Jared Hughes

Jared Hughes

39-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Jared Hughes in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year, $260,000 contract with the Mets in June of 2020.
Announces retirement
PFree Agent  
February 14, 2021
Hughes announced his retirement Sunday, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Hughes spent 10 seasons in the majors as a reliever with the Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Phillies and Mets. While the 35-year-old's results declined over the past two seasons, he finishes his career with 12 saves and a 2.96 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 542 relief appearances.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jared Hughes See More
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
August 30, 2020
Jan Levine likes what Ian Anderson did in his major-league debut, but also offers a warning.
Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Mets at Braves
August 1, 2020
Juan Pablo Aravena breaks down Sunday's Mets at Braves game for Dream11 contests.
Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Braves at Mets
July 24, 2020
Juan Pablo Aravena provides analysis for Friday's Braves at Mets matchup for Dream11 contests, with Yoenis Cespedes set to start at DH.
The Z Files: Winning Tendencies, Part Four
May 16, 2020
Todd Zola continues his breakdown of last year's NFBC Main Event rosters and explains why he thinks Christian Yelich showed up on so few league-winning squads.
The Z Files: Second-Half Bullpen and Basepath Observations
August 30, 2019
Todd Zola digs into recent stolen base and bullpen numbers looking for an edge and notes that Trea Turner isn't the only National who's been tearing up the basepaths lately.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
The veteran righty couldn't repeat his 1.94 ERA from 2018 but remained a capable enough reliever in his ninth season in the big leagues. He posted a 4.10 ERA in 48.1 innings for the Reds before being DFA'd and claimed by the Phillies in mid-August, for whom he threw 23.0 innings with a 3.91 ERA. As usual, he relied on a strong groundball rate (59.2%) to cover for a poor strikeout rate (18.7%). While he kept the ball on the ground, it regularly went over the fence when batters did get it in the air, as he allowed 13 homers on the season, one shy of his total from the three previous years combined. That led to an uninspiring 5.29 FIP, though his 28.9% HR/FB rate will likely regress to a more reasonable level next season. He'll remain a useful enough middle reliever if that happens, but he's unlikely to work his way into a fantasy-relevant ninth-inning role.
In the time you read this sentence, Hughes just generated another groundball. The former Pirates and Brewers right-hander fit right in with the Reds in 2018, generating groundballs on 65.4% of the balls put in play. That propensity to keep the ball on the ground (and with that, in the park), combined with a .252 BABIP against, allowed him to post career-low ratios (1.94 ERA and 1.02 WHIP). He relies heavily on his sinker to generate those grounders, throwing it 77% of the time. Both his sinker and slider were plus pitches last season, and that allowed him to throw his four-seamer less frequently. Hughes recorded 17 holds and seven saves as Raisel Iglesias' primary setup man with this arsenal in 2018 and will fill a similar role in 2019. Much like teammate David Hernandez, Hughes came at a bargain-basement rate, signing for $4.5 million over two years prior to the 2018 season.
Few pitchers rely on one pitch as much as Hughes does. He throws a 93-mph sinking fastball 75.5 percent of the time, inducing groundballs at a 57.9 percent clip. For parts of six seasons, Pittsburgh relied on him to throw the key double-play ball, but in 2016 he lost his command and his numbers suffered. He posted an 8.6 percent walk rate and struck out opponents at a 13.2 percent clip, which ranked fourth-worst among qualified big league relievers. Hughes, who compiled a 3.03 ERA (4.77 xFIP) and 1.42 WHIP in 59.1 innings, collected only four holds just one season after earning 21 holds. With three saves in his career, the right-hander offers little in the way of fantasy value. Look for him to man a low-leverage role in 2016.
Hughes threw a 93.1 mph sinking fastball 81.5% of the time in 2015, inducing groundballs at a 63.7% clip. The 6-foot-7 right-hander collected a career-high 21 holds to go along with a 2.28 ERA in 67 innings. Oddly, he duplicated a 36:19 K:BB ratio for the second straight season, but allowed 19 more hits in only 2.2 more innings than he threw in 2014. Regardless, fantasy owners know what they’re going to get with Hughes: 15-20 holds, a sub-3.00 ERA and very few saves — he hasn’t earned a save since 2012.
Hughes re-discovered his sinking fastball in 2014, crafting a 1.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 64.1 innings for the Pirates. While his strikeout rate dropped (5.0 K/9), the righty lowered his walks (2.7 BB/9) and induced more groundballs than ever (64.6%). Pittsburgh prefers to use him as a middle-innings reliever because of his ability to pitch multiple innings. He compiled seven relief wins and a career-high 13 holds, but didn't record a save. Outside of leagues that reward holds, Hughes doesn't offer much value as he's unlikely to become a ninth-inning option for Pittsburgh.
Hughes was pretty much the weak link of a strong Pittsburgh bullpen at the beginning of 2013. He posted a 4.61 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in April before being demoted to Triple-A. He went on the disabled list a month later and bounced between the Pirates and Indianapolis the rest of the way. Hughes will look to rediscover his sinking fastball, which resulted in an effective 65.5% groundball rate in his 2011 rookie campaign. That number dropped to a still decent 56.3% mark in 2013, but when a pitcher relies on one pitch alone, he leaves little room for error. His stock within the organization is likely lower than it's been in several years. Most likely, Hughes will need to rediscover that sinking fastball and prove he's totally healthy before getting another chance at the major-league level.
To say that Hughes is a one-pitch pony would discount his effectiveness, but it's not far from the truth. Hughes primarily used a sinking fastball to coax groundballs (59.6 percent rate) out of batters en route to a 2.85 ERA in 75.2 innings. His 4.05 FIP suggests he was a little lucky. It's possible the team could turn him into its next closer -- he saved a pair of games in 2012 -- but his ability to pitch multiple innings might make the former starter better suited for setup duty. Hughes is a work in progress when it comes to holding baserunners on -- opponents went 17-for-17 stealing bases against him. If and when the league figures out his sinking fastball, he might encounter additional difficulties retiring batters as he has no other reliable pitch.
After five and a half years of mediocre minor league showings, something clicked for the 26-year-old righty. Hughes compiled a 2.11 ERA in 42.2 Triple-A innings before making his major league debut in September. The 6-foot-7 giant throws fairly hard (92.9 mph fastball) but really benefits from a quirky delivery. He showed off good mound presence in high-leverage situations and will get a chance in 2012 to build upon his decent major league start. He'll compete for a sixth-inning role with the Bucs in spring training.
More Fantasy News
Takes loss in Game 2
PNew York Mets  
August 25, 2020
Hughes (0-1) gave up two runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the Marlins in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. He did not record a strikeout.
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Set for season debut
PNew York Mets  
August 2, 2020
Hughes was activated off the injured list Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
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Nears return
PNew York Mets  
Not Injury Related
August 1, 2020
Hughes faced hitters for the second consecutive day Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
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Feels good after COVID-19 battle
PNew York Mets  
Not Injury Related
July 29, 2020
Hughes (undisclosed) said Wednesday that he feels like he's back to full strength after he was placed on the injured list in mid-July due to a positive COVID-19 test, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
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Could be close to return
PNew York Mets  
Undisclosed
July 27, 2020
Hughes (undisclosed) was scheduled to throw live batting practice Sunday and could be less than a week away from activation off the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
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