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FastballAPI vs pybaseball
pybaseball is a free Python package that scrapes several public baseball sites. FastballAPI is a hosted API with pitch-level data, sportsbook lines and an MCP server.
pybaseball is a free, open-source Python package that pulls data from public baseball websites into data frames. It is excellent for research in a notebook, and it reaches sources we do not, such as Statcast's measured exit velocity and launch angle.
FastballAPI is a hosted API: one key, REST or MCP, the same answer from any language, pitch-by-pitch and plate-appearance data with per-sportsbook lines and our run values attached. Use pybaseball when you want those measured batted-ball fields in Python; use FastballAPI when you need a stable API behind a product or an assistant.
Side by side
| FastballAPI | pybaseball | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 500 free credits, no card, then paid plans | Free and open source |
| How you call it | REST from any language, or MCP | Python package |
| Where data comes from | Public ESPN data, stored and served by us | Scrapes several public sites at call time; subject to their limits and changes |
| Pitch data | Pitches since 2015 (every pitch from 2018): type, velocity, location, count | Statcast pitch data, including spin and movement |
| Batted balls | Trajectory and location on the field diagram | Statcast exit velocity, launch angle and distance |
| Sportsbook lines | 4 to 13 books per game from 2015 to 2023, usually one since | Not a focus |
| Run values | RE24 on every plate appearance, from each season's own matrix | Leaderboards from the sites it reads |
Use pybaseball instead if
- You need Statcast's measured batted-ball and pitch-tracking fields (exit velocity, launch angle, spin).
- You work in Python notebooks and do not need a hosted API.
- Cost matters more than uptime and a stable schema.
Questions
Is FastballAPI a pybaseball alternative?
For pitch-by-pitch, plate-appearance and odds data behind a product, yes. For Statcast's measured exit velocity, launch angle and spin, pybaseball reaches data we do not carry.
Does FastballAPI have Statcast data?
No. Pitch type, velocity and location and batted-ball trajectory and location come from public ESPN data; measured exit velocity, launch angle and spin do not.
Sources
Checked October 7, 2026.
See the data
Try it with 500 free credits
No card. REST or MCP.