Jimenez's
four-seam fastball, nicknamed the "U-Ball", is frequently clocked as high as 100 mph, sometimes touching 101 mph, though his average
four-seam fastball will typically register between 95–99 mph. Jimenez attains such velocity so frequently, in fact, that he is generally the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in baseball, having averaged a Major League best 96.1 mph during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference">
[26]</sup> Additionally, no one threw more pitches over 95 mph (1,342) than did Jimenez during the 2008 season.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference">
[27]</sup>
Jimenez's
two-seam fastball exhibits strong "tailing" action (moving inside on a right-handed batter and away from a left-handed batter), as well as good "sinking" action, though not always by design. Velocity ranges from 93–95 mph, though sometimes reaching 96–98 mph. In 2008, Jimenez posted a very robust ground-ball percentage of 54.4%,<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference">
[28]</sup> a testament to this pitch's effectiveness and making him an ideal pitcher for
Coors Field, a ballpark known for extra-base hits.
Jimenez is known to throw a
split-finger fastball and an occasional
forkball, having deceptive downward movement in the 86–91 mph range.
The
changeup thrown by Jimenez also exhibits strong "sinking" action, so much so that television commentators unfamiliar with Jimenez often have trouble distinguishing his change-up from a sinking fastball or a
split-finger fastball. Jimenez varies the pitch by using both a
circle changeup and traditional straight
changeup grip. Typically thrown between 85–90 mph, the pitch will dive down and away from left-handed batters.
Jimenez's
slider is usually thrown between 85–87 mph while reaching as high as 88–90 mph on occasion. This pitch fools batters with an unusually sharp, late break and is used second most in frequency behind his
four-seam fastball. Batters often confuse this pitch with a fastball (the major league average for a fastball is approximately 91 mph)<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference">
[29]</sup> and due to the tight, late-breaking movement of the pitch, are often unable to hit it.
The final pitch in Jimenez's arsenal is a looping
curveball. Used infrequently, it is thrown anywhere between 75–85 mph and exhibits a traditional "12–6" break.
