The Cleveland Indians signed Tommy Hunter yesterday. Hunter, 29, has spent the last three seasons working in relief after failing to establish himself as a starting pitcher. The right-hander does not strikeout many batters, which is somewhat surprising given that his fastball averages 96.4 miles per hour, per PITCHf/x. Alas, he induces a ground ball nearly half the time.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the deal is that it only guarantees him $2 million, mere peanuts in today’s market. Despite displaying pristine results with a regular workload with the Baltimore Orioles, Hunter imploded with the Chicago Cubs in just over 15 innings of work.