Milwaukee Brewers: Josh Hader makes history shutting the door
When the Milwaukee Brewers put top pitching prospect Josh Hader into the bullpen last season down the stretch, many thought it could end up a mistake. Instead, the Brewers may have found Hader’s best fit.
The Milwaukee Brewers built up an extremely talented farm system coming into 2017, so when the team found itself competitive deep into the season, most assumed that top pitching prospect Josh Hader would get a late call to work in the back of the rotation for a boost. Instead, he was utilized as a reliever, and he’s become arguably the most effective weapon out of the bullpen in the game.
On Monday night, Josh Hader made history for the Milwaukee Brewers. Never before in the history of the game had someone struck out 8 batters without completing 8 full innings. Hader came into the game on Monday with 8 outs to get, and they were all going to be his. He finished the night with 8 more strikeouts to his tally in 2 2/3 innings of work, a record that can only ever be tied.
Hader’s prospect profile showed him as a fiery long-haired wild type on the mound. A guy who could throw an incredible fastball/slider combination that could absolutely mow through minor league hitters. When Hader tallied 51 strikeouts in 52 AAA innings in 2017, it was the first time in four seasons that he had failed to register more than a strikeout per inning.
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He quickly made up for that, posting a 2.08 ERA in 47 2/3 relief innings over 35 appearances in the major leagues, striking out 68 unfortunate hitters. He posted a WHIP of 0.99, an incredible number for a pitcher who had struggled with his control throughout his minor league career.
Incredibly he has performed even better this year. Initially utilized as the relief stopper until closer Corey Knebel was injured, Hader has stepped up and shown himself more than worthy, especially of multi-innings saves. Hader has been utilized to face multiple batters in nearly every appearance. In his 11 appearances, including Monday, he has thrown more than one inning 9 times, and his stuff has shown no worse for the wear, with a 1.17 ERA and a 0.52 WHIP before his record-setting performance.
He’s also struckout an absurd amount of hitters in 2018. After Monday’s record-setting performance, Hader has 39 strikeouts in 18 innings, facing 62 total batters for an insane strikeout rate of 62.9%!!
Next: Dodgers lose Seager for rest of 2018
Jash Hader may not be the long-term solution at closer for the Milwauker Brewers, but while he’s in the role, he’s a lot of fun to watch!