Veteran reliever Tommy Hunter didn’t pitch after May 18 last season, spending the remainder of the 2021 campaign on the injured list — first with the Mets and then with the Rays, who acquired him as a financial counterweight in the trade that sent Rich Hill from Tampa Bay to New York.
Neither the Mets nor the Rays announced a formal diagnosis for Hunter beyond the Mets’ original indication that he was dealing with a lower back injury. As it turns out, Hunter missed the remainder of last season after undergoing back surgery, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports (Twitter links). Furthermore, Ghiroli adds that Hunter is now healthy and recent held a bullpen session attended by scouts from upwards of a dozen teams, reaching the mid-90s with his heater during that showcase.
Hunter, 35, appeared in just four games with the Mets last season but was sharp in that brief time, logging eight shutout innings with a 6-to-3 K/BB ratio and an above-average 47.8% ground-ball rate. Solid work out of the ’pen is nothing new for Hunter, who since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis in 2013, has compiled 402 innings of 3.18 ERA ball with a 20.7% strikeout rate, an outstanding 5.3% walk rate and a solid 45.9% grounder rate. He’s seen that strikeout rate jump in recent years (23.2% from 2017-21) without significantly increasing his walk rate (5.3%).
Unfortunately for Hunter, injuries are also nothing new for him. There’s little doubt that he’s a talented late-inning arm, but Hunter has dealt with back, forearm (twice), hamstring and calf strains dating back to 2017, and he missed a good portion of the 2016 season following sports hernia surgery as well. Since Opening Day 2016, he’s averaged just 32 innings per season (34 if you exclude the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, which skews the number a bit even though Hunter was healthy for it).
Hunter has pitched for seven big league teams and carries a career 3.21 ERA out of the bullpen. Given the lengthy layoff from pitching, he might require a minor league tune-up before he’s able to jump back onto a big league roster, but bullpen-hungry teams will surely be interested in taking a low-cost look at a pitcher with his track record if he’s indeed healthy now.
I’d like him back on the Mets. They barely gave him a chance yet they used guys like Yennsy Diaz, Castro, Eickhoff instead of an established reliever
I was thinking the same thing. Seems like a solid option to add back into the mix
Your wish is granted
looks like someone the Cardinals would sign, weak, broken and subject to injury
Can he close games?
Low cost?
Orioles hear those words and salivate.
So do the Reds, Pirates, Rays, Athletics to name a few
The Red Sox need to jump on this… their bullpen is barely hanging on by their teeth and just a steadying presence would do wonders for the collective group.
Tommy brings a good aura with him… good dude
How do you know?
Anyone know why Cleveland cut Hunter loose in the 2016 season? His ERA, WHIP, and other numbers seemed pretty solid. The Indians were on their way to the postseason and likely needed good relief pitchers. I read Hunter was injured in late July, was released by Cleveland in late August, was picked up by Baltimore a few days later and had a solid remainder of the season with them. His release by Cleveland didn’t seem to make sense to me.
Hopefully he makes it through the workout without suffering a season-ending injury. This guy just can’t stay off the shelf, but someone will take a flyer on him.
Sounds like me, IL HOF’er…
I liked what I saw of Hunter as a NY Met. I would hope the Mets scouts were in attendance as we still need more bullpen arms. But who doesn’t?
Big Game Hunter ⚾️
Just make sure he can throw a ball & not just participating in “baseball activities…” a la Conforto, huh?
Watch the dodgers will sign him
Nope
He is very, very, very injury prone. If he signs a contract there’s a chance he’ll injure his wrist writing his name. This guy has been stealing MLB cash for a few seasons now.