Fansided

25 most important stars for MLB playoffs

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 26: Daniel Hudson #44 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on September 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 26: Daniel Hudson #44 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on September 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

22. Daniel Hudson

The Nationals will enter the playoffs with a mostly indeterminate and inconsistent bullpen, but they have found a replacement for All-Star closer Sean Doolittle (who has battled injuries and inconsistency all season) in midseason pickup Daniel Hudson. The 32-year-old right-hander has held down the ninth inning since the beginning of September and enters the postseason riding a 10.2-inning streak without allowing an earned run.

Hudson was a relatively under-the-radar trade acquisition for the Nationals on July 31. They gave up fringe prospect Kyle Johnston to get the 10-year veteran. Hudson saved his career by moving to the bullpen for good in 2015 and had his best season to date this year. He finished the 2019 season with a 2.47 ERA in 73 innings and struck out 8.8 per nine. Hudson went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 24 appearances for the Nationals.

Building a strong bullpen is the one thing that has eluded the Nationals during their run of contention. Doolittle was supposed to be the one name they could count on, but he had a 5.56 ERA in the second half and gave up eight home runs in 22.2 innings. The Nationals have the worst bullpen of any team in the postseason, with a collective ERA of 5.68 and have allowed over 40 percent of inherited runners to score.

If this latest Nationals trip to the playoffs ends in heartbreaking fashion yet again, it will likely be due to another bullpen implosion. Manager Dave Martinez will likely lean heavily on Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg to get him through the Wild Card Game, but after that, Hudson will have to step up.

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