Tommy Hunter was the other piece in the Koji Uehara trade. He has been hurt much of the season and could use better conditioning, but mechanically is sound and does not project to have arm trouble in the future.
He is a former 13 game winner and post-season starter that has seen his star fade to middle inning relief pitching for the Rangers this season, mainly due to injuries. Seeing the high rate of arms in front and in the minors, it makes sense to allow Hunter in any trade package.
When on his game, Hunter shows the ability to command his pitches and control the strike zone with three solid offerings. He did have the tendency to give up flyballs, but that was not a glaring issue with him in the minors. He did get on the top of the ball and it leaves me puzzled why he gave up flyballs and homerun at higher rates in the majors.
He could be a decent back of the rotation type arm, but might play better in the bullpen where he did pitch effective in short stints for Texas. Tommy has always been an off the radar type and was never hyped in the Rangers organization. It is befitting that someone else can take this talented pitcher and turn him into a serviceable player.
If someone can reach through to him and keep him constantly tweaking his pitch sequence, location, and keep hitters guessing, he could be a reclamation project that pays dividends in the next few seasons.
Read about the other player the O’s received in the trade: Chris Davis
