By Tiffany Williams –
Over the weekend, the New York Yankees made headlines by announcing the re-signing of left-handed reliever Tim Hill to a Major League contract for the 2025 season, including a club option 2026. This strategic move underscores the team’s commitment to bolstering their bullpen for the upcoming seasons.
Tim Hill, who is now 34 years old, showcased impressive performance metrics during the 2024 season, making a total of 62 combined relief appearances between the Chicago White Sox and the Yankees. His overall record was 4-0 with a commendable 3.36 ERA across 67.0 innings pitched, during which he allowed 77 hits, 32 runs (25 of them earned), issued 19 walks, and recorded 31 strikeouts while conceding just two home runs. Notably, his groundball percentage of 69.5% ranked as the second highest among all Major League relievers and second in the American League, indicative of his ability to induce groundball contact from batters.
Hill began the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox, where he appeared in 27 games and achieved a record of 1-0 and a 5.87 ERA over 23.0 innings. After being released by the White Sox on June 18, he was swiftly picked up by the Yankees, joining their roster on June 20. His performance with the Yankees drastically improved as he made 35 appearances, finishing with a record of 3-0 and an impressive 2.05 ERA over 44.0 innings, allowing 36 hits and 13 runs (10 earned), along with nine walks and 18 strikeouts, again permitting only two home runs. Remarkably, he recorded four or more outs in 15 of his 35 appearances with the Yankees, a notable uptick compared to only having four such outings in his 27 games with the White Sox.
From his Yankees debut on June 20 through the conclusion of the season, Hill’s efficiency was evident, as he ranked second among left-handed relievers (with at least 30.0 innings pitched) in innings pitched with 44.0 (leading in the AL), fourth in ERA (2.05, third in the AL), eighth in opponents’ slugging percentage (.281, fifth in the AL), and ninth in both opponents’ OPS (.549, fifth in the AL) and on-base percentage (.267, seventh in the AL). His WHIP of 1.02 also placed him 10th among his peers in the American League.
Across his career spanning seven seasons in Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Royals (2018-2019), San Diego Padres (2020-2023), Chicago White Sox (2024), and now the Yankees, Hill has accumulated a record of 20 wins and 14 losses alongside four saves, maintaining a 3.99 ERA in 322.1 innings pitched. Throughout 382 career relief appearances, he has allowed 326 hits and 176 runs (143 earned), issued 103 walks, and fanned 239 batters, surrendering 30 home runs. Since 2018, he has notably excelled in managing inherited runners, with a 28.9% scoring rate that ranks seventh among Major League relievers. His 382 relief appearances in this span are the fifth-most for left-handed relievers, with at least 60 appearances in three separate seasons: 70 games in 2018 with the Royals, 78 in 2021 with the Padres, and 62 in 2024 divided between the White Sox and Yankees.
Hill’s postseason experience includes three appearances—two in 2020 and 2022 with the Padres and one in 2024 with the Yankees—where he boasts a record of 1-0 and an exceptional 0.68 ERA across 13.1 innings. In 16 postseason relief outings, he permitted nine hits and three runs (only one earned) while striking out eight batters and not allowing home runs. In the playoffs with the Yankees, his performance was stellar; in 10 relief appearances, he achieved a remarkable 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings, allowing just seven hits and two runs (1 earned), along with two walks and three strikeouts.
A product of Mission Hills, Calif., Hill was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 32nd round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Bacone College in Oklahoma. He was later traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for RHP Ronald Bolaños and former Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero on July 16, 2020. After a successful stint, Hill signed a Major League contract with the Chicago White Sox on December 28, 2023, before ultimately finding his way back to the Yankees, where he continues to be viewed as a valuable asset for their pitching staff.