Quick Facts
Biography
Daniel Claiborne Hudson (born March 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Amateur career
Hudson attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he finished second all-time in strikeouts with 295 (Justin Verlander is first all-time), sixth in games started with 40 and seventh in innings pitched with 292. He posted a win-loss record of 20–14, and had a 3.79 earned run average.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. For the remainder of the 2008 season he was assigned to the White Sox rookie-level affiliate, the Great Falls Voyagers, where he posted a W–L record of 5–4 and an ERA of 3.36 in 14 starts. He struck out 90 batters in 69 2/3 innings.
He began the 2009 minor league season at Low-A level, with the Kannapolis Intimidators. After posting a 1.23 ERA in four starts, Hudson was promoted to the Winston-Salem Dash, the Sox Advanced-A team. After 8 starts and a 3.40 ERA in Winston-Salem, Hudson was once again on the move up, this time to the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Hudson's rapid rise through the White Sox minor league system continued in Birmingham, where he posted a record of 7–0, with a minuscule 1.60 ERA. After nine starts at Double-A level, Hudson was promoted to Triple-A. With the Charlotte Knights Hudson went 2–0 with an ERA of 3.00 in five starts.
Chicago White Sox
He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 3, 2009, after posting a 14–5 record and a 2.32 ERA, and striking out 166 in 147 1/3 innings at four minor league levels. In his Major League debut on September 4, 2009 he pitched two innings of scoreless relief. Hudson made three appearances out of the White Sox bullpen before taking over Gavin Floyd's spot in the rotation for the remainder of the 2009 season, after Floyd sustained a hip injury. He received his first win in his second start on September 27, 2009, allowing two earned runs over six innings at U.S. Cellular Field vs. the Detroit Tigers. That victory completed the rare accomplishment, and perhaps unique in baseball history, of recording wins in five different levels of professional baseball, including the majors, in one season.
After starting the 2010 season in the minors, Hudson was called up on July 11, 2010 to replace Jake Peavy, who was out for the season with a torn right latissimus dorsi muscle.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On July 30, 2010, Hudson and minor league pitcher David Holmberg were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson. He was 7–1 with a 1.69 ERA with the Diamondbacks that season. Hudson finished the 2011 season 16–12, with a 3.49 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 222.0 innings pitched. He also hit .277/.309/.369 and had 14 RBI and 1 home run as a batter. He helped lead the team to an NL West division title and won the 2011 pitching Silver Slugger as the best batter at his position. On July 9, 2012, Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery which eliminated him for the remainder of the 2012 season. Hudson began the 2013 season on the 60-day disabled list still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he previously had. In a rehab start with the Double-A Mobile BayBears on June 4, 2013, Hudson re-tore his ulnar collateral ligament. Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time of his career on June 18, 2013, which shut him down for the entire 2013 season. After the season, Hudson was non-tendered by Arizona, becoming a free agent. It was rumored that Hudson still wanted to return to the Diamondbacks and on December 13, 2013, Hudson signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.
Nearly 2 years after surgery, Hudson returned as a reliever late into the 2014 season. He pitched in 3 games, totaling 2.2 innings.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On December 21, 2016, Hudson signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pitching style
Hudson's pitch repertoire is as follows:
- Four-seam fastball (91–95)
- Two-seam fastball (91–95)
- Slider (81–84)
- Changeup (82–85)
- Cutter (86–89) — added in 2012
About half of Hudson's pitches are four-seamers. He also uses the two-seamer and changeup against left-handers, while using all of them against right-handers. The two-seamer and cutter tend to be used earlier in the count to get ahead, while the slider and changeup are often used in 2-strike counts. Hudson featured an occasional curveball early in his career, but he has not thrown the pitch since 2010.
Awards and honors
- 2009 This Year in Minor League Baseball Awards "Overall Starter of the Year"
- 2011 pitchers' Silver Slugger Award
- Mayo, Jonathan (December 31, 2009). "Hudson stormed way to Majors, MiLBY: Sox righty made way from Class A to U.S. Cellular Field". MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved June 17, 2011.