Here's rooting for Luke Hudson.

Well, it is the most wonderful time of the year. With new beginnings and possibilities comes the excitement of the unknown for yet another baseball season. And one big hope that I have for this year is the return of Luke Hudson to past performance. The oft-injured RHP has seen his fair share of time on the DL, yet he is one of those players that has had brief flashes of “starter potential” that make you wish he could just stay healthy. Here are Hudson’s abbreviated stats:

Year       Record      ERA    

2004          4-2           2.42  (9 starts, called up in August) with Cincinnati

2005          6-9           6.38  (16 starts, 3 relief appearances) with Cincinnati

2006          7-6           5.12  (26 appearances, 15 starts, was 6-3 with 4.79 ERA in starts) with Royals

2007     (one start, versus Oakland. Do I really need to give the details of that game, I’m sure most of us remember       

                it*. Out for the rest of the season)

2008      Out of entire season

*I can actually remember that day pretty well and that is amazing for me, I tend to forget what I had for lunch by the end of the day. I work at a school and we had a group of students going to that game as a reward (some may doubt the effectiveness of that “reward”, but I digress). I was excited for Hudson to come back  because of the 2006 season and can remembering telling a fellow teacher that Hudson was a decent pitcher, he has a lot of promise, and that they should be in for a good game. Only one other time in my life have I ever been more wrong (and we won't go into that here).

Needless to say, Hudson has been extremely limited by his long string of injuries, which have most likely permanently affected his ability to be regular starter. However, I would really like to see him get healthy (and stay healthy for an extended period of time) and have a go in the bullpen. If he could stay off the DL he may very well be the most effective RH long-relief option for the Royals.  That all being said, he will most likely spend much of his time in Omaha this year, trying to regain some of his form. But it is something to think about and, after all, it is the time of year to be hopeful.