RADIO
Rich Hill Provides Solid, But Uncertain, Value In 2018
7 years agoThe only drama that Rich Hill provided in 2017 was the August no-hitter he lost in the 10th inning in Pittsburgh. Gone were 2016’s blister issues and other assorted maladies that limited his value going into the season. Hill had a slow start in 2017, but seemed to make a mechanical adjustment in mid-June. After that, he was among the game’s best, regularly posting games with 9, 10 or 11 strikeouts. He’s no longer going to blow you away with his stuff. His four-seamer averages 89 mph. What Hill has in spades (in case you couldn’t figure out why the 37-year-old is still around) is an uncanny ability to adapt. Last season, alongside Clayton Kershaw, he changed his mechanics, his arm slot, his repertoire. A guy facing new players, some of them half his age, has to adapt or die. And Hill is a survivor because he adapts. The miles on his body are a concern. But he’s entering the second year of a three-year contract, so the team itself is invested. He is sometimes pulled before logging a quality start and the Dodgers manipulate the DL like no other team does. But the 130 or so innings that Hill will provide in 2018 will be quality innings. He still has some drama left in him.
