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Can we take a minute to talk about Josh Hader; because it seems like nobody else is. The Houston Astros' biggest offseason signing from a year ago is proving beyond a shadow of doubt that he's worth every penny of that $95 million contract, but he's getting almost no love from the national media or anyone else for that matter.
Hader's struggles last season obviously left a bad taste in the mouths of Astros fans. The left-hander, fresh off the largest contract for a reliever in the history of Major League Baseball, went 8-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 71 appearances out of the Astros bullpen. Though his numbers weren't awful, fans were expecting something mirroring his 2023 line with the San Diego Padres — 1.28 ERA in 61 appearances with a a 36.8% strikeout rate.
Hader is back on track this season, and is in line with his stats from 2023. In fact, he's been even better in several regards. While his 35.4% strikeout rate this season is almost identical to his 2023 numbers, Hader is only walking 6.1% of the batters he's faced this season. If that continues, it will represent a career-low.
Astros' LHP Josh Hader may be most dominant pitcher nobody’s talking about
Among relievers with at least 20 innings pitched this season, Hader ranks in the top 10 in strikeout rate, K/9, and fWAR. Hader has also been perfect in save situations this season. Though Astros manager Joe Espada decided to go with Steven Okert in the ninth inning on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays — a game they lost on a walk-off sacrifice fly — Hader is 12-for-12 in save opportunities this season and has a 1.71 ERA and 0.810 WHIP.
A three-time winner of the Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award and a five-time All-Star, it's rather surprising that the buzz around Hader is as muted as it is. Oftentimes the media loves these types of redemption stories, especially when it centers around a player are recognizable as Hader.
But while the national media may be turning a blind eye to Hader at the moment, the Astros fanbase have been keeping tabs on their closer and are loving every minute of it. If Hader keeps pitching the way he has through the first few months, he'll be adding a sixth All-Star nod to his résumé in July.