| J. D. Hammer | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Hammer with the Phillies in 2019 | |
| Free agent | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1994-07-12)July 12, 1994 (age 31) Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 26, 2019, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics (through 2021 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 2–1 |
| Earned run average | 4.38 |
| Strikeouts | 35 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
John Dale Hammer (born July 12, 1994) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for thePhiladelphia Phillies.
Hammer was born inFort Collins, Colorado. He was the oldest of four children, all of whom helped with their parents' pizza business and played baseball. After graduating fromFort Collins High School, he joined theNavarro College baseball team as ashortstop. His coaches transitioned him into pitching, and he became the team'sace in 2014. Hammer spent two seasons with Navarro before continuing hiscollege baseball career with theMarshall Thundering Herd. After graduating from Marshall, the Rockies selected Hammer in the 24th round of the2016 MLB Draft.
While Hammer was playing in the Rockies'farm system, he was traded to the Phillies in exchange forPat Neshek. He missed most of the 2018 season with an elbow injury but rose through the Phillies' minor leagues at the start of the 2019 season, making his MLB debut that May. Hammer was sent back down toTriple-A in July and remained there for the rest of the season. He did not play in 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic but returned to the Philliesbullpen in 2021. After beingoutrighted from Philadelphia's roster, Hammer re-signed with the team that drafted him before the 2022 season.
Hammer was born on July 12, 1994, inFort Collins, Colorado,[1] the oldest of four children born to Jason and Sindi Hammer, who owned a pizza franchise in theDenver area. In addition to helping with the family business, all of the Hammer children played baseball at the encouragement of their father, who had been ashortstop forLewis–Clark State College in Idaho.[2] Hammer played two seasons of baseball atFossil Ridge High School before transferring toFort Collins High School in 2010.[3] During hisjunior year, Hammer was a Second Team All-State selection afterhitting .390 with eighthome runs.[4]
Hammer enrolled atNavarro College as a shortstop, but he did not do well as a hitter. His coaches offered him an option between becoming apitcher or beingredshirted, and he elected to pitch.[2][5] He made 18 pitching appearances as a freshman in 2012, all of which camein relief, and went 2–0 with a 3.00earned run average (ERA) and 35 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched.[6] After gaining attention from coaches during the 2013JUCO World Series,[7] in which Navarro was eliminated byPalm Beach State College,[8] Hammer became Navarro'sace in 2014.[9] He became a starting pitcher that season, pitching his firstcomplete game on March 13. Hammer came close to pitching ashutout, but Bossier Parish scored on anerror from Navarro's center fielder, and the final score was 5–1.[10] He went 5–1 with a 1.37 ERA during his sophomore season, striking out 58 batters in85+1⁄3 innings, and was named an All-Region XIV first team selection.[11]
Hammer left Navarro to join theMarshall Thundering Herd for the2015 NCAA baseball season. He made his first start for the new team on February 27, striking out six batters and allowing six hits in seven innings, while Michael Taylor picked up the win in Marshall's 2–1 victory over theTowson Tigers.[12] He picked up his first win on April 18, striking out two and allowing one run on five hits in7+1⁄3 innings of the Herd's 5–1 win overOld Dominion.[13] Hammer's next win came on May 9, when he set personal highs with 11 strikeouts in eight innings, allowing six hits and three walks as the Herd defeated theWestern Kentucky Hilltoppers 5–3.[14] Hammer finished the 2015 season with a 2–6 record, 3.83 ERA, and one save in 15 appearances, 12 of which were starts, and he struck out 56 batters in a team-leading 80 innings.[15]
Hammer picked up his first win of the2016 college baseball season on March 6, when he struck out nine batters and allowed threeearned runs in six innings of a 12–6 victory overLehigh.[16] The next week, he pitched a 7–2complete game victory overBrown, carrying ano-hitter through four innings before surrendering adouble in the fifth.[17] Hammer missed nine games with an upper body injury but finished the season 4–2 with a 4.88 ERA in 14 appearances, 11 of which were starts, and with 56 strikeouts in66+1⁄3 innings.[15] Hammer appeared as a relief pitcher for Marshall in the semifinal round of theConference USA baseball tournament, and despite holding theSouthern Miss Golden Eagles scoreless in his outing, Marshall fell 3–2 and was eliminated from the postseason.[18]
TheColorado Rockies ofMajor League Baseball (MLB), Hammer's hometown team, selected him in the 24th round, 710th overall, of the2016 MLB Draft.[19] He signed with the team for abonus of only $1,000 and was assigned to theRookie-levelGrand Junction Rockies of thePioneer League.[20][21] The Grand Junction Rockies were managed at the time by Frank Gonzales, who had coached Hammer when he was in high school.[22] Hammer made 27 Pioneer League appearances, all in relief, in his first season of professional baseball. He posted a 0–2 record and a 3.92 ERA while striking out 52 batters in43+2⁄3 innings.[23]
Hammer opened the 2017 baseball season as the designatedcloser for theSingle–AAsheville Tourists. After going 3–1 with a 1.08 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and six saves in his first 25 innings, he became one of six Tourists named to theSouth Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star Team that June.[24] He pitched five more innings, earning another win and striking out two more batters, before being called up to theHigh–ALancaster JetHawks.[25] In 12 games there, Hammer went 0–1 with a 5.25 ERA, striking out 18 batters in 12 innings and converting six saves.[23] Between the two teams, Hammer successfully converted 13saves in 14 opportunities and averaged 13.9strikeouts per nine innings (K/9).[26]
On July 26, 2017, thePhiladelphia Phillies traded sidearm relieverPat Neshek and cash to the Rockies in exchange for threeprospects: Hammer, Alejandro Requena, and Jose Gomez.[27] Hammer was assigned to the High–AClearwater Threshers of theFlorida State League (FSL), becoming abullpen staple with a 2–0 record and a 0.57 ERA in 12 appearances. Hammer struck out 20 batters in15+2⁄3 FSL innings, issued only twowalks, and held his opponents to a .154batting average. Impressed with his regular season performance, the Phillies sent Hammer to theArizona Fall League to continue working on his pitch mechanics as a member of theGlendale Desert Dogs.[28] In 10 appearances for Arizona, Hammer posted an ERA of 0.66, with 11 strikeouts in13+2⁄3 innings and only 0.805walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP).[23]
After starting the 2018 baseball season in extendedspring training with the Phillies, Hammer reported back to Clearwater in June.[29] He appeared in only three games, allowing threeearned runs in3+2⁄3 innings before going on thedisabled list (DL).[30] He spent most of the season on the DL with a strained elbow, appearing in only 12 games.[31] Nine of those appearances were in relief for the Threshers, with whom he went 1–2 with a 2.79 ERA and struck out 12 batters in9+2⁄3 innings. The other three were quick outings with theGulf Coast League Phillies.[23] Although he was not invited to spring training in 2019, Hammer did receive a promotion, starting the season with theDouble-AReading Fightin' Phils. In 13 games and 21 innings there, Hammer went 1–0 with a 1.77 ERA.[32] He made one appearance for theTriple-ALehigh Valley IronPigs as well, recordingouts against all six batters he faced.[33]
When Pat Neshek was placed on the injured list on May 25, 2019, Hammer was called up to fill his place in thebullpen and on the 25-man roster.[33] He made his MLB debut the following day, pitching a scoreless inning against theMilwaukee Brewers by getting outChristian Yelich,Ryan Braun, andMike Moustakas.[34] Hammer played 20 games with the Phillies, during which he went 1–0 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.421 WHIP while striking out 13 batters in 19 innings. He was sent back down to the IronPigs on July 23, however, to prevent him from being overworked following his injury-shortened 2018 season.[35] Upon his return, Hammer'sfastball velocity sharply declined with the rigors of a full season of professional baseball, and in his last 16 outings, he recorded a 14.49 ERA, .345batting average against, and opposing batters had a 1.128on-base plus slugging against him.[36] Coupled with his earlier appearance, Hammer went 2–2 with a 12.64 ERA in 17 games for Lehigh Valley, striking out 16 batters in15+2⁄3 innings.[23]
Recognizing that his declining pitch velocity and the lack ofbreaking balls in his pitch repertoire had affected his performance, Hammer spent the 2019–20 offseason weightlifting and developing hisslider andcurveball.[36] He was sent to Triple-A that February,[37] but on June 30,Minor League Baseball responded to theCOVID-19 pandemic by cancelling the season.[38] Every team was afforded a 60-player pool, of which 30 were on the major league roster and the other 30 practiced an at alternate training site instead of playing in minor league games.[39] Hammer was included in the alternate training site player pool, and he spent the entirety of the abbreviated season training in Lehigh Valley.[40] Hammer opened the 2021 season with the IronPigs, posting a 1.74 ERA and striking out 33 batters in20+2⁄3 innings before he was called up to Philadelphia on July 10. He made his season debut that day against theBoston Red Sox, loading the bases on ahit by pitch, asingle and awalk before retiring the next three batters to escape the inning without allowing a run.[41] Hammer appeared in 20 major league games during the 2021 season, recording a 4.95 ERA and striking out 22 batters in 20 innings.[42] On November 5, 2021, the Phillies attempted tooutright Hammer off of the 40-man roster, but he opted forfree agency instead.[43]
On December 1, 2021, Hammer signed a minor league contract with the Rockies to rejoin the team that drafted him.[44] Following the2021–22 MLB lockout, Hammer was one of ten non-roster players that the Rockies invited to a condensed spring training.[45] He was assigned to theAlbuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Rockies, to begin the season.[46] The assignment reunited Hammer with his high school baseball coach Frank Gonzales, who had since taken a job as pitching coach for the Isotopes.[47] He spent the entire season in Albuquerque. In 53 appearances for the Isotopes, all of which came in relief, Hammer was 1–1 with a 5.94 ERA. He struck out 47 batters in 47 innings.[23] He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.[48][1]
Hammer joined theLake Erie Crushers of theFrontier League, anindependent baseball league, for the 2023 season.[49] He made his Frontier League debut in the Crushers' season opener, pitching a scoreless inning in relief against theQuébec Capitales on May 12.[50] The Crushers also deployed Hammer as a starting pitcher, and he picked up his first win on June 21, pitching five innings in a shutout of theSchaumburg Boomers.[51] In 19 appearances for Lake Erie, including nine starts, Hammer was 3–3 with a 3.46 ERA, striking out 46 batters in 52 innings.[52]
On July 29, 2023, Hammer signed with theLos Angeles Angels organization,[52] becoming the first Crushers pitcher this season to sign with an MLB franchise.[53] He made his debut with the Triple-ASalt Lake Bees on August 3 as a starter, allowing one run in five innings against theEl Paso Chihuahuas.[54] He made nine appearances with the Bees, all but one as a starter. During that Time, Hammer went 1–2 with a 6.63 ERA, striking out 19 batters in 38 innings.[23] He elected free agency at the end of the season.[1]
On December 25, 2023, Hammer signed with theGenerales de Durango of theMexican League, where he was expected to join their bullpen.[55] Two months later, the Mexican League would suspend the Generales for the 2024 season.[56] Hammer was officially released by theCaliente de Durango without appearing in a game on September 21.[57]
During the 2021 season, Hammer threw three pitches: afastball with an average velocity of 94 mph (151 km/h), which he threw 61 percent of the time, and an 83 mph (134 km/h)slider and 76 mph (122 km/h)curveball as hisbreaking balls.[58] He added the slider early in the 2019 season, before his first MLB recall, and has also used achangeup. Hammer credits his minor-league elbow injury with teaching him "that I need to take better care of my body and how to prepare and not just go out there and throw".[31]
Hammer is known for the thick black plastic glasses that he wears when pitching, which have been compared to the glasses thatCharlie Sheen's character Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn wears in the 1989 baseball filmMajor League.[33] He began wearing them during the 2017 season after his poor vision prevented him from reading thesigns indicating which pitches hiscatcher was calling for him to throw.[28][59]
As his parents' firstborn, Hammer was named John Dale after both of his grandfathers, but primarily goes by his initials because his parents thought that "J. D. Hammer" was a "[b]aseball name".[2] He has two younger brothers, Garrett and Kalen, and a sister named Brenli. Garrett Hammer played baseball forRocky Mountain High School,Kellogg Community College, andNew Mexico Highlands University.[19][60]