Cincinnati Reds: Jared Hughes couldn’t maintain success this season

The Cincinnati Reds cut ties with reliever Jared Hughes on Thursday after the right-hander was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

After a career-year in 2018, big things were expected from Cincinnati Reds reliever Jared Hughes this season. Unfortunately, Hughes couldn’t replicate the success he found last season and was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon. Hughes was replaced on the roster by Matt Bowman.

Hughes enjoyed the best year of his Major League career in 2018. Hughes was 4-3 with a 1.94 ERA and 7 saves. The Connecticut native pitched a career-high 78.2 innings and struck out a career-best 59 batters. Hughes used his devastating sinker to entice opposing hitters to chase balls that were sure to find their way into the dirt.

This season, however, Hughes fell off a cliff. The right-hander made 47 appearances for the Reds this season with a 4.10 ERA; his worst since 2013 (4.78) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hughes’ ground ball rate dropped from 65.4% in 2018 to 60.7% this season.

The decrease in ground balls has coincided with an increased number of home runs given up by Hughes. Last season, Hughes allowed just four balls to leave the park. This year, Hughes has already surrendered 6 home runs and is on pace to let 9 balls become souvenirs this season.

A closer look at last year’s numbers might show us that Hughes was more lucky than good. Though his ERA+ (214) and WHIP (1.017) were both the best of his career, Hughes FIP of 3.27 is a lot higher than his 1.94 ERA, suggesting he over-performed a bit last season. This year, Hughes’ FIP (4.73) is even higher than his ERA (4.10).

In addition to Matt Bowman joining the big league club, the Cincinnati Reds optioned Sal Romano back to Triple-A Louisville can brought up right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel. Big Sally has not enjoyed much success with the Reds this season.

Though Romano has two saves to his credit this season, his ERA is 13.50. The right-hander failed to get an out in the sixth inning yesterday and allowed eight earned runs on six walks and two walks. I’d look for Romano to continue to hone his craft at Triple-A Louisville for the reminder of the minor league season and maybe get another chance with the Reds during September.

Kuhnel is one of the Reds top rated pitching prospects. An 11th round pick back in 2016, the 24-year-old Kuhnel is a big, hard-throwing right-hander. Kuhnel stands 6’5″ and has the ability to touch triple digits on the radar gun. In 16 appearances at Triple-A Louisville, Kuhnel had 20 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.

Here’s wishing Jared Hughes the best as he heads to Philadelphia hoping to give some added depth to a Phillies bullpen that’s been in the bottom half of the league throughout the season. Hughes was arguably the Cincinnati Reds best reliever last season, but he just couldn’t replicate that same level of success in 2019.