For the majority of 2012 Tommy Hunter atop the pitcher’s mound meant a sense of anxiety for Baltimore Orioles fans. In 33 appearances (20 starts) Hunter pitched to a 5.45 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with opposing batters having a .302/.337/.527 slash line against him in 133.2 innings of work. Then there were the 32 home runs he allowed. Only Ervin Santana, Jason Vargas, Phil Hughes, and Bruce Chen surrendered more.
From April through August Tommy’s ERA by month was 4.26, 7.18, 7.43, 4.12, and 7.08. But when the calendar flipped to September, out went the old Tommy Hunter and in came the new. In ten September games (all relief) Hunter allowed just one earned run over 12.2 innings (0.71 ERA). He also did a better job limiting base runners, allowing 12 hits and just two walks (1.11 WHIP). Two clean postseason outings in October from the bullpen and the stage was set for what was to come in 2013.
This year a stroll to the center of the diamond by Tommy Hunter evokes a feeling that began during the final month of last year’s regular season for O’s fans – one that #29 is going to get the job done more often than not. In 26 relief appearances Hunter has a 1.88 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. Opposing hitters are batting just .190/.240/.314 through 38.1 innings.
And he’s doing it with a dominating fastball.
Through June 14 Tommy Hunter had thrown his four-seam fastball 330 times, 57.39% of his total pitch count, with an average velocity of 96.63 mph.
17 of his 30 strikeouts have come on a fastball and opponents have mustered just a .180 average and .308 slugging percentage against it. Versus right-handers those numbers drop to .111 and .111 respectively on 171 pitches. Of the 14 hits he’s allowed on the main weapon in his arsenal, 10 have been singles.
11.21% of the time his fastball has resulted in a swing and miss, like this one by former teammate Robert Andino.
When Jim Johnson was going through his rough stretch last month, and the fingers of many fans were hovering over the panic button, Hunter’s name was mentioned as a possible interim replacement. Given his effectiveness so far this season it’s easy to see why. Hunter has become one of the more reliable bullpen arms at Buck Showalter’s disposal and the 26-year-old is well on the way to riding his four-seam fastball to the best season of his career.
All stats via Baseball Reference and pitch data courtesy of Brooks Baseball.
