The Phillies have signed right-handed relief pitchers Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter to two-year contracts, Vice President & General Manager Matt Klentak announced today.
Neshek, 37, went 5-3 with one save and a 1.59 ERA in 71 combined games between the Phillies and Colorado Rockies in 2017. He began the season with Philadelphia and was selected to the National League All-Star team before being traded to Colorado on July 26 in a four-player deal. Neshek also won a gold medal pitching for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He went 1-0 with 5.0 scoreless innings during the tournament.
Last season, Neshek did not allow a run through his first 14 appearances (12.2 innings) and allowed only two runs through his first 34 appearances (31.2 innings), entering July with a 0.57 ERA. For the season, he held runners to a .095 batting average (4-42) with runners in scoring position. Neshek's contract also contains a club option for 2020.
Hunter, 31, made 61 appearances last season for the Tampa Bay Rays and went 3-5 with one save and a 2.61 ERA. He posted 64 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched, averaging 9.8 SO/9.0 IP, and held opposing hitters to a .202 batting average.
Over the past five seasons, Hunter has a 3.12 ERA in 280 relief outings. A first-round selection by the Texas Rangers in the 2007 draft out of the University of Alabama, Hunter is 51-40 with 17 saves and a 4.13 ERA in 378 games (75 starts) for the Rangers (2008-11), Baltimore Orioles (2011-15; 2016), Chicago Cubs (2015), Cleveland Indians (2016) and Rays (2017).