2016 Dodgers review: Chris Hatcher

Injuries and ineffectiveness marred the 2016 campaign of Chris Hatcher in his second year with the Dodgers.

What went right

From May 1 through June 22 (hooray, selective endpoints), Hatcher posted a 2.50 ERA in 15 games, with 19 strikeouts and seven unintentional walks in 18 innings.

Left-handed batters were just 9-for-60 with one extra-base hit (a home run) against Hatcher, hitting .150/.282/.200 against him.

Hatcher allowed only three of his 15 inherited runners (20%) to score. MLB average was 30% in 2016.

What went wrong

Hatcher saw his strikeout rate decrease from 27.1% in 2015 to 23.8% in 2016, and also increased his unintentional walk rate from 6.7% to 9.6%.

His eight home runs allowed were double his previous career worst, and matched Hatcher’s total home runs allowed in 2014-2015 combined.

Hatcher had an 8.18 ERA in April and an 8.22 ERA in July.

Right-handed batters teed off on Hatcher, to the tune of .316/.385/.643.

Among the 176 major league pitchers with at least 40 innings in relief in 2016, Hatcher ranked 166th in ERA (5.53) and 164th in FIP (5.21).

A strained left oblique landed Hatcher on the disabled list on July 20, an injury that wiped out the final 67 games of his season.

2016 particulars

Age: 31

Stats: 5.53 ERA, 5.21 FIP in 37 games, 43 K, 21 BB in 40⅔ IP; -0.7 rWAR, -0.3 fWAR

Salary: $1.065 million

Game of the year

Hatcher entered the game on June 18 against the Brewers down 5-2 in the third inning — his earliest game entrance of 2016 — with two runners in scoring position and two outs. He escaped that situation without any damage, then added two scoreless innings after that, holding Milwaukee at bay while the Dodgers rallied.

His 2⅓ innings marked Hatcher’s longest outing of the season, earning him the win in relief.

Roster status

Hatcher avoided salary arbitration with a one-year contract signed on Dec. 1 worth $1.25 million in 2017. He has three years, 146 days of major league service time, and no option years remaining.