Hudson won 16 games as the No. 2 starter on the 2011 D-backs team that won the NL West before suffering an arm injury in early in 2012 that led to his first Tommy John surgery. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Diamondbacks have a lot of decisions to make regarding the composition of their pitching staff this spring, but one thing appears certain — right-hander Daniel Hudson will make the team.
Hudson, who is attempting to come back from two Tommy John surgeries, made two spring starts and is expected to make another the third week of March. He hit 94 mph in his first appearance March 8. The only question, manager Chip Hale said, is whether Hudson is better served as a starter or a reliever.
“He’s on this team, we just don’t know what role yet,” Hale said. “He’s a special guy. When you have a special guy like this, you want to keep him healthy and you have to find what that niche is.”
Hudson won 16 games as the No. 2 starter on the 2011 D-backs team that won the NL West before suffering an arm injury in early in 2012 that led to his first Tommy John surgery. After a lengthy rehab, he made one start at Double-A Mobile in June, 2013, before undergoing a second surgery.
“We’ve talked about pretty much everything,” Hale said. “It’s funky stuff. Do we have six starters? We don’t want to look like we’re recreating the wheel here. We’re just trying to do something that’s going to keep this guy healthy. If we can get him through the 2015 season, all the way through, healthy, then I think he’s going to be on his way.”
Josh Collmenter, Jeremy Hellickson and Chase Anderson appear to be the leading candidates for the top three rotation spots through the second week of March, and Trevor Cahill has shown well while adopting a new arm slot that is more overhand that in previous seasons. Rubby De La Rosa also is a top contender.
Right-handers Hudson, Randall Delgado, Allen Webster, Archie Bradley and Yoan Lope and left-hander Robbie Ray also are in the mix, Hale said. If Delgado does not make the rotation, he is candidate for a long relief role. Delgado seems sure to stick because he is out of options, the only contender in that position.
