Article: Hader Among the Best in MLB History

[Tim Muma]

It is often easy to fail to appreciate Josh Hader. Rarely have Milwaukee Brewers fans had to worry when he comes into a game, and he is enjoying one of the greatest starts to a career in Major League Baseball history.

 

When the 28-year-old southpaw struck out Tucupita Marcano to close out the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night, Josh Hader earned his MLB-best ninth save of 2022. He only needed to retire that lone hitter to secure a 12-8 Brewers win. Still, after a trio of previous relievers failed to stop the bleeding, Hader's career-long reliability was the elixir. It was the 105th save of his career, only the third Brewers pitcher with more than 100, joining John Axford (106) and Dan Plesac (133). 

Considering the number of close games the 2022 Brewers are likely to play, this could be Hader's finest season as a pro. Entering Wednesday's action, the three-time All-Star had faced 29 batters across 8.1 innings with the following results:

• 12 strikeouts
• Nine saves (0 blown saves)
• Two walks
• Two hits
• 0 runs

This year, ridiculous fails to express Hader's dominance against opposing hitters with a batting average of 077, a .143 OBP, .115 slugging percentage, and .258 OPS. However, it should be no surprise to see Hader silencing bats thoroughly. Nor should it stun you to hear that he has the third-most saves after a team's first 18 games in MLB history. After Hader picked up his 100th career save earlier this season, manager Craig Counsell heaped enormous praise on his closer:

Quote

"No reliever has had a better start to his career than Josh Hader in the game's history. I'm not exaggerating. That's a fact. I don't think it's disputable."

The Brewers' left-handed hurler is less than a month into his sixth year, and it feels as though many fans of the Crew still don't recognize his greatness. Among all MLB pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched through their first six seasons, Hader resides at or near the top in most significant categories:

• WHIP: 0.844 (1st)
• H/9: 4.2 (1st)
• AVG: .139 (1st)
• K/9: 15.3 (2nd)
• OPS+: 39 (2nd)
• OBP: .233 (2nd)
• OPS: .511 (3rd)
• ERA+: 196 (4th)
• SLG: .278 (6th)
• K/BB: 4.56 (12th)
• Saves: 105 (33rd)

Truly remarkable execution that places him among and above the elite hurlers in the game's annals. He only lacks the saves due to his arguably more valuable role as a "fireman" for a few years with the Brewers instead of pitching in a traditional closer's role. Counsell eschewed the idea of a save in favor of using his best reliever for the highest-leverage situations, whether it be in the 7th inning, for multiple frames, with runners on base, or when the opponents' best hitters were due up. In many ways, Hader became the epitome of modern pitching usage through a better understanding of a reliever's value.

That role gradually changed over time as Hader and Counsell acknowledged the mental and physical challenges of the fireman's duties. During Spring Training in 2021, Counsell told reporters that Hader would be used in a traditional closer's role like he was during the 2020 season, and Hader was happy to hear it.

"The ups and downs are what's more taxing than anything, especially the amount of pitches," Hader said. "That's something that wears and tears on you over the course of the season." 

Now the veteran finds comfort in knowing that most days, he will only be pitching the 9th inning to nail down a victory or keep the score tied to set up the offense to win the game. It has been effective, as Hader has converted 56 of 59 save opportunities since 2020 - a 95% success rate - thanks to an exploding fastball and a nasty slider.

 

Josh Hader, 97mph Fastball and 83mph Slider, Overlay. pic.twitter.com/GmpbIE4VNg

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 20, 2022

 

But how long will he do it in a Brewers' uniform remains in doubt, and that should concern fans. Hader is making $11 million this season and will become a free agent after the 2023 campaign. With his price tag going up again next season and a chance to break the bank on a long-term deal in less than two years, this could be his final six months in Milwaukee (should they trade him in the off-season).

For now, fans should cherish whatever remains of Hader's time with the Brewers and fondly look back at the consistency and excellence he brought to the bullpen for more than half a decade.

 

View full article

[GAME05]

Great write-up, Tim. Really terrific use of both quotes and heavy statistics to back it all up.

Hader embodies my frustrations with the budget disparities in baseball. He's a guy who the Brewers would love to keep long-term, a guy who would probably love to stay in Milwaukee, but ultimately has to be traded eventually because we just plain couldn't afford to keep a player of his caliber.

[GAME05]

Great write-up, Tim. Really terrific use of both quotes and heavy statistics to back it all up.

Hader embodies my frustrations with the budget disparities in baseball. He's a guy who the Brewers would love to keep long-term, a guy who would probably love to stay in Milwaukee, but ultimately has to be traded eventually because we just plain couldn't afford to keep a player of his caliber.

[GAME05]

Great write-up, Tim. Really terrific use of both quotes and heavy statistics to back it all up.

Hader embodies my frustrations with the budget disparities in baseball. He's a guy who the Brewers would love to keep long-term, a guy who would probably love to stay in Milwaukee, but ultimately has to be traded eventually because we just plain couldn't afford to keep a player of his caliber.

[GAME05]

Great write-up, Tim. Really terrific use of both quotes and heavy statistics to back it all up.

Hader embodies my frustrations with the budget disparities in baseball. He's a guy who the Brewers would love to keep long-term, a guy who would probably love to stay in Milwaukee, but ultimately has to be traded eventually because we just plain couldn't afford to keep a player of his caliber.

[sveumrules]

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

[sveumrules]

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

[sveumrules]

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

[sveumrules]

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

[Tim Muma]

31 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

I always debate how "deep" to go into the more advanced stats since I know it will be a mix of diehard fans who know the modern metrics and casual fans who might not want all the details. That is a fantastic stat that further shows Hader's value. Appreciate the addition here.

[Tim Muma]

31 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

I always debate how "deep" to go into the more advanced stats since I know it will be a mix of diehard fans who know the modern metrics and casual fans who might not want all the details. That is a fantastic stat that further shows Hader's value. Appreciate the addition here.

[Tim Muma]

31 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

I always debate how "deep" to go into the more advanced stats since I know it will be a mix of diehard fans who know the modern metrics and casual fans who might not want all the details. That is a fantastic stat that further shows Hader's value. Appreciate the addition here.

[Tim Muma]

31 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Out of Burnes, Woodruff and Hader, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Josh is the one who is kept just because even as thee best reliever in the game he will still likely be cheaper to extend or in FA than Corbin/Brandon.

My favorite Hader stat is that since 2017 he has the 3rd highest Win Probability Added in MLB. Not among relievers, among all pitchers. Only Scherzer and deGrom are higher & depending on how long Jacob (+15.81 WPA) is injured, Josh (+14.49 WPA) could pass him this year too.

 

I always debate how "deep" to go into the more advanced stats since I know it will be a mix of diehard fans who know the modern metrics and casual fans who might not want all the details. That is a fantastic stat that further shows Hader's value. Appreciate the addition here.