The Reverse Closer: A Next Step in Specializing Pitchers

Jared Hughes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Jared Hughes has been a Pirate through and through since they drafted him in 2006. Like Wilhelmsen, Hughes is fourth on his staff in holds, four behind the current closer Mark Melancon. The 6’7” righty has 27 holds through four seasons, a total that most good set-up men get near in one season, so he hasn’t been a guy Pittsburgh is going to before their closer.

Hughes’s FIP is a rough 4.03, but he has a good ERA at 1.99, among the top relievers in the league. He doesn’t have a great BB/9 (2.8) but the biggest knock against his FIP is his 4.9 K/9, which is also cause for his low 1.78 K/BB ratio. It’s no shock that Hughes’ K/9 is the lowest it has been in the bigs because he relies on his sinker over 77% of the time, more than he ever has.

The 1-3 hitters have a .238 opponents’ batting average against the Pirate righty this year, making Hughes a solid option as a reverse closer.