Tim Hudson

Tim Hudson

49-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Tim Hudson in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Giants in November of 2013.
PSan Francisco Giants  
October 1, 2015
Hudson (8-9) pitched just 2.1 innings Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and a pair of walks against the Dodgers.
ANALYSIS
The 40-year-old was expected to be on a short leash, and indeed that was the case, as he ended up throwing just 45 pitches. Hudson ends the year with his worst ERA since 2006 (4.54). He already announced that he will retire, officially making Thursday's start the final of his stellar 17-year career.
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It is nice when a plan just comes together. After a horrific ankle injury that cut his age-37 season short and put his career in doubt, Hudson latched on with the Giants last season in hope of regaining his health and finally capturing that World Series title. He did both, posting a three-year high of 189 innings with a 3.57 ERA and career-high 3.5 K/BB ratio before a decent postseason run that eventually earned him a ring. Hudson has two big fantasy liabilities holding his draft value: age and lack of strikeouts. The 39-year-old sees his draft stock drop a few rounds each year regardless of how well he pitches because the fantasy community as a whole is allergic to age. More importantly, that below-average strikeout rate is definitely a liability. It puts the onus on his ERA to be his big earner. The WHIP is close to a guarantee and the innings – despite his age – are still quite strong, so if he can maintain that low-to-mid 3.00s ERA, he will be a usable arm in most formats, even if it's just as a streaming option in shallow mixers. Hudson had another procedure on his ankle in January -- this time to remove bone spurs -- and he may not be ready for Opening Day, even with the suggested eight-week timetable for recovery.
A fractured fibula, the result of being stepped on near the ankle while covering first base, ended Hudson's season prematurely, just as he seemed to be rounding into form. He had turned in eight quality starts in his last 10 outings, with four straight wins to begin July before suffering the injury. The groundball specialist's peripherals remained largely intact, with his strikeout rate rebounding significantly (from 5.1 K/9 in 2012 to 6.5) and his contact rate dipping to its lowest since 2008 (79.9%). San Francisco inked Hudson in the offseason, adding another experienced arm to their veteran staff, and he figures to see some more favorable matchups in 2014 with the subsequent move back in the rotation order. That is, of course, assuming his leg continues to heal as expected.
Hudson missed the first month of the season after offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc, but quickly returned to the form that's made him Atlanta's ace. Hudson has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the MLB with double-digit wins every single season of his career outside of 2009 when he only pitched seven games due to injury. For all his success, Hudson has never been a big strikeout pitcher with a career 6.0 K/9 and last season he declined to 5.1 K/9. He's survived a low strikeout rate by keeping the ball on the ground as 55.5 percent of batted balls were ground balls last season. Aside from missing time from the back injury, Hudson's numbers were largely identical to his 2011 season. As a result, he's likely set for another productive season even though he'll turn 38 in 2013.
Hudson generates ground balls (56.7 percent of batted balls last season), which helps overcome mediocre control and strikeout rates. However, he increased his strikeout rate last season to 6.61 K/9IP, his highest since 2001, and had the lowest walk rate of his Braves career. He's also been durable since returning from 2009 Tommy John surgery as he's had at least 16 wins and 215 innings pitched each of the last two seasons. However, Hudson had surgery in November to fix a herniated disc in his back and is now expected to miss the first month of the regular season. If he's healthy, he should produce similar results as Atlanta's No. 1 or No. 2 starter, but health is hardly a guarantee for him at this point.
Hudson surprisingly looked better in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery than at any point in his Atlanta career. The average velocity on his fastball climbed above 91 mph -- a level not seen since 2004 with Oakland. He also had the best groundball rate (64.1 percent) of his Atlanta career. The results were 17 wins, a 2.83 ERA and his most innings pitched since 2003. While Hudson looked better than ever, there are some signs he pitched worse than his numbers indicate. He still had just an average strikeout rate (5.5 K/9IP) with mediocre control (139:74 K:BB ratio). However, he's had a strong career without dominating peripheral numbers. He'll be counted on again as Atlanta's No. 1 or No. 2 starter.
Hudson looked healthy in his seven starts after returning from July 2008 Tommy John surgery and will be the No. 2 or No. 3 starter for the Braves in 2010 after agreeing to a new three-year contract. While seven starts is a small sample size, he didn't show any of the flaws that plagued him early in his Atlanta career when he had a declining strikeout rate and gave up too many home runs. He also didn't show the initial control problems that typically plague Tommy John patients when they first return to the majors. He could quickly return to his 2007 form as a result.
Hudson was on the way to repeating his 2007 career rebound season before leaving a start in late July due to a sore elbow. He ended up tearing a ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery. It's possible he could return late in 2009, but we'll most likely see him again in 2010.
Hudson rebounded from the worst season of his career and remarkably turned around a decline in his control and strikeouts. While he's not striking out as many batters as during his glory days with Oakland, he saw a strong decline in his home runs allowed and dramatically improved his strikeout-to-walk rate. How to explain the turnaround? Hudson underwent an offseason weightlifting and conditioning program similar to the one he utilized before his arrival in Atlanta. He had quit the program after several oblique injuries, but remained healthy last season. As long as he keeps the ball in the park, he could produce a similar season as Atlanta's No. 2 starter.
Hudson had the worst season of his career as a general decline in his conrol and strikeouts finally caught up with him. He's been mediocre during his Atlanta career, going 27-21 with a 4.23 ERA the past two seasons. He was actually healthy last season too, avoiding the oblique muscle injuries that plagued him the past few years. Hudson has seen his K:BB rate decline sharply and his homers allowed surge with the Braves. Despite a slight increase in strikeouts last season, he'll need to reverse those trends in a big way to return to his former level as Atlanta's No. 3 starter.
Hudson's first season with Atlanta looked much like his last with Oakland. He posted a decent ERA and missed time again due to an oblique muscle injury. While his strikeout rate stabilized after a downward trend the last six seasons, he had a career-worst K/BB ratio and gave up the most home runs per inning of his career. He should post similar numbers again this season, but unless he begins to strike out more batters, don't expect a return to the dominant stats he had in Oakland. The risk remains to the downside.
Hudson regressed as predicted in 2004. He simply didn't miss enough bats to post a 1.075 WHIP as he did in 2003, and a steadily declining K/9IP rate was part of it: 8.71, 7.51, 6.93, 5.73, 6.08, 4.91 since joining the majors. It's hard to maintain a sub-3.50 ERA with that K/9IP rate, but it's not impossible, and it's still tough to get the ball out of the infield against him, much less over the fence. A nagging oblique injury shelved him for half a dozen starts in 2004, but it might have saved him from a Roy Halladay-like breakdown in 2005. He'll need to strike more batters out, however, to be an elite starter in 5 x 5 leagues.
Hudson yielded a whopping 40 fewer hits than the year before despite nearly identical peripherals (K:BB, K:9IP), a "skill" that recent research has shown isn't reliably repeatable. He's a good bet to regress a bit, back to the 1.20 WHIP range, but he's a reliable source of 240 innings year after year.
Talk about sneaking in under the radar - Hudson posted a career-best 2.98 ERA and was considered the third best pitcher on his team. You can pretty much book it that he'll be ordinary the first two months, only to start the Tim Hudson Four Months of Filth ™ tour once June 1 rolls around. The strikeout promise he showed as a rookie isn't panning out, which just means he's only in the top five among AL starters. Never topped 120 pitches in a start last year, astonishing for a guy who tossed 238 innings.
More Fantasy News
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 30, 2015
Hudson is expected to have a short leash in Thursday's start against the Dodgers, Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area reports.
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PSan Francisco Giants  
September 26, 2015
Hudson lasted just 1.1 innings Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on one hit and three walks without striking out a batter.
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PSan Francisco Giants  
September 21, 2015
Hudson (8-8) twirled a gem Sunday, going six shutout innings while striking out three in the win over Arizona.
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PSan Francisco Giants  
September 14, 2015
Hudson took a no-decision after 4.1 strong innings Monday against Cincinnati, allowing one run on three hits and three walks. He struck out one.
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PSan Francisco Giants  
September 9, 2015
Hudson will stick in the rotation for now following a strong start Tuesday, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.
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