2023 Padres Season Review: Josh Hader

2023 Regular Season Statistics

1.7 fWAR, 61 G, 56.1 IP, 1.28 ERA, 1.101 WHIP, 85 K, 30 BB, 3 HR, 3 HBP

Positives From This Season

Josh Hader was the lone San Diego Padres All-Star pitcher and it wasn’t just because of his name. He allowed four earned runs before the All-Star break and then just another four earned runs post All-Star break. Opponents hit .163 with a .508 OPS off of him this season.

The Padres bullpen was shaky at times in the innings leading up to Hader but you knew the game was over for the most part once it got to him.

Negatives From This Season

A significant problem with Hader was that he was unwilling to do something other guys in the bullpen were willing to do: be a team player. In September while Hader was only going three outs, he saw Robert Suarez go four outs and five outs.

Hader’s the one that literally told the media “Are we in the playoff race?” when they were mathematically still alive. “Always four outs, isn’t it,” he told Kevin Acee. “Three in a row. Always something…I mean, I’m not sure what you guys want.”

What we wanted was for Hader to go four outs every once in a while when the situation called for it. By the way, Hader only went three days in a row twice.

Had he been screwed in arbitration by the Milwaukee Brewers for pitching in any situation they asked? Yes. But there was no more arbitration fights to be had after he arrived in San Diego because he didn’t even go to arbitration with the Padres.

It appears it took a lot to even get him to go four outs in the postseason last year when it matters the most! That’s not a guy that the Padres should want to have back on their team and I’d bet a lot he’s not going to be.

Hader was a great pitcher when he was on the mound but who knows how this year could’ve ended up if he would’ve made himself more available to the Padres. After all San Diego missed out on the postseason by a couple of games and went 9-23 in one-run games.