No reason for Astros to panic about Josh Hader

Josh Hader has not had the start to his Houston Astros career that anyone would have hoped for.

Hader picked up his first save on Sunday in another shaky outing. He allowed a run on a hit and a walk while throwing a wild pitch, getting a double play to get the final outs of the inning. With that outing, Hader has a 7.20 ERA and a 1.600 WHIP over his five innings, issuing three walks while striking out seven batters. He leads the majors with two losses on the year, essentially the opposite of what the Astros signed him for.

These struggles are evident when looking at Hader's Baseball Savant page. While he is in the 86th percentile in strikeout rate, opponents are neither chasing nor missing his pitches when swinging. Hader ranks in the 14th percentile in chase rate and in the 58th percentile in whiff percentage. It was a different story in 2023 when Hader was in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate, the 92nd percentile in chase rate and the 91st percentile in whiff percentage.

The velocity is still there with Hader. His fastball has averaged 95.61 MPH while his slider has averaged 87.28 MPH thus far. It is still early in the season, so his velocity should improve as the weather warms up. This has typically been the case throughout his career as his velocity increases once June rolls around.

Hader has also had these struggles before. He was dreadful in his three outings before the trade deadline in 2021 when rumors were swirling about. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over 2.2 innings, striking out three before returning to form after the deadline. 

Those struggles resurfaced in 2022. Hader allowed 10 runs on 10 hits and two walks, striking out seven, in his 4.1 innings over six outings before being traded to the Padres. He struggled in his first six outings in San Diego, allowing 12 runs on 12 hits and seven walks over 4.2 innings, striking out eight. However, Hader returned to his dominant form once he acclimated to San Diego.

Hader is still getting used to his teammates, a new city and a new environment. Hader's history shows that he takes some time to get accustomed to a new location. His history also shows that he will turn his season around and return to his dominant form. It just takes a bit of time.

Hader has made only five appearances for the Houston Astros. There is no reason to panic at this point.