William Jared Hughes (born July 4, 1985) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2011 with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He also played for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Amateur career

Born in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

, Hughes was raised in

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

and attended

Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) is a coeducational college preparatory Roman Catholic high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States. SMCHS is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange, and was opened in ...

. He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

in the 16th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft, but chose to attend

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

. After the 2004 season, Hughes transferred to

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

, where he was a starting pitcher for two seasons in 2005 and 2006 and posted a 16–7 record with a 3.29 earned run average (ERA), pitching 197 innings with 164 strikeouts. In 2005, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Hughes was drafted by the

in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He started his professional career as a starting pitcher in 2006 with the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were a ...

and the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

. He spent the 2007 season with Hickory, where he was 8–9 with a 4.64 ERA, and led the league with 27 wild pitches in innings. He spent the 2008 season with the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

and the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

. He led the league in

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third stri ...

es. In 2009, Hughes pitched for the

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its h ...

and Altoona, and was a combined 1–6 with three saves and an ERA of 3.61. In 2010, Hughes pitched for Altoona, and was Pitcher of the Week in the Eastern League on May 17. For the season he was 12–8, and his 12 wins tied for the second-most in the league, were the third-most in a season in club history, and tied for first among all Pittsburgh minor leaguers. He also led the league in wild pitches, with 15 in innings. Hughes started the 2011 season in the Altoona rotation, but was promoted and moved to the bullpen with the Triple-A League

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

. Between the two teams in 2011, he was 6–5 with a 3.28 ERA in 48 games (11 starts) covering innings. When Hughes was promoted to the majors in September 2011, he became the 41st major leaguer in Long Beach history. He appeared in 12 games, going 0–1 with a 4.09 ERA. On April 25, 2012, Hughes was recalled from Triple-A League Indianapolis. A day later he was optioned back but recalled again on May 1. On August 12, Hughes was optioned back to Indianapolis to make room for Juan Cruz coming off the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. He was recalled again on August 14. Hughes finished the season with 66 appearances, going 2–2 with two saves and a 2.85 ERA. He led National League rookie relief pitchers in ERA, and was second in both games and innings pitched. The 2013 season was a setback for Hughes, as he battled injuries and inconsistency throughout the year, with a 2–3 record in 29 appearances and a 4.78 ERA. As a result, he also spent time in the Triple-A League again, pitching in 18 games, with a record of 1–0 with two saves and an ERA of 0.43 in 21 innings. In 2014 Hughes pitched in 63 games and posted a 7–5 record, with a 1.96 ERA. In innings, he allowed 51 hits and 1.09

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and dividi ...

. The 2015 season was another successful one for Hughes, as he put together a 3–1 record in a career-high 76 games (5th in the National League), with a 2.28 ERA and 1.33 walks plus hits per inning pitched. In 2016, he was 1–1 with one save and had an ERA of 3.03 in 67 games for the Pirates. In innings, he struck out 34 batters. Hughes was released on March 29, 2017.

Milwaukee Brewers

Hughes signed a one-year contract with the

on April 2, 2017. In his season in Milwaukee, he posted an ERA of 3.02 in 67 games. He was 5–3 with one save in innings.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 26, 2017, Hughes signed a two-year contract with the

, with a $3 million club option or a $250,000 buyout for 2020. In his first season in Cincinnati, in 2018 Hughes posted a career-low 1.94 ERA (fourth-best in the majors among pitchers who threw at least 78 innings) and 1.017 walks plus hits per inning pitched during 72 appearances covering innings. He finished 4–3 with 7 saves. In the seven seasons from 2012–18, his 2.66 ERA ranked fourth-best among major league relief pitchers who made at least 440 appearances, behind only

Craig Kimbrel Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicag ...

(1.94),

Kenley Jansen Kenley Geronimo Jansen (born September 30, 1987) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Signed by the ...

(2.21), and

Tony Watson Anthony Michael Watson (born May 30, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels. Watson attend ...

(2.56), and among relievers he tied for second with 65 batters grounding into 65 double plays, behind

Brad Ziegler Brad Gregory Ziegler (born October 10, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Miami Marlins. Ziegler was one of th ...

(86), tied with Jim Johnson (65), and 10th with a ground ball rate of 62.0%. In the first part of 2019, before he was put on waivers, Hughes was 3–4 with one save and a 4.10 ERA in 47 appearances covering innings.

Philadelphia Phillies

On August 15, 2019, Hughes was claimed off waivers by the

. On August 17 Hughes made his debut against the San Diego Padres. In 2019 for the Phillies, he was 2–1 with a 3.91 ERA in 25 relief appearances covering 23 innings. As of 2019 he had the best range factor per 9 innings of active pitchers, at 2.69.

Houston Astros

On February 17, 2020, the Astros signed Hughes to a minor league contract. He was released on March 19.

New York Mets

On June 30, 2020, Hughes signed with the

. He appeared as a relief pitcher in 18 games for them, winning one and losing two, striking out 21 batters in innings. He became a free agent again after the season ended. On February 14, 2021, Hughes announced his retirement from professional baseball after 10 major league seasons.

Personal life

Hughes is married to Kelly Hughes. They married in 2011. The couple have a son, William, who was born in 2016. Hughes is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Jared 1985 births Living people Pittsburgh Pirates players Milwaukee Brewers players Cincinnati Reds players Philadelphia Phillies players New York Mets players Santa Clara Broncos baseball players Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball players Chatham Anglers players Williamsport Crosscutters players Hickory Crawdads players Lynchburg Hillcats players Altoona Curve players Scottsdale Scorpions players Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Baseball players from Connecticut Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Stamford, Connecticut