Which pitchers are generating the most swings and misses this season? High whiff rates drive strikeout upside.
Which MLB pitchers make batters swing and miss the most? Whiff rate measures how often a batter swings and misses at a pitch — it's one of the best predictors of strikeout props. League average is about 25%. Click any pitcher to see their prop odds.
Gold rank = #1 in MLB. Over Rate isn’t shown for Statcast leaderboards — these stats aren’t direct prop markets.
| # | Player | Games | Whiff % | Over Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Snell(L) | 16 | 36.8% | — |
| 2 | Trey Yesavage(R) | 14 | 35.2% | — |
| 3 | Dylan Cease(R) | 45 | 34.5% | — |
| 4 | Grant Taylor(R) | 5 | 34.4% | — |
| 5 | Chase Burns(R) | 19 | 33.9% | — |
| 6 | Jacob Misiorowski(R) | 26 | 33.6% | — |
| 7 | Cole Ragans(L) | 22 | 33.1% | — |
| 8 | Shohei Ohtani(R) | 28 | 32.6% | — |
| 9 | Ronel Blanco(R) | 8 | 32.5% | — |
| 10 | Tarik Skubal(L) | 42 | 32.2% | — |
| 11 | Hunter Greene(R) | 20 | 32.0% | — |
| 12 | Emmet Sheehan(R) | 24 | 31.9% | — |
| 13 | Spencer Strider(R) | 28 | 31.6% | — |
| 14 | Huascar Brazobán(R) | 7 | 31.5% | — |
| 15 | Griffin Jax(R) | 7 | 31.2% | — |
| 16 | Logan Gilbert(R) | 40 | 31.2% | — |
| 17 | Cristopher Sánchez(L) | 46 | 31.0% | — |
| 18 | Tylor Megill(R) | 14 | 30.9% | — |
| 19 | Johan Oviedo(R) | 9 | 30.9% | — |
| 20 | Jesús Luzardo(L) | 47 | 30.7% | — |
| 21 | Jacob deGrom(R) | 41 | 30.6% | — |
| 22 | Tyler Glasnow(R) | 30 | 30.3% | — |
| 23 | Reese Olson(R) | 13 | 30.2% | — |
| 24 | Zack Wheeler(R) | 31 | 30.1% | — |
| 25 | Chris Sale(L) | 33 | 29.8% | — |
| 26 | Carlos Rodón(L) | 39 | 29.8% | — |
| 27 | Shane McClanahan | 12 | 29.6% | — |
| 28 | Joey Cantillo(L) | 24 | 29.6% | — |
| 29 | Freddy Peralta(R) | 48 | 29.5% | — |
| 30 | Kyle Bradish(R) | 17 | 29.5% | — |
| 31 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto(R) | 43 | 29.4% | — |
| 32 | Grant Holmes(R) | 32 | 29.1% | — |
| 33 | Eury Pérez(R) | 32 | 29.0% | — |
| 34 | Paul Skenes(R) | 44 | 28.8% | — |
| 35 | Gavin Williams(R) | 46 | 28.7% | — |
| 36 | Max Meyer(R) | 24 | 28.7% | — |
| 37 | Kyle Harrison(L) | 16 | 28.7% | — |
| 38 | Shane Bieber(R) | 10 | 28.6% | — |
| 39 | mlb:682847(R) | 16 | 28.5% | — |
| 40 | Charlie Morton(R) | 28 | 28.3% | — |
| 41 | Ryan Yarbrough(L) | 8 | 28.3% | — |
| 42 | José Soriano(R) | 44 | 28.3% | — |
| 43 | Joe Boyle(R) | 11 | 28.3% | — |
| 44 | Garrett Crochet(L) | 40 | 28.2% | — |
| 45 | MacKenzie Gore(L) | 44 | 28.1% | — |
| 46 | Nathan Eovaldi(R) | 34 | 28.0% | — |
| 47 | Brent Suter(L) | 6 | 28.0% | — |
| 48 | Tony Gonsolin(R) | 6 | 28.0% | — |
| 49 | Edward Cabrera(R) | 37 | 27.9% | — |
| 50 | Reid Detmers | 12 | 27.9% | — |
Whiff rate is the percentage of swings that result in a miss. It's calculated as swinging strikes divided by total swings. A higher whiff rate means the pitcher is harder to make contact against.
The MLB average whiff rate is about 25%. Anything above 30% is very good, and above 35% is elite. Pitchers with high whiff rates tend to have more strikeouts and are more likely to go over their K props.
Whiff rate is one of the strongest predictors of strikeout production. A pitcher with a high whiff rate generates more swinging strikes, leading to more strikeouts. This directly affects strikeout over/under props.
Whiff rate and strikeout rate (K/9) are the strongest predictors of strikeout prop outcomes. ERA and WHIP tell you about run prevention. For prop bets, focus on the pitcher's recent 5-game rolling stats rather than full-season averages — recent form matters more than reputation.
MLB Whiff Rate Leaders Top 5: 1. Blake Snell (Whiff %: 36.8%), 2. Trey Yesavage (Whiff %: 35.2%), 3. Dylan Cease (Whiff %: 34.5%), 4. Grant Taylor (Whiff %: 34.4%), 5. Chase Burns (Whiff %: 33.9%)