A great season, also one in which he’d like one pitch back
Hunter Gaddis transitioned from struggling back-of-the-rotation starter to elite backend reliever in 2024. What’s in store for the bearded fireman in 2025?
Imagine going from a 5.26 FIP to a 2.82 FIP, from a 5.14/3 K/BB/9 to a 7.96/1.89 K/BB/9 and a 4.50 ERA to 1.97 ERA from one season to the next. That’s what becoming a bullpen arm can for a son of a gun, as Hunter Gaddis found out last season. Among pitchers with at least 70 innings throw, Gaddis’s slider was the 7th most valuable in major league baseball at +12.5 runs and his changeup was the 22nd most valuable in major league baseball at +4. His slider grades out at 120 Stuff+, bringing his average fastball and changeup up with it as Gaddis became the reliable set-up man to Emmanuel Clase in 2024.
Gaddis found success by limiting hard contact (only a 28.9% hard-hit rate in 2024) and forcing that elite slider down hitters throats over and over, throwing it at a 45% rate. I know there has been speculation about moving Gaddis back into the rotation, but seeing his fastball gain 2 mph in average velocity in 2024 and watching that velo decline the more often he pitched makes me incredibly wary about that idea. I think the Guardians should be thrilled that they have seemingly found another elite bullpen arm and work on getting him to maximize his stuff further in relief in 2025. In particular, anecdotally, I have noticed that Gaddis tends to get sharper with his changeup in outings where he throws it repeatedly. I think the team should look to cut even further into is fastball usage rate and throw another 10% or so to changeups. Throwing the fastball fewer times in an outing may also help Gaddis maintain that good velocity on the pitch.
It can be easy to forget how good Gaddis was, especially when we have fresh in our minds home runs he gave up against the Yankees, specifically in a famous Juan Soto at-bat at the end of game five. However, I think it’s crucial to remember that Gaddis should never have had to face Soto in that situation had shortstop Brayan Rocchio caught a simple flip from Andres Gimenez prior in the inning. It’s also important to remember that Juan Soto is a generational player who can tag any great pitcher at any time.
I look forward to seeing Gaddis at the end of Guardians’ games in 2024, helping guide the team safely to Emmanuel Clase saves yet again. I will say that if the team looks to trade an elite reliever for help on other areas of the team, Gaddis’s expected stats, lower strikeout rates and projections would have me lean toward including him over Cade Smith or Clase, but that’s not saying anything negative about Hunter. Those are two elite, elite arms and Gaddis kept pace with them all season long. He also showed the mindset of a great reliever, as, whenever he had a rare rough stretch, he bounced back quickly and went back to his plan to get hitters out.
Here are some Gaddis 2024 highlights: