Dan Hudson took the hard road

Phil Gurnee ♦ April 25, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

In a quiet move on April 2nd, the Dodgers signed free agent pitcher Daniel Hudson after  Hudson had been released by Tampa on March 28th.  You might have wondered why the Dodgers would take on a pitcher that a pitching-poor team like Tampa could not find a spot for on their major league roster.

You could have wondered the same thing when the Dodgers signed JT Chargois after the Twins inexplicably took him off their 40 man roster and allowed him to be made available to all of baseball.  We now know the answer to that. The Twins front office was not smart about Chargois and the Dodger front office was. His stuff plays, he may not be great but he certainly is a major league pitcher.

The same can be said of Dan Hudson. He is a long cry from his days before multiple TJ surgeries but he is still a major league pitcher.  The Dodgers ultimately decided they liked what they had in Hudson over Wilmer Font.  Hudson now has to prove he can be more valuable to the team, than Kimi Garcia who is rounding into shape in Oklahoma.

He took a baby step in that direction last night with a flawless inning. Hudson has to manage the walks and last night pitched a clean inning.

Hudson may not last long in the Dodger bullpen, the odds are against it, but considering his road, I’m rooting for him to be a difference maker.

Tommy John surgery. Elbow tears again.

Another Tommy John surgery. Almost three years to get back.

Thrives. Gets paid.

Struggles. Gets traded.

Cut. Goes to the minors.

Daniel Hudson has been through a lot. So to see him punch out two in his Dodgers debut — that was cool.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 25, 2018

I’ve always been a fan of Dan Hudson. You can never tell why I take a liking to certain players but Dan Hudson was one of them and it is always pleasing when those players end up on the Dodgers. I think Jimmy Wynn was the first of these players, Chase Utley continued the trend, and Dan Hudson is the latest.

I may have to come up with a column on all the players I’ve liked before they were Dodgers.