Daniel Ponce de Leon
P | Bats/Throws: R/R | 6' 3" 200LBS | Age: 32
Draft: 2014 | Rd: 9, #285, St. Louis Cardinals | La Mirada (CA) HS
W L ERA G GS SV IP SO WHIP
2019 1 2 3.70 13 8 0 48.2 52 1.27
2020 1 3 4.96 9 8 0 32.2 45 1.32
2021 1 1 6.21 24 2 2 33.1 24 1.62
4 Seasons 3 8 4.33 57 22 3 147.2 152 1.33
G W-L ERA IP SO WHIP
2019 13 1-2 3.70 48.2 52 1.27
2020 9 1-3 4.96 32.2 45 1.32
2021 24 1-1 6.21 33.1 24 1.62
4 Seasons 57 3-8 4.33 147.2 152 1.33
MLB Percentile Rankings
Movement Profile (Induced Break)
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Statcast Statistics

Season Age Pitches Batted
Balls
Barrels Barrel % Barrel/PA Exit
Velocity
Max EV Launch
Angle
LA Sweet-
Spot %
XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON HardHit% K% BB% ERA xERA
2018 26 581 87 5 5.7 3.8 85.7 109.9 16.9 36.8 .228 .368 .267 .301 .345 26.4 23.5 9.8 2.73 3.81
2019 27 861 123 8 6.5 3.9 88.3 109.1 15.2 25.2 .207 .356 .287 .292 .334 28.5 25.6 12.8 3.70 3.72
2020 28 646 76 7 9.2 4.9 88.6 108.8 21.4 31.6 .223 .424 .323 .338 .433 40.8 31.5 14.0 4.96 4.93
2021 29 653 107 7 6.5 4.4 89.6 111.7 19.1 33.6 .234 .427 .363 .353 .346 37.4 15.1 14.5 6.21 5.44
Player 2741 393 27 6.9 4.2 88.1 111.7 17.8 31.3 .221 .391 .310 .319 .359 32.8 23.9 12.9
MLB 7.0 4.8 88.5 122.4 12.3 33.2 .245 .405 .316 .315 .368 36.5 22.2 8.4
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Statcast Pitch Arsenal

Ponce de Leon relies on 5 pitches.
Four Seamer
(73.7%) ,
Changeup
(12.1%) ,
Cutter
(10.0%) ,
Curveball
(4.1%) ,
Sinker
(0.2%) ,


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Pitch Tracking



Batted Ball Profile

Season GB % FB % LD % PU % Pull % Straight % Oppo % Weak % Topped % Under % Flare/Burner % Solid % Barrel % Barrel/PA
2018 35.6 28.7 28.7 6.9 39.1 35.6 25.3 5.7 28.7 31.0 23.0 5.7 5.7 3.8
2019 46.3 26.8 15.4 11.4 30.1 39.0 30.9 1.6 36.6 30.9 21.1 2.4 6.5 3.9
2020 30.3 38.2 22.4 9.2 40.8 30.3 28.9 5.3 14.5 35.5 27.6 7.9 9.2 4.9
2021 37.4 37.4 16.8 8.4 27.1 34.6 38.3 4.7 25.2 32.7 19.6 9.3 6.5 4.4
Player 38.4 32.3 20.1 9.2 33.3 35.4 31.3 4.1 27.5 32.3 22.4 6.1 6.9 4.2
MLB 44.4 23.8 24.7 7.1 37.2 37.5 25.2 3.9 32.6 24.8 24.4 5.9 7.0 4.8
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Pitch Movement


How this works: This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement. On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown. Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release. On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Total Movement (in inches, w/ gravity)Induced Movement (in inches, w/o gravity)
YearPitchTeamHand#MPHVertical
Drop
vs.
Comparable
Horizontal
Break
vs.
Comparable
Vertical
Break
vs. AvgHorizontal
Break
vs. Avg
2021 Cutter STL R 65 89.2 23.1 3.2 0.5GLV -2.4 11.1 3.1 0.5GLV -2.4
2021 Sinker STL R 1 91.7 14.6 -4.9 15.5ARM 2.4 18.4 -9.6 15.5ARM 0.7
2021 4-Seam Fastball STL R 481 93.0 13.3 1.0 8.7ARM 2.5 18.4 2.2 8.7ARM 1.5
2021 Changeup STL R 79 86.1 27.7 -0.7 15.9ARM 2.6 9.2 -2.9 15.9ARM 2.0
2021 Curveball STL R 27 77.0 58.8 1.2 5.9GLV -1.4 -12.5 2.4 5.9GLV -3.3
2020 Cutter STL R 86 88.0 28.5 -1.3 1.9GLV -1.2 6.6 -1.6 1.9GLV -0.9
2020 Changeup STL R 25 86.2 27.6 -0.8 15.5ARM 2.4 9.2 -2.8 15.5ARM 2.1
2020 4-Seam Fastball STL R 395 93.1 13.0 1.4 9.3ARM 3.0 18.6 2.6 9.3ARM 2.0
2020 Curveball STL R 140 77.6 61.8 4.4 8.2GLV 1.0 -16.0 6.3 8.2GLV -1.0
! Note: Years are in reverse order.

Run Values by Pitch Type

Year Pitch Type Team RV/100 Run Value Pitches % PA BA SLG wOBA Whiff% K% PutAway % xBA xSLG xwOBA Hard Hit %
2021 4-Seam Fastball -1.0 -5 481 73.7 112 .298 .548 .426 24.1 17.0 13.5 .268 .531 .415 37.7
2021 Changeup 2.1 2 79 12.1 26 .160 .280 .208 9.3 7.7 8.0 .200 .255 .219 43.5
2021 Cutter -2.0 -1 65 10.0 12 .200 .400 .241 23.8 8.3 6.7 .131 .214 .246 22.2
2021 Curveball 3.8 1 27 4.1 7 .143 .286 .179 16.7 28.6 13.3 .065 .080 .061 20.0
2021 Sinker 29.9 0 1 0.2 1 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 -- .394 .414 .355 100.0
2020 4-Seam Fastball -0.7 -3 395 61.1 92 .205 .538 .366 34.4 38.0 25.4 .220 .500 .359 48.8
2020 Curveball 0.6 1 140 21.7 20 .176 .235 .258 22.2 20.0 10.3 .253 .342 .324 38.5
2020 Cutter 1.9 2 86 13.3 24 .100 .200 .221 28.9 25.0 20.7 .197 .240 .278 21.4
2020 Changeup -0.1 0 25 3.9 7 .333 .333 .357 11.1 0.0 0.0 .257 .284 .309 33.3
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
! Note: To better align with other values, positive numbers (red) are good, and negative numbers (blue) are poor.

Spin Direction

Year Pitch Type Pitches MPH Active Spin % Total Movement (In.) Spin-Based Observed Deviation
2021 Changeup 79 86.1 97 18.5 1:45 2:15 -30
2021 Curveball 27 77.0 70 16.5 7:00 6:45 15
2021 Cutter 65 89.2 60 10.5 12:30 11:45 45
2021 4-Seam Fastball 480 93.0 97 20.0 1:00 1:00 0
2020 Changeup 25 86.2 98 18.2 1:45 2:15 -30
2020 Curveball 123 77.6 87 21.0 6:45 6:45 0
2020 Cutter 80 87.9 40 6.4 12:15 11:15 60
2020 4-Seam Fastball 384 93.1 99 20.5 1:00 1:00 0
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
! Note: This table is showing data from the PITCHER perspective.
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Pitcher Arm Angle

! Note: Data is available from 2020 through the present.
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Statcast Pitching Run Value

Runs
Year Team PA Pitches Heart Shadow Chase Waste All
2018 132 581 1 7 -4 -1 2
2019 209 910 8 9 -5 -5 7
2020 149 676 2 1 -2 -3 -3
2021 158 653 0 8 -5 -6 -3
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Plate Discipline

Season Pitches Zone % Zone Swing % Zone Contact % Chase % Chase Contact % Edge % 1st Pitch Strike % Swing % Whiff % Meatball % Meatball Swing %
2018 581 49.6 78.1 72.4 26.3 68.8 44.8 56.8 52.0 28.1 7.2 90.5
2019 861 45.8 72.8 76.7 29.6 64.5 42.5 56.2 49.4 26.8 6.6 80.7
2020 646 46.9 70.0 73.1 25.4 57.5 43.3 55.9 46.3 31.4 6.3 73.2
2021 653 46.6 72.7 82.8 24.1 66.7 44.0 54.4 46.7 21.6 6.7 75.0
Player 2,741 47.0 73.3 76.3 26.6 64.2 43.5 55.8 48.6 27.0 6.7 79.9
MLB 48.7 67.0 82.0 28.5 57.8 42.6 61.0 47.2 25.0 7.3 76.3
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Percentile Rankings

Year xwOBA /
xERA
xBA xSLG xISO xOBP Brl Brl% EV Hard
Hit%
K% BB% Whiff% Chase
Rate
FB
Velo
FB
Spin
CB
Spin
Extension
2018 54 48 35
2019 74 86 81 69 49 87 59 58 96 67 7 60 55 49 69 76 14
2020 29 65 39 22 27 38 23 45 26 86 8 78 27 46 72 66 36
2021 40 64 48
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Expected Home Runs

Adjusted

Year Team Avg HR Trot Actual HR xHR HR-xHR Doubters Mostly Gone No Doubters No Doubter %
2018 21.3 2 4.8 -3 0 6 0 0.0
2019 23.3 6 6.6 -1 0 5 3 50.0
2020 24.7 10 9.8 0 0 5 6 60.0
2021 24.1 5 6.0 -1 1 4 3 60.0
Player 23.9 23 27.2 -4 1 20 12 52.2
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Expected Home Runs by Park

Adjusted

Year HR
2018 2 5 4 4 5 4 5 5 3 3 4 5 6 5 4 6 6 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 5 2 5 6 6 5 3
2019 6 8 7 5 7 7 8 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 6 7 6 6 8 7 7 8 7 6 7 5 7 7 7 5
2020 10 10 7 11 11 10 11 8 10 9 10 11 8 9 11 11 10 9 10 11 10 8 11 10 9 8 11 11 9 10 9
2021 5 6 7 6 7 6 7 5 4 5 6 7 6 5 6 6 5 5 7 8 5 6 8 5 5 5 8 8 5 5 5
Player 23 29 25 26 30 27 31 23 23 23 26 29 27 26 28 29 28 25 28 32 28 27 33 28 25 22 29 32 27 27 22
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Year to Year Changes

Metric 2018 2019 +/-   2020 +/-   2021 +/-  
Fastball Velocity 92.4 92.7 0.3 92.2 -0.5 92.5 0.3
Offspeed Velocity 83.1 83.1 0.0 86.2 3.1 86.1 -0.1
Breaking Velocity 77.0 78.0 1.0 77.6 -0.4 77.0 -0.6
Exit Velocity 85.7 88.3 2.6 88.6 0.3 89.6 1.0
Launch Angle 16.9 15.2 -1.7 21.4 6.2 19.1 -2.3
Barrel % 5.7 6.5 0.8 9.2 2.7 6.5 -2.7
Hard Hit % 26.4 28.5 2.1 40.8 12.3 37.4 -3.4
LA Sweet-Spot % 36.8 25.2 -11.6 31.6 6.4 33.6 2.0
xBA .228 .207 -0.021 .223 0.016 .234 0.011
BA .205 .207 0.002 .190 -0.017 .252 0.062
xwOBA .301 .292 -0.009 .338 0.046 .353 0.015
wOBA .267 .287 0.020 .323 0.036 .363 0.040
xSLG .368 .356 -0.012 .424 0.068 .427 0.003
SLG .308 .351 0.043 .430 0.079 .465 0.035
K% 23.5 25.6 2.1 31.5 5.9 15.1 -16.4
BB% 9.8 12.8 3.0 14.0 1.2 14.5 0.5
Swing % 52.0 49.4 -2.6 46.3 -3.1 46.7 0.4
Whiff% 28.1 26.8 -1.3 31.4 4.6 21.6 -9.8
In Zone % 49.6 45.8 -3.8 46.9 1.1 46.6 -0.3
Out of Zone % 50.4 54.2 3.8 53.1 -1.1 53.4 0.3
Out of Zone Swing % 26.3 29.6 3.3 25.4 -4.2 24.1 -1.3
First Pitch Swing % 27.3 29.1 1.8 29.4 0.3 24.1 -5.3
First Pitch Strike % 56.8 56.2 -0.6 55.9 -0.3 54.4 -1.5
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Statcast Fielder Positioning

vs RHHvs LHH
YearAlignment TypePAwOBAPATotal%PATotal%
2018 Shifts 132 .267 67 1 1.5 65 0 0.0
2019 Shifts 200 .287 119 2 1.7 81 16 19.8
2020 Shifts 143 .323 68 6 8.8 75 28 37.3
2021 Shifts 158 .363 87 10 11.5 71 24 33.8
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field.
Learn more about how positioning is defined here

Pitch Tempo

Bases EmptyRunners On Base
SeasonTeamPitchesTempoFast %Slow %PitchesTempoFast %Slow %
2018 175 17.6 11.4% 0.0% 79 23.5 0.0% 10.1%
2019 264 16.2 27.7% 0.0% 113 25.3 0.0% 13.3%
2020 214 17.4 17.3% 0.0% 93 24.1 0.0% 12.9%
2021 157 17.4 22.9% 0.0% 150 24.7 0.0% 16.0%

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Pitch Distribution