Padres News: Bob Melvin Feels Josh Hader Has Overcome Any Mental and Mechanical Hurdles
Josh Hader first suited up in the brown and gold during the 2022 season when he was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline. He was in the midst of one of the worst slumps of his career, and it continued for his first few months with the Friars. Hader was quickly losing confidence in his pitching mechanics, but San Diego's coaching staff worked closely with him to ensure that he would go back to old ways.
The 28-year-old was easily regarded as the best relief pitcher in baseball previouslym and took home the NL Reliever of the Year Award three times. His ERA would shoot up to above 10.00, however, multiple times in his first stretch of games with the Friars. Hader slowly showed improvement as the team got closer to the postseason, and he regained his confidence at just the right time, pitching some historic games throughout the playoffs.
Padres manager Bob Melvin has been very pleased with what he has seen from Hader so far in Spring Training, and how he's continued his strong play from the end of last season. Provided by '97.3 The Fan', Melvin discussed the factors that he believed affected Hader initially and how much better he's doing now.
"I think he's much more comfortable," said Melvin. "The timing of it was he was going through a rough stretch when he came over. And then now you get into a new place and there's a lot more you have to deal with and it kind of continued for a little while. It's probably just as much in your head but maybe a little bit of an angle and then all of a sudden, you feel better about it."
If Hader's struggles mechanically and mentally are truly behind him, it will only make the Friars a stronger unit all-around. It looks like he has the support he needs from San Diego to continue being great and retake his spot as a top reliever in baseball.
