It is safe to say that Josh Hader is going through the worst stretch of his career. Those struggles are even dramatically impacting the San Diego Padres‘ reliever’s career numbers.
Hader has been absolutely atrocious with the Padres. Not only did he pitch his way out of the closer role, but he has been almost entirely unusable. He has allowed 12 runs on 12 hits and seven walks in his 4.2 innings with the Padres entering Monday, although he has struck out eight.
San Diego Padres struggles secondary for Josh Hader
These struggles began before he went to San Diego. He has allowed 25 runs on 27 hits and 11 walks in 13 innings since July 4, striking out 24 batters. Meanwhile, those struggles have dramatically impacted his career statists as well, as his lifetime ERA has risen from 2.16 on July 4 to its current 2.78 mark.
It was easy to think that Hader’s struggles were due to the situation. He had struggled as trade rumors swirled around last year, only to dominate once again when he remained in Milwaukee. The belief had been that those struggles would go away once he was able to settle in with his new teammates and new surroundings.
But there is far more going on than having Hader concentrate on getting batters out. He had missed time due to the birth of his child and subsequent medical issues. According to reports on MLB Network, those issues are still ongoing and Hader’s child is still not out of the woods just yet.
It is difficult to perform at such a high level even when everything is perfect. Hader’s domination had led everyone to expect that he would continue to essentially be a machine in the ninth inning, dominating all comers no matter what. But he clearly has other things on his mind than baseball and executing his pitches. Frankly, no one can blame him for that.
At the same time, it may be best to let Hader be with his family for the foreseeable future. His place with the Padres is secure and the ninth inning will eventually be his once more. However, his place now should be with his wife and infant child.
Josh Hader has struggled with the San Diego Padres. The issue is that he needs to be with his family, not on the mound.