Brad Hand
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Bradley Richard Hand (born March 20, 1990) is an American professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
who is a free agent. He has previously played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins,
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
,
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
,
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
,
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
, and
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. Born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, Hand's family settled in Chaska before he entered high school. He was a three-sport athlete at Chaska High School, and after his senior year in 2008, the Florida Marlins selected him in the second round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Hand chose to forego a
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
commitment to
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...
in favor of turning professional. He made his MLB debut in 2011 when Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson was injured, but inconsistent pitch command prevented Hand from becoming a fixture in the Marlins' major league roster until 2014, when he was assigned to the
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...
. Hand spent the next two seasons alternating between starting and relief roles for Miami before he was claimed on waivers by the Padres shortly before the 2016 season. Hand had a breakout role in San Diego, attributed in part to his slider. He was named to three consecutive All-Star Games beginning in 2017, the same year that he became a closer. The Padres traded Hand to the Indians midway through the 2018 season, and he made his first postseason appearance in the
2018 American League Division Series The 2018 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2018 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2018 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, se ...
. After struggling with arm fatigue and pitch delivery issues in 2019, Hand was perfect in 16 save opportunities for Cleveland in 2020, but he was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...
at the end of the year. Hand found varying levels of success in 2021 with Washington, Toronto, and New York before signing with Philadelphia in 2022.


Early life

Bradley Richard Hand was born on March 20, 1990, in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, to Lon and Barb Hand of
Hampton, Iowa Hampton is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,337 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a tota ...
. Hand's family moved around Minnesota during his childhood, with stops in West St. Paul and
Eagan Eagan may refer to: People * Charles Eagan (1921-2010), Canadian scientist * Daisy Eagan (born 1979), American actress * Dennis Eagan (1926–2012), British field hockey player * Eddie Eagan (1897–1967), American sportsman * Edmund Eagan, Canadia ...
before settling in Chaska just before Hand entered high school. He was a three-sport varsity athlete at Chaska High School, receiving honors in
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
,
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
, and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
. Hand finished his senior baseball season with an 8–2
win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...
, two saves, and a 0.61
earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA), allowing only six
earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...
s in 68
innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...
. This included a
complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
, three- hit
shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...
against
Eden Prairie High School Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) is a four-year public high school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States established in 1923. The present high school opened in 1981 and was significantly added to in 1990, 1994 and 1997. It was named a Blue R ...
, a 3–0 victory in which Hand struck out 14 batters. At the plate, Hand batted .352 with eight
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and 24
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBI).


Professional career


Draft and minor leagues (2008–2010)

The
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) selected Hand out of high school in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2008 MLB Draft. At the time, he had committed to play
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
for the
Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...
. Hand instead signed with the Marlins that June for a $760,000
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
and was assigned to the
Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...
Gulf Coast League Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays i ...
to begin his professional baseball career. In nine games there, seven of which were starts, Hand had a 2–0 record and 2.48 ERA, striking out 34 batters in innings. He was promoted to the
Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...
Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team play ...
at the end of August. His first win came on September 4, when he allowed two hits in six scoreless innings and the Jammers clinched a berth in the
New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
(NYPL) playoffs. The Jammers reached the NYPL finals but lost the championship to the
Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...
. Hand made three starts for Jamestown, in which he went 1–2 with a 3.00 ERA and struck out 12 batters in 15 innings. In 2009, Hand was promoted to the
Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...
of the
Low-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...
, where he went 7–13 with a 4.86 ERA in 26 starts. His 13 losses set a franchise record in Greensboro, but he also led the team that season with 122 strikeouts in innings. He improved as the season went on in Greensboro: Hand was 2–5 with a 7.68 ERA in his first eight starts, but had only a 3.84 ERA in his next 19 appearances. He was promoted to the
Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...
Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...
to begin the 2010 season, and by mid-June, he led the team with a 4–3 record, 3.33 ERA, and 74 strikeouts in innings. Hand was named the
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 13 after pitching a complete game shutout against the
Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...
. He went 8–8 with a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts for Jupiter before receiving a promotion to the Double-A
Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...
at the beginning of September. In his only appearance for Jacksonville that season, Hand held the
Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...
to four hits in six innings of a 6–2 Jacksonville win.


Florida / Miami Marlins (2011–2015)

Hand returned to the Suns to begin the 2011 baseball season, the only left-handed pitcher in both the starting rotation and bullpen. The Marlins, who were in need of an additional starting pitcher when Josh Johnson was placed on the disabled list, promoted Hand to Florida on June 6, 2011. At the time, he was 7–1 with a 3.53 ERA in Jacksonville. He made his MLB debut the next day, allowing only one earned run on one hita solo home run to Álex González in the fourth inning in six innings against the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, but took the loss as the Marlins were
shut out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable ...
1–0. His first major league win came on July 8, 2011, Hand's fifth start, when he held the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
to two hits in five innings of a 5–0 shutout win. After the game, the Marlins
optioned In the film industry, an option agreement is a contract that "rents" the rights to a source material to a potential film producer. It grants the film producer the exclusive option to purchase rights to the source material if they live up to the te ...
Hand, who had a 1–3 record and 2.77 ERA, back down to Jacksonville so he could continue to pitch during the All-Star Game break. He received three more major league promotions between July and September, but was sent back down both times as he struggled both with controlling his pitches and with allowing home runs. Johnson remained sidelined with a shoulder injury throughout that period, and in his absence, reliever
Clay Hensley Clayton Allen Hensley (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, and San Francisco Giants. Early life Hensley attended Lamar Un ...
had become a starting pitcher. With the team out of playoff contention by September, however, manager
Jack McKeon John Aloysius McKeon (; born November 23, 1930), nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). In , at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. Two ful ...
sent Hensley back to the
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...
and allowed Hand to start the final stretch of games and sell himself as a major league player for the 2012 season. In his first season with the Marlins, Hand went 1–8 with a 4.20 ERA in 12 starts, and he recorded 38 strikeouts in 60 innings. He was 11–4 with a 3.40 ERA in 19 Jacksonville games, meanwhile, all but one of which were starts, and struck out 71 batters in innings. While Hand made a change to the angle of his throwing arm during the 2011–12 offseason, which helped him throw more strikes in spring training, he did not make the Miami Marlins' 2012
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
roster, and was instead assigned to Jacksonville on March 18. He instead started the minor league season with the Triple-A
New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...
as part of a starting rotation that also included
Tom Koehler Thomas R. Koehler (born June 29, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Koehler played college baseball at Stony Brook University for the Stony Brook Seawolves and was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round of the 2 ...
,
Alex Sanabia Alejandro “Alex” Sanabia (born September 8, 1988) is a right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins. Early ...
,
Wade LeBlanc Wade Matthew LeBlanc (born August 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees, Pit ...
, and J. D. Martin. Hand received his first MLB call-up of the season on August 3 to pitch in the second game of a doubleheader against the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
. The MLB
collective bargaining agreement A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...
allowed a player like Hand to join a team as the 26th person on their 25-man roster for a same-day doubleheader as long as he was sent back to the minors the next day. At the time of his promotion, Hand was 8–5 in New Orleans, with a 3.66 ERA, 116 strikeouts, and 54 walks. He struggled in his lone start, allowing seven runs on six hits and six walks in innings. Hand was removed from the game after throwing 97 pitches in less than four innings, including a 33-pitch first inning, and the Nationals won 7–2. Hand made 27 starts with the Zephyrs in 2012, going 11–7 with a 4.00 ERA in the process, and he struck out 141 batters in innings while issuing 75 walks. Hand returned to the Zephyrs to begin the 2013 season in the
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. After the Marlins used 11 pitchers in a 15-inning game against the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
on April 30, Hand was briefly promoted to Miami as a fresh arm, but he was sent back down two days later after making one relief appearance. On May 21, Hand injured his oblique during pregame warmups with the Zephyrs. He spent nine weeks on the disabled list; on July 30, his first start since returning from the injury, Hand held the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...
to three hits in five scoreless innings, earning a no decision. On August 5, he struck out 11 batters and allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, taking the win in a 5–1 game against the
Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...
. He was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for these two performances. In 15 starts for New Orleans, Hand went 3–5 with a 3.42 ERA, striking out 81 batters in innings. He was a September call-up for the Marlins in 2013 as a relief pitcher who could make occasional starts as needed. His first major league start of the season came on September 13 against the Mets. Hand initially had a promising outing, walking only two batters in innings, but the three-run home run he allowed to
Lucas Duda Lucas Christopher Duda (born February 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2010 to 2019 for the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, and Kansas City Royals. H ...
in the sixth inning led to a 4–3 Marlins loss. His first win since 2011, meanwhile, came on September 18, when Hand pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
in a game that the Marlins won 4–3 in
extra innings Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie. Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine regulation innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little Lea ...
. Hand appeared in seven major league games that season, two starts and five relief appearances, and went 1–1 with a 3.05 ERA while striking out 15 batters in innings. After spending spring training in contention with
Tom Koehler Thomas R. Koehler (born June 29, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Koehler played college baseball at Stony Brook University for the Stony Brook Seawolves and was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round of the 2 ...
and Brian Flynn for the final spot in the Marlins' starting rotation, Hand, who went 2–1 with a 2.70 ERA in
exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...
s, made Miami's
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
roster as a reliever. He struggled in his new role as a
long reliever A long reliever or long-relief pitcher is a relief pitcher in baseball who enters the game if the starting pitcher leaves the game early. Long relievers often enter in the first three innings of a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, w ...
, going 0–1 with a 6.38 ERA in 16 appearances, 14 of which came in relief, before he was placed on the disabled list with a sprained ankle on May 24. When he returned from his rehabilitation assignment in July, Hand was added to the starting rotation, which had lost both the injured José Fernández and struggling
Jacob Turner Jacob Edward Turner (born May 21, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals. He also playe ...
, the latter of whom had become the team's new long reliever. It initially appeared as if he would break out in the rotation, going 2–2 with a 2.70 ERA in six July starts, but Hand soon returned to the bullpen when he went 0–3 with a 6.17 ERA in August. He was able to end the season on a high note with a 1–2 record and 3.00 ERA in his last four September starts. Altogether, Hand made 32 appearances for the Marlins in 2014, half starts and half in relief. He went 3–8 with a 4.38 ERA, striking out 67 batters in 111 innings. In 2015, Hand and the newly acquired David Phelps spent spring training preparing as backup starters in case the Marlins quickly lost a member of their rotation to injury, as they had the season prior. He was also out of minor league options that season and required a strong spring training to avoid being traded or placed on waivers. After posting a 1.54 ERA in spring exhibition games, Hand joined the Opening Day roster as one of the Marlins' two left-handed relievers. He received his first start of the season on May 27 against the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
following injuries to
Henderson Alvarez Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname * Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina * Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * ...
and
Mat Latos Mathew Adam Latos ( ; born December 9, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres from 2009 through 2011, the Cincinnati Reds from 2012 through 2014, and the Miami ...
. Hand earned a no decision as he held the Pirates to four hits in five innings, but the Marlins lost 5–2 after poor outings from relievers Mike Dunn and
Sam Dyson Samuel Isaac Dyson (born May 7, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, and Minnesota Twins. He played col ...
. After allowing six runs to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
in an 11–3 loss on June 8, Hand did not start a game again until August 5, when he pitched four scoreless innings and left the Marlins with a 1–0 lead against the Mets. Hand only earned a no decision, however, as the Marlins lost the game 5–1, giving him a 6–20 career record. He broke the Marlins' six-game losing streak in his next start on August 10 when, in addition to allowing only one run on two hits in seven innings, he successfully utilized two sacrifice bunts to lead the Marlins to a 4–1 win over the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. Hand was the first Marlin in franchise history to record two RBI sacrifice bunts in one game and was the first MLB player to do so since
Alex Cora Jose Alexander Cora (born October 18, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 14 seasons with the Red Sox ...
11 years prior. Hand appeared in 38 games for the Marlins in 2015, 12 as a starter and 26 in relief, and he went 4–7 with a 5.30 ERA while striking out 67 batters in innings.


San Diego Padres (2016–2018)

Hand struggled in spring training with the Marlins in 2016, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits in 11 innings for an 8.18 ERA, and he was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...
on April 8. The
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
subsequently claimed Hand on waivers to fill the final spot on their 40-man roster. Manager
Andy Green Andrew Green or Andy Green may refer to: * Andrew Green, Baron Green of Deddington (born 1941), former British diplomat and anti-immigration activist * Andrew Green (Formula One) (born 1965), Formula One engineer * Andrew Green (ghost hunter) (1927 ...
expected that Hand would serve both in long relief and in more specialized inning roles for the Padres' bullpen. The trade led to a breakout season for Hand, who had a 3.04 ERA in 51 appearances by the July 31
trading deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
. He was particularly successful against left-handed batters, holding them to a .151
batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively be ...
. He also had two stretches that season where he faced 20 or more left-handed batters in a row without allowing a hit. On September 14, Hand struck out his 100th batter of the season,
Kelby Tomlinson Kelby Aaron Tomlinson (born June 16, 1990) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played college baseball at Texas Tech and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, by whom he was drafted in 2011 ...
of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. He was the sixth reliever in Padres history to strike out 100 or more batters in a season and was the second left-handed reliever on any MLB team to reach the milestone in 2016, following Andrew Miller of the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
. He led all MLB relievers with 82 appearances in 2016, during which he went 4–4 with a career-low 2.92 ERA and struck out a career-high 111 batters in innings. Left-handed batters had a .421
on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...
(OPS) against him, but he was also successful against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .689 OPS. Shortly before the 2017 season, Hand agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Padres. Equipped with a new slider, Hand had a strong start to the 2017 season, making it through his first six appearances without allowing a run. By the end of June, he had a 2.59 ERA and was recording 11
strikeouts per nine innings In baseball statistics, strikeouts per nine innings pitched (abbreviated K/9, SO/9, or SO/9IP) is the mean of strikeouts (or Ks) by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by multiplying the number of strikeouts by nine, and dividing ...
(K/9), while opponents were batting only .120 against his slider. After posting a 2.42 ERA and a 0.94
walks plus hits per innings pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and dividi ...
(WHIP) through 40 appearances, Hand received his first MLB All-Star Game selection in 2017. There, he pitched a perfect seventh inning for the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
(NL) team, who ultimately lost 2–1 in extra innings. Shortly afterwards, Hand was named the NL Reliever of the Month for July 2017, having maintained a -inning scoreless streak and 0.88 WHIP that month. Primarily a
setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. As ...
, Hand received his first save opportunity of the season on May 24, when he exchanged places with struggling closer
Brandon Maurer Brandon Eugene Maurer (born July 3, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals. From Costa Mesa, California, Maurer pitche ...
. Hand came into the game in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and escaped the outing with two strikeouts and a flyout, helping the Padres defeat the Mets 6–5. The Padres traded Maurer to the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
shortly before the trading deadline, at which point Hand took over the ninth-inning role for San Diego. Hand finished a career-best year with a 2.16 ERA, 5.20
strikeout-to-walk ratio In baseball statistics, strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB) is a measure of a pitcher's ability to control pitches, calculated as strikeouts divided by bases on balls. A hit by pitch is not counted statistically as a walk, and therefore not counted in ...
, 11.8 K/9, and 0.933 WHIP. He also made 21 saves, most of which came after the Maurer trade. On January 14, 2018, the Padres signed Hand to a three-year, $19.75 million contract extension that also included an option for the 2021 season. He was officially named as the team's 2018 closer during spring training, but he also made appearances in other high-leverage situations, such as when the Padres faced the heart of the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
' lineup
Charlie Blackmon Charles Cobb Blackmon (born July 1, 1986), nicknamed "Chuck Nazty", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Colorado Rockies. He made his MLB debut in 2011. B ...
,
Nolan Arenado Nolan James Arenado (; born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arenado is widely recognized as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. He is ...
, and David Dahlin the seventh inning of a game. On April 18, Hand struck out all four Giants batters he faced, becoming the first Padres pitcher to strike out every batter he faced in a multi-inning save. After converting all 10 save opportunities he faced, MLB named Hand the NL Pitcher of the Month for May. Hand's pitching appeared to improve with its frequency: by mid-June, he had a 1.23 ERA working on two or fewer days of rest between appearances, compared to a 7.11 ERA with three or more days of rest. While he struggled in June and July, with three blown saves boosting his ERA from 2.30 to 3.05, Hand pitched another perfect inning in his second All-Star Game, retiring all three batters he faced in the eighth inning. Making 41 appearances for the Padres in 2018, Hand went 2–4 with a 3.05 ERA, converting 24 of 29 save opportunities while striking out 65 batters in innings.


Cleveland Indians (2018–2020)

On July 19, 2018, the Padres traded Hand and
Adam Cimber Adam Christian Cimber (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays a ...
to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
, who were poised to lose several relievers to free agency during the 2018–19 offseason, in exchange for catching prospect Francisco Mejia. On his new team, Hand became a setup man for Cleveland closer
Cody Allen Cody Edward Allen (born November 20, 1988) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians from 2012 to 2018 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. Early life Allen is ...
, who had 19 saves on the season but had blown several attempts, including a game that
Trevor Bauer Trevor Andrew Bauer (born January 17, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondback ...
left 4–0 against the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
that ended in a 7–4 loss for the Indians. By late August, while Allen remained the de facto closer for the Indians, Hand, who allowed only two earned runs in 14 appearances, was receiving save opportunities. After being traded, Hand made 28 appearances for Cleveland, finishing 11 games, and he went 0–1 with a 2.28 ERA while converting eight of 10 save opportunities. The Indians, meanwhile, were the
AL Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are al ...
division champions, giving Hand his first playoff appearance in the
2018 American League Division Series The 2018 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2018 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2018 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, se ...
against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. The Astros swept the Indians in the best-of-five series, with Hand allowing Correa's first hit of the series, a three-run home run in Game 3. Prior to spring training, Indians manager
Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously managed the Cleveland Indians/G ...
announced that Hand would be the team's closer for the 2019 season. He was 22-for-22 in save opportunities until June 25, when
Hunter Dozier Hunter William Dozier (born August 22, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. The Royals selected Dozier eighth overall in ...
hit a
grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
against Hand in the ninth inning of the Indians' game against the Royals, giving Kansas City a three-run lead. Hand's ERA jumped from 1.05 to 2.36 after the outing, and the Indians lost 8–6. He received his third consecutive All-Star Game selection in 2019 after striking out 52 batters in 27 appearances. Hand was far less successful in the second half of the season, which he attributed to a mechanical issue with his slider delivery. After his first blown save, he had a 6.95 ERA, a .347 batting average against, and five more blown saves in 22 innings. Following a stretch of 19 games in which Hand allowed 12 earned runs on 26 hits for a 6.00 ERA, the Indians sent their pitcher back to Cleveland in the middle of a road trip to undergo medical imaging. He was sidelined between September 9 and 20 with what was described as a "tired arm", after which he made only one more appearance to finish out the season. In 60 appearances for Cleveland, Hand went 6–4 with a 3.30 ERA and converted 34 of 39 save opportunities while striking out 84 batters in innings. As Francona did not want to use the same reliever three days in a row during the 2020 MLB season, which was shortened to only 60 games due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Hand was not the only pitcher called on to save games for the Indians, instead joined in the closing role by rookies Cam Hill and James Karinchak. Outside of one early-season appearance against the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
on July 29, in which Hand loaded the bases to set the Indians up for a 4–0 loss, he was sharp for the Indians in the shortened season, going 1–1 and converting all 12 save opportunities in his first 16 appearances. He made 23 appearances for the Indians that season, including an AL-leading 21 games finished, and went 2–1 with a 2.05 ERA while also leading the AL by going 16-for-16 on save opportunities. This success came despite his average fastball velocity dropping down to in 2020, more than lower than it had been when he was acquired by the Indians. At the end of the season, Hand was named to the All-MLB Second Team and was a finalist for AL Reliever of the Year, an award which ultimately went to
Liam Hendriks Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989) is an Australian professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, ...
of the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
. Because the 2020 regular season was shortened to only 60 games, the playoffs expanded from 10 to 16 teams, all of whom began the postseason in a best-of-three "wild card" matchup. The Indians, who finished the season as the No. 4 seed in the AL, hosted the No. 5
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series. Hand did not play in Game 1, which the Yankees won in a 12–3 rout. Two days later, he entered Game 2 in the ninth inning with the Indians up 9–8. He first allowed
Gary Sánchez Gary Sánchez Herrera (born December 2, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, San D ...
to tie the game on a
sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...
that brought home
Mike Tauchman Michael Robert Tauchman (born December 3, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, San Francisco G ...
, and then
DJ LeMahieu David John LeMahieu (; born July 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The Cubs selected LeMah ...
hit an RBI single to score
Gio Urshela Giovanny Urshela Salcedo (born October 11, 1991) is a Colombian professional baseball third baseman for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees ...
from second base, giving the Yankees a 10–9 lead.
Aroldis Chapman Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, New Y ...
held the Indians scoreless to end the game, giving the Yankees the win and eliminating Cleveland from the postseason. Shortly afterwards, the Indians placed Hand on outright waivers; when he passed through the waiver process unclaimed, they bought out the remainder of his contract for $1 million, releasing him into free agency.


Washington Nationals (2021)

The
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
, who had lost their only left-handed reliever after
Sean Doolittle Sean Robert Doolittle (born September 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and Seattle Mariners. He won the 201 ...
became a free agent that offseason, signed Hand to a one-year, $10.5 million contract on January 26, 2021. Serving once again as his team's closer, Hand blew his first regular-season save since 2019 on May 8 against the Yankees. He first took the game into extra innings by allowing DJ LeMahieu to tie in the ninth inning.
Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. At the internation ...
put the Nationals up 3–2 in the top of the 10th inning, but Hand allowed a Mike Ford RBI to tie the game again, and
Tanner Rainey Tanner Scott Rainey (born December 25, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals. He was dra ...
lost the game 4–3 when he allowed
Gleyber Torres Gleyber David Torres Castro (born December 13, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees. Torres made his MLB debut ...
to walk off in the 11th. After more difficult outings raised Hand's May ERA to 7.56, he made a fastball adjustment that was followed by two clean saves in a row. He was more successful from May 22 to July 20, with a 1.52 ERA in 22 appearances during that stretch, but ended his tenure in Washington with seven runs allowed in innings in his last three appearances. Limited by his difficulties in finding the strike zone, Hand was 5–5 with a 3.59 ERA in 41 appearances for the Nationals, and he converted 21 of 26 save opportunities.


Toronto Blue Jays (2021)

As the Nationals fell behind in the
NL East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central, it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. After having internal, informal divisions for ...
through the first part of the season, they became aggressive sellers at the trading deadline. On July 29, 2021, the Nationals traded Hand to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
in exchange for catching prospect
Riley Adams Riley Keaton Adams (born June 26, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played college baseball for the San ...
. While Toronto did not have a designated closer, the trade allowed them to partner the left-handed Hand with the right-handed
Jordan Romano Jordan Robert Romano (born April 21, 1993) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. High school and college Romano atten ...
in late innings. He could not find success with his new team: his first 11 appearances for the Blue Jays included two losses, a blown save, and a walk-off walk to the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. He referred to his time in Toronto as "the toughest stretch I've ever been through in my career" and could not explain why his fastball command was so poor, as they could not isolate any mechanical difficulties. In innings across 11 appearances for Toronto, Hand went 0–2 with a 7.27 ERA, and he was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...
on August 31.


New York Mets (2021)

On September 2, 2021, the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
claimed Hand off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Because he was not with the team on September 1, Hand was ineligible to appear in the postseason for the Mets, but was added to the bullpen to help them clinch a potential playoff berth in the final month of the regular season. This bid was ultimately unsuccessful, as the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention with a 2–1 loss to the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
on September 25. Hand made 16 appearances for New York in September, and while he had a 1–0 record and 2.70 ERA, he also allowed five of the six runners he inherited to score, and the Mets stopped placing him in high-leverage situations as a result. He became a free agent at the end of the season.


Philadelphia Phillies (2022)

On March 16, 2022, the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
signed Hand to a one-year, $6 million contract. Interim manager
Rob Thomson Robert Lewis Thomson (born August 16, 1963), nicknamed "Topper", is a Canadian professional baseball manager for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). During Thomson's playing career, he was a catcher and third baseman in th ...
did not assign relief pitchers to specific innings, and Hand was instead utilized in late innings when the Phillies were set to face a string of left-handed batters. He saw increased usage in August when
Corey Knebel Corey Andrew Knebel (born November 26, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphi ...
and Seranthony Domínguez were both sideliend with injuries, before landing on the injured list with left elbow tendinitis at the end of September. Hand appeared in 55 regular-season games for the Phillies, going 3–2 with a 2.80 ERA and five saves in 45 innings. The Phillies advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2011, with Hand making seven appearances in the postseason. This included two shutout innings against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
during the
2022 World Series The 2022 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2022 Major League Baseball season, 2022 season. The 118th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL ...
, which Philadelphia lost in six games.


Colorado Rockies (2023)

On March 4, 2023, the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
signed Hand to a one-year, $2 million contract, with a team option for 2024. Colorado had been in need of a veteran left-handed reliever after losing Lucas Gilbreath to
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...
. After using exclusively a
four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch (baseball), pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is s ...
and slider combination since 2017, Hand introduced a
cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...
to his pitch rotation upon joining the Rockies. He had a strong start to the season, with 12 scoreless appearances in his first 16 outings for the Rockies, but then posted a 5.75 ERA in his next 24 appearances. This included back-to-back July outings in which he allowed four runs in one inning against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, followed by two runs in innings against the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. In 40 appearances for the Rockies that season, Hand had a 4.54 ERA, striking out 41 batters in innings.


Atlanta Braves (2023)

On August 1, 2023, the Rockies traded Hand to the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
in exchange for minor league pitcher Alec Barger. There, he was their third left-handed option out of the bullpen, behind A. J. Minter and Dylan Lee. He made 20 appearances after the trade, during which he went 2–2 with a 7.50 ERA, striking out 18 batters in 18 innings. Hand also pitched one inning in Game 3 of the 2023 NLDS against the Phillies, during which he allowed a home run to
Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball first baseman and right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. One o ...
. At the end of the season, the Braves declined their end of Hand's $7 million mutual option for 2024, making him a free agent.


Pitching style

Hand's signature pitch is his slider, which he developed in 2015 with the aid of Marlins pitching coach
Chuck Hernandez Carlo Amado Hernandez (born November 11, 1960) is an American professional baseball coach (baseball), coach. He has coached in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Miami M ...
. He used the pitch less than 10 percent of the time during his final season in Miami, but it made up 36 percent of his pitches with the Padres in 2016 and 44 percent in 2017. By 2019, more than half of his pitchers were sliders. The slider effectively replaced Hand's
curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
, which he abandoned when he became a relief pitcher, as he had difficulty throwing it for strikes. The slider is paired with a fastball, which is typically thrown as a sinker. Hand prefers to use the sinking fastball against right-handed hitters, either on the first pitch or when ahead on strikes. At their peak in 2018, Hand's average velocity was for his fastball and for his slider. Two years later, these speeds had dropped to for the fastball and for the slider.


Personal life

Hand married his wife Morgan on February 28, 2015, and they had their first child together that same year. Their second child, Cuyler, was born in 2017. During the baseball offseason, the Hands live in
Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach. ...
. In 2019, shortly after he was traded to the Indians, Hand began the Helping Hands charity organization. Originally created to aid the Cleveland chapter of the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...
, the organization also aids youth baseball and softball organizations and has partnered with OhioGuidestone, which provides foster care, family services, and behavioral health services around the Cleveland area. Hand was the Indians' 2020 nominee for the
Roberto Clemente Award The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball positions, player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community#Psychology, community involvement and the individual's contribution to ...
, given for sportsmanship and philanthropy.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hand, Brad 1990 births Living people American League All-Stars National League All-Stars People from Chaska, Minnesota Sportspeople from Carver County, Minnesota Baseball players from Minnesota Major League Baseball pitchers Florida Marlins players Miami Marlins players San Diego Padres players Cleveland Indians players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen Toronto Blue Jays players New York Mets players Philadelphia Phillies players Colorado Rockies players Atlanta Braves players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jamestown Jammers players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Jacksonville Suns players New Orleans Zephyrs players