Tommy Hunter, Relief Pitcher, New York Mets

Date of Birth: 7/3/1986
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
College: University of Alabama

Tommy Hunter, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, was first drafted in 2007 by the Texas Rangers. He was a relief pitcher in the Rangers' minor league system in 2007.

Hunter first pitched with the Rangers in 2008. In his first three games as a starting pitcher in the major leagues, he had a 16.36 ERA in 11.0 innings. He spent most of the season in the minors, pitching in 25 games as a starter. The following season, he pitched in 19 games, again as part of the Rangers' starting rotation. He finished the 2009 season with a 4.10 ERA, 9 wins and 6 losses, and 64 strikeouts to 33 walks in 112.0 innings. He had a good season in 2010, finishing with 13 wins and 4 losses and a 3.73 ERA in 22 games as a starting pitcher and 1 game as a reliever.

The Rangers traded Hunter to the Baltimore Orioles on July 30, 2011. He finished the season with a 4.68 ERA in 8 games as a reliever with the Rangers and 11 games as a starter and one game in relief with the Orioles. He also spent time on the DL and in the minors in 2011.

In 2012, Hunter had a career high 77 strikeouts (to 27 walks), 7 wins and 8 losses, and a 5.45 ERA in a career high 133.2 innings in 20 games as a starter and 13 games as a reliever with the Orioles. The following season, he transitioned to a relief pitcher. He finished the 2013 season with a 2.81 ERA in a career high 68 games. As a relief pitcher only in 2014, he had a 2.97 ERA and 11 saves in 60 games.

Hunter was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2015. He finished the 2015 season with a 4.18 ERA in 39 games with the Orioles and 19 games with the Cubs.

Hunter became a free agent on November 2, 2015. He signed with the Cleveland Indians on February 12, 2016. After 21 games with the Indians in 2016, he was released on August 25th. He signed again with the Orioles three days later. He finished the 2016 season with a 3.18 ERA, 2 wins and 2 losses, and 23 strikeouts to 8 walks in 21 games with the Indians and 12 games with the Orioles.

Hunter became a free agent again on November 3, 2016. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on February 16, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 3 wins and 5 losses, 1 save, 64 strikeouts to 14 walks, and a 2.61 ERA in 58.2 innings in 61 games.

Hunter elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on December 15th. He spent time on the DL in 2018 with a right hamstring strain. He pitched in 65 games and he had 5 wins and 4 losses, 4 saves, 51 strikeouts to 15 walks, and a 3.80 ERA in 64.0 innings.

Hunter spent most of the 2019 season on the DL with an elbow injury and surgery. He pitched just 5.1 innings in 5 games.

Hunter became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Phillies on February 12, 2020. He pitched in 24 games in 2020, and he finished the season with no wins and 1 loss, 25 strikeouts to 6 walks, 1 save, and a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings.

Hunter elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on February 14, 2021. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with lower back pain. He played in just four games with the Mets.

Hunter became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Mets on April 28, 2022.

Career pitching statistics for Hunter through 2021 include:

• 476 games played
• 871.1 innings pitched
• 56-45 win-loss record
• 597 strikeouts to 197 walks
• 4.04 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Tommy Hunter
ESPN - Tommy Hunter