Tommy Hunter

Hunter was one of many Phillies relievers who spent most of the season on the injured list, pitching just 5.1 innings for the team. He did look good in those innings, posting a 5:0 K:BB with no earned runs, though the sample is far too small to be relied upon. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's injury woes will go down as the most relevant events of his 2019 campaign. A flexor strain popped up in late February and prevented him from debuting until late June. When he did finally arrive, he lasted just a few weeks before the issue resurfaced in mid-July, resulting in him getting shut down for season-ending surgery. The veteran is a good pitcher when healthy but not an elite one, recording 21 saves with a 3.19 ERA and a 3.42 FIP since converting to relief at the start of the 2013 season. Adding age risk and injury risk to a player with likely only a setup-man ceiling makes for an unappealing fantasy asset.

Hunter put together a respectable 2018 campaign, though he didn't quite live up to expectations after the Phillies signed him to a two-year, $18 million contract last offseason. His ERA rose by over a run to 3.80 after sitting at 2.61 with the Rays the season before. The 28.1% strikeout rate Hunter posted in 2017 now looks like an obvious outlier, as he struck out just 18.9% of batters in 2018, right in line with the rates he posted in his four previous seasons. Despite the mediocre results, the 32-year-old was used in high-leverage situations by the Phillies and wound up fourth on the team with four saves. He should find himself in a similar role this season and could pick up another handful of saves, but Hunter's skills aren't good enough to make him a particularly appealing fantasy option unless he unexpectedly winds up in a full-time closing role.

Coming off a rough couple years, Hunter joined the Rays on a spring invite and impressed, making the club as a setup reliever. Hunter has always had plus velocity, but never missed the bats associated with a flamethrower. Last season, the 31-year-old right-hander threw his 96-mph fastball considerably less, adding a cutter with great results, especially against lefty swingers. Already known for being stingy with walks, Hunter’s career-best 11.5 percent swinging-strike rate fueled a 28.1 percent strikeout clip, well above his career 15.9 percent mark. The new arsenal induced batters to chase more and also resulted in a drop in homers. As hinted, the results versus left-handers were staggering, as Hunter held them to a .501 OPS, compared to .715 and .754 the previous two campaigns. Relievers are subject to sample size fluctuations, and Hunter has an injury history, including missing time with calf woes last summer, but if his cutter continues to be a wipeout pitch, more work in high-leverage situations is likely.

The Cubs picked up Hunter for the stretch run last year, but the Hunter they got didn't look like the same version that turned into a decent setup man in Baltimore the last few seasons. In just 15.2 innings after the move to Chicago, he gave up 20 hits - including four home runs. His 19-game stint with the Cubs included a .354 BABIP while his BABIP during his career in Baltimore was well under .300, and he had a 15:3 K:BB in Chicago, so perhaps he deserved a better fate. Now a free agent, Hunter shouldn't have any problems finding work, especially if he keeps his K/BB at strong levels.

The Orioles had two of most predictable cases of 2014. You didn’t need hindsight to see Ubaldo Jimenez folding in the rotation, or to see Hunter losing the closer’s job in short order. Zach Britton had the role by late May, as Hunter amassed a 6.06 ERA in the first two months of the season. Hunter has routinely been thrashed by lefties and allowed too many homers. The first two months of 2014 were no different, but he added ineffectiveness against righties to the mix. To his credit, he completely turned his season around once he was removed from the ninth inning, posting a 1.83 ERA in his final 41 appearances as he dominated both lefties and righties while allowing just one home run. Of course, if he isn’t offering saves with that hot ERA then he doesn’t have much fantasy value. Even with a mid-to-high-90s heater, he just doesn’t miss enough bats to be a fantasy option; even as a seventh or eighth-inning guy.

Hunter seems to have found his niche as a setup man for the Orioles and he is the odds on favorite to close in 2014 after the team traded Jim Johnson to the Athletics. All of Hunter's advanced stats spiked in 2013 (7.1 K/9, 1.5 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9) following an awful 2012 (5.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 2.2 HR/9). All of his pitches also saw spikes in velocity when comparing his previous two seasons, as Hunter threw three-to-four mph harder in 2013. The current weakness here is Hunter's struggles against left-handed batters, who hit .294/.322/.535 with 11 homers against him last season while righties hit just .140/.190/.154 (no homers). If he can remedy those issues by adding a new pitch, Hunter might take another significant step forward. Surprisingly, the Orioles had previously said Hunter would compete for a rotation spot, but those plans have probably changed.

Hunter's downfall in 2012 was his susceptibility to the long ball. He gave up 32 home runs in just 133.2 innings, was ousted from the rotation and had two brief stints in the minors. Hunter returned as a reliever in September and allowed just one run in 12 appearances, including the playoffs. Hunter's velocity spiked to the upper-90s after the move to the bullpen, but the Orioles have not committed a spot to Hunter in either the rotation or the bullpen for 2013. It would take an incredible spring training for Hunter to make the rotation, so he could be used in long relief or shuttle between Triple-A and the majors as a starter.

Hunter began the 2011 season in the Rangers bullpen, but a trade to Baltimore resulted in a return to the rotation. Nothing changed besides the uniform, as Hunter was generally rocked with the Orioles, allowing a 5.06 ERA and 11 home runs in an equal number of starts. Hunter continues to be a classic replacement level starting pitcher, albeit one who doesn't have as much experience as you would expect for someone his age thanks to a steady dose of time spent on the disabled list.

Hunter suffered an oblique injury in spring training, but found himself in the Texas rotation by early June and ended up racking up 13 wins in the process. He continued to show good control, issuing just 33 walks in 128 innings, but fanned just 68 batters. Toss out his first five starts, and you've got a pitcher hovering right around a 4.40 ERA and 1.350 WHIP which is a truer reflection of his abilities than his season as a whole. He's an adequate back-of-the-rotation starter who loses value in most formats with his lack of strikeouts.

Hunter took over for an injured Matt Harrison in the Texas rotation in June, showing good control (33 walks in 112 innings), but not many strikeouts. That profile (not missing many bats, not getting many groundballs) doesn't translate very well very often, though Hunter was one of several Rangers starters that had a better season than the underlying numbers would suggest. Throwing strikes and hoping it's caught at the warning track doesn't come recommended in one of the AL's best hitting parks, so buyer beware here.

Hunter pitched at four levels, including a brief stint with Texas, in 2008 despite being pretty hittable at all stops. His composite line in the minors (163.2 innings, 170 hits, 34 walks, 106 K) look a tad worse when you remove his numbers from High-A Bakersfield (50 K in 58.1 innings). While his control is major league ready, it doesn't look like he'll miss enough bats to be an effective starter in the majors given Texas' home park. He doesn't miss many meals either, as witnessed by his 6-3, 255-pound frame, which could be a problem down the road.