Oakland Athletics: Rich Hill – Pitcher to Watch in 2016
Starter or Reliever; Oakland Athletics’ Pitcher Rich Hill Can Fill the Role
After not starting a game in the major leagues for close to six years, and sporadic bullpen appearances in 2009-2014, pitcher Rich Hill was brought up by the Boston Red Sox from Triple-A Pawtucket as a September call-up, and on September 13, he started a game. He performed well, giving up one hit over seven innings and striking out 10 batters. On September 25, Hill pitched his third game of the season, a complete game two-hitter in which he struck out 10 batters for the third consecutive time in the month. In his one month in the big leagues last season, Hill posted a 2-1 record and 1.55 ERA in four starts, to go with a 0.655 WHIP.
After the season, the Athletics picked Hill up, signing him as a free agent in November. This marked his seventh team since 2005. If Hill can put the control problems he had in 2008 behind him – the issue that started his decline to the minor leagues – the southpaw can be an effective force in the 2016 starting rotation or bullpen.
Hill will be 36 at the start of the season. When he was at his pinnacle in the 2007 Chicago Cubs rotation, he was known for a biting, almost-unhittable curveball in a season where he assembled a streak of 18 consecutive innings without an earned run.
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In 2009 with the Red Sox (his first of three stints), Hill pitched nine games in relief and did not give up an earned run. However, on June 9 he injured his throwing elbow and later underwent Tommy John surgery. He was back in the bullpen for 2012 and appeared 25 times in relief with a 1.83 ERA. In his first stretch with Boston, he posted a 1.14 ERA in 40 appearances from 2010 through 2012.
The next season, Hill was with the Cleveland Indian, again in the bullpen. He appeared in 63 games, and was one of the 2013 leading MLB players in Inherited Runners Stranded with 51, but his 6.28 ERA saw him released at the end of the season. Since that time, Hill has played Triple-A ball for three organizations, with brief call-ups. In 2015, he was even playing Independent League baseball.
At this point in his career, Hill is 26-23, with most of those decisions coming as a starting pitcher. Overall – starting and relief – he has a 4.54 ERA.
Athletics’ manager Bob Melvin said he expects Hill to take the place of lefty Scott Kazmir who was traded to the Astros at last year’s trade deadline. That would make Hill the team’s number two starter.
“Rich Hill fills that role for us now…” Melvin said at last Sunday’s FanFest.
If anything, Hill – a versatile, experienced pitcher who can handle a variety of roles – has shown he’s a battler. He’s overcome Tommy John surgery in 2009; he had a personal tragedy with the loss of an infant son prior to the start of the 2014 season; and in 2015, he saw himself nearly out of baseball, pitching most of the season for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic Independent League.
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If Hill doesn’t last in the starting rotation, he’s sure to be a fixture in the bullpen. The Athletics bullpen could use an experienced reliever that can strand runners, pitch scoreless innings, and has a low ERA. Besides, judging by last year’s Oakland Athletics relievers, the bar isn’t set very high.