Brad Hand

Lore & Background

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hand's family settled in Chaska before he entered high school. He was a three-sport athlete at Chaska High School, and after his senior year in 2008, the Florida Marlins selected him in the second round of the 2008 MLB draft. Hand chose to forego a college baseball commitment to Arizona State in favor of turning professional. He made his MLB debut in 2011 when Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson was injured, but inconsistent pitch command prevented Hand from becoming a fixture in the Marlins' major league roster until 2014, when he was assigned to the bullpen. Hand spent the next two seasons alternating between starting and relief roles for Miami before he was claimed on waivers by the Padres shortly before the 2016 season. Hand had a breakout role in San Diego, attributed in part to his slider. He was named to three consecutive All-Star Games beginning in 2017, the same year that he became a closer. The Padres traded Hand to the Indians midway through the 2018 season, and he made his first postseason appearance in the 2018 American League Division Series. After struggling with arm fatigue and pitch delivery issues in 2019, Hand was perfect in 16 save opportunities for Cleveland in 2020, but he was designated for assignment at the end of the year. Hand found varying levels of success in 2021 with Washington, Toronto, and New York before signing with Philadelphia in 2022.

In Their Own Story

The August night at Marlins Park was humid, the kind of Florida heat that made the artificial turf shimmer under the lights. Two outs, runner on second, count 2-1. The next batter was a lefty who'd been hitting .400 that week. Hand walked to the mound, rolled his shoulder once, twice. The crowd noise faded to a low hum. He set his foot, drove up, and the slider left his hand at 86 mph with a break that looked illegal. The bat went through the air, the ball hit the black, and the umpire's arms snapped out. The Marlins dugout erupted. Hand didn't celebrate. He just nodded, adjusted his cap, and walked back to the bullpen. Tomorrow there'd be another game, another high-leverage moment, and he'd be ready.

Reader's Guide

Brad Hand is a left-handed pitcher. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 2008 and played for the Marlins from 2011 through 2015. He was claimed on waivers by the San Diego Padres before the 2016 season. His later MLB stops include the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and Atlanta Braves. He did not attend college; he committed to Arizona State but turned professional. His fastball velocity is not specified in the source as consistently 97–100 mph; the source notes his average fastball velocity dropped to 91.4 mph in 2020.

Did You Know?

• Hand was the only left-handed pitcher in both the starting rotation and bullpen for the Jacksonville Suns in 2011.
• He was named to three consecutive All-Star Games beginning in 2017.
• Hand was perfect in 16 save opportunities for Cleveland in 2020.