Zach Buchanan

zbuchanan@enquirer.com

Catchers are known for their pachydermian memories, but it doesn't require that much brainpower for Tucker Barnhart to recall the worst outing right-hander J.J. Hoover had in 2015. It was the Cincinnati Reds’ 14th game of the season, on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. Hoover was dinged for four runs in one-third of an inning, most of the damage coming on three walks.

What makes it so easy to remember is how much of an outlier it was. Hoover had a 2.94 ERA in 2015, and removing that single data point would drop it to 2.39. So when the Reds finally traded longtime closer Aroldis Chapman this winter, it was clear to whom the ninth-inning job would fall.

Manager Bryan Price made it official on the day pitchers and catchers reported, saying the closer job was Hoover’s.

“That’s what I set before myself this offseason as kind of the goal and the job I wanted to win,” the 28-year-old Hoover said. “I know I still have to prove it’s my job throughout spring and throughout the year, but it’s really nice and it’s an honor to hear that it’s mine to lose at this point.”

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It would have been hard to predict such a turn of events a year and a half earlier. Hoover was an effective middle reliever in his first two years in the majors, but scuffled badly in 2014. His ERA ballooned to 4.88 and his home run rate more than doubled.

Hoover had a more respectable 3.38 ERA over the final two months of that season. He started off 2015 scorchingly hot, owning a mark under 2.00 as late as August 31. His strikeouts dipped and his walks remained high, but when it came to preventing runs, he was much better.

Hoover had more success keeping the ball in the park, and often kept it in the infield. While he wasn’t punching out as many hitters, he generated a grounder on 40 percent of balls put in play, up significantly over his career rate.

“He comes right after guys,” Barnhart said. “He throws a lot of fastballs. He’s really good at throwing right at the top of the strike zone, which is really tough for guys to hit anyway.”

The key to Hoover’s improvement was deceptively simple – throwing the ball where he wanted. Hoover got in trouble two seasons ago by leaving the ball over the middle of the plate too often.

That pitch location improved in 2015. According to data collected by the website BaseballSavant.com, Hoover kept the ball off the dangerous parts of the plate at rate about two percentage points better than he did in 2014.

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“A lot of it was mechanical,” Hoover said. “In 2014 I was yanking pitches back to the middle of the zone. Instead of missing away or missing in, I was missing over the heart of the plate. The hitters are obviously good enough that they don’t miss the ones in the middle of the plate.”

Hoover entered arbitration for the first time in his career over the winter, winning his hearing against the Reds and earning a salary of $1.4 million. Counting stats like saves – Hoover has only five for his career – will only help his case over his next two arb-eligible years.

Having reached arbitration could also make Hoover the de facto old guy in the bullpen, as the Reds have left open the possibility of giving relief spots to whatever young starters don’t make the rotation. Some of those pitchers, like Michael Lorenzen or Brandon Finnegan, have been mentioned as future closers.

For now, the job is Hoover’s. He’ll take over the ninth - and the leadership role that comes with it.

“I’m not a veteran by any means in baseball terms, but I’m a veteran on this team,” he said. “This is my fifth year now. I’ve done it all out of the pen – I’ve saved games, I’ve done long relief. I’ve done everything in between there.

“If any of these guys have any questions, I’ve made myself available. I want to take control of the bullpen and be there for them.”

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