The Houston Astros have signed left-handed closing pitcher Josh Hader to a 5 year, $95 million dollar deal. The signing was made official on Monday, January 22nd with Hader's introductory press conference at Minute Maid Park.
The 5 foot 11 inch, 180 pound Maryland native has produced a remarkable 7 year MLB career thus far. Across five and a half seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and one and a half seasons with the San Diego Padres, Hader has picked up 165 saves (23.6 average per year) to go along with a 2.50 ERA and 648 strikeouts.
In watching him pitch, it is obvious Josh Hader is a lights out pitcher. He currently possesses a 15 strikeouts per nine innings stat line over his career, and posted an average 16.4 strikeouts per nine mark during the 2019 season, which is the highest single season mark in MLB history of any pitcher with at least 75 innings pitched within a season (USA Today).
Take a look into Hader's electric 2023 season highlights:
Credit: Jackson Roemer
Deep Dive into the Historic Contract
Due to there being no deferral payments in the contract, it is the largest contract in terms of present day value ($95 million), which trumps Mets' reliever Edwin Diaz's contract value of $102 million that is reduced down to $93 million in present day value due to deferrals.
Hader is making a fully guaranteed $19 million per year, and will earn an additional $1 million if he earns the award for the best reliever each season (Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman Awards). Also, other incentives include $100,000 for being named a World Series MVP, and $75,000 each for winning League Championship Series MVP, winning a Gold Glove, or being named an All-Star.
There's also a full no trade clause in the contract, meaning the player has the right to veto a trade to all 29 other teams in the MLB if a proposed trade is formulated including their name (MLB). Hader also has an option to purchase a suite at Minute Maid Park, the Astros' home stadium.
Hader's Minor League Past with the Astros
Ironically, Hader also played with the Astros in the minor leagues before he was traded to the Brewers in 2015. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, he played in their system until 2013, when he was traded to the Astros. He played high-A and Double-A ball in 2014, and in his 2015 season before he was traded, he was on the Astros Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks team that featured Carlos Correa and George Springer.
Pitching Arsenal, Mechanics, and a Lesson on Pitching Torque
In the 2023 season, Josh Hader's pitching arsenal includes a sinker that he used 73.4% of the time which averaged out at 96.1 miles per hour and had a 29.1% strikeout rate. Next, he possesses a wipeout slider with a 23.3% usage rate, averaging 85.7 mph and striking out an impressive 61.1% of batters with the pitch. Finally, he has a changeup with a 3.4% usage rate at an average 88.5 mph velocity.
Credit: Baseball Arsenal
Hader has a unique pitching style in that his main pitch which is classified as a "sinker", because of the way he grips the ball, actually visibly rises due his low arm slot of being a side arm pitcher. Paired with the fact that Hader is a lefty, he will offer the Astros a refreshed arm out of the bullpen in that his style is unique from any other starter or reliever on the team (Baseball Savant).
Finally, he creates near maximum torque in his body through his hips and arm motion. In pitching, torque is a type of rotational power that starts to accumulate when a pitcher's front foot lands. Then, a rotational force is added through the separation of the hips, trunk, and shoulder throughout the motion, and all the accumulation is finally released upon the pitcher's release of the ball. All of those forces added together and "sequenced correctly" should then be greater than each individual part/force, which is what constitutes "torque" (Lehman's Baseball).
Credit: Elite Sports NY
Josh Hader and the Astros' Future
The Astros have Hader for the next five years through the 2028 MLB season. Biding that nothing serious happens like a trade or an injury, Astros' fans are realistically hoping for 1-2 more World Series titles during Hader's expected tenure here. This is due to the expectations of the team and the squad of players around Hader. Only time will tell if the signing of Hader is the final puzzle piece of Houston elongating their dynasty for years to come.
Hey Question does it matter what hand a pitcher pitches with? Does that affect the pitching?
Those highlights were quite amazing I see why you like this pitcher!