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Phillies: Does Tommy Hunter make any else think of Jamey Wright?

By James Simmons

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 05: Tommy Hunter #96 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during Game Two of the doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on July 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Yankees defeated the Phillies 3-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 05: Tommy Hunter #96 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during Game Two of the doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on July 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Yankees defeated the Phillies 3-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Surprised by the fact that Phillies pitcher Tommy Hunter is wheeling and dealing on the mound? Feels like this cat has been pitching since the ’90s.

As I was sifting through baseball scores the other night, getting the live updates on all the games, I was struck by one of the pitcher/hitter matchups. Not necessarily what each one was bringing to the table, yet the fact the pitcher was Tommy Hunter. I did a second take, then clicked the hotlink to baseball-reference.com to see if it was the same Tommy Hunter I swore I’d seen pitching when I was in high school, twenty years ago.

Indeed it was the same Tommy Hunter, though more shocking than the fact he is still pitching in the majors (nothing against his credentials, he is a legit piece out of the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies), he has only been in the league 13 years.

Hunter is a 2020 version of Jamey Wright, right?

Their pitching styles may not be the same, nor their make up. The way they found their pitching longevity, beginning their careers as starting pitchers, before prolonging their stay as relievers, is, however.

I wouldn’t dare say Jamey Wright toiled in the league for 19 years, because his employers deemed him worthy enough to run out there on a regular basis. Three of the ten teams Wright pitched for sought out his services for a second tour of duty.

And that brings us back to Tommy Hunter, who apparently is still bouncing around the league. He’s pitched for the Phillies the last three years, doing what he does best. Getting hitters out. He has no All-Star selections (nor did Wright), he has no ERA titles (none for Wright), and he’s never appeared on a Cy Young ballot (nope).

His six strikeouts per nine innings are a hair higher than Wright’s five. Hunter isn’t going to blow smoke by you, but he is going to mix up his pitches and keep the infielders involved.

Hunter continues to get big league hitters out. For this reason, he may be around another 13 years, or at least it will feel like he will.

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