pitcher with a high chase rate but modest whiff rate is often one sequencing tweak away from a strikeout spike (the swings are already there, they just need to miss). It is one of the stickiest pitcher skills year-over-year and a leading indicator for breakout relievers.
This archive captures the 2024 season as it ended; for the live, nightly-updated leaderboard see Highest Chase Rate in MLB.
Questions
Who led MLB in chase rate in 2024?
Dedniel Núñez led MLB in chase rate in 2024 at 39.0%. The top three were Dedniel Núñez, Andrew Kittredge, Joe Mantiply, based on Statcast data.
What is chase rate in baseball?
Chase rate (O-Chase%) is the percentage of pitches a pitcher throws OUTSIDE the strike zone that the hitter swings at. It measures a pitcher's ability to entice hitters to expand the zone — breaking balls that look like strikes before diving off the plate, two-seamers that run off the inside edge. League average sits around 28-31%; elite zone-manipulators push hitters past 35%. Unlike whiff rate, which rewards pure miss-bats, chase rate rewards pitch design and tunneling — the deception that makes a hitter commit to a pitch he should take. Higher is better for the pitcher, and this is the chase rate pitchers induce, not the chase rate hitters show. Pitchers need at least 100 batters faced.