American professional baseball pitcher Joshua Ronald Hader was born on April 7, 1994, and is currently a free agent. He was a player with the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hader has won the National League Reliever of the Year Award three times and is a four-time All-Star.

In the 19th round of the 2012 MLB draft, he was chosen by the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to joining the Milwaukee Brewers organisation in 2015, he was involved in two trades. Hader participated in the Pan American Games as a member of the US national baseball team in 2015 and made an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game in 2016. Hader, who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, debuted in Major League Baseball in 2017. He became the pitcher with the fastest 400 strikeout total in major league history in 2021. In 2022, Hader was traded by the Brewers to the Padres.

Hader participated in the baseball team at Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland, where he went to school. Hader finished his senior year with a perfect 10–0 record, 0.30 earned run average (ERA), and 125 strikeouts. In addition, he batted above.400 with an average. Hader was ready to start college at Anne Arundel Community College when he graduated from high school.[1][2]

Hader was chosen by the Baltimore Orioles with the 582nd overall pick in the 19th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.[3]Rather than go to Anne Arundel, he signed a $40,000 signing bonus with the Orioles.[1][3] Hader’s fastball velocity rose as he transitioned to a professional exercise regimen, going from 84–88 miles per hour (135–142 km/h) as a high school player to 94–95 miles per hour (151–153 km/h).[5]

Hader pitched for the Low-A New York-Penn League’s Aberdeen Ironbirds and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League’s Gulf Coast Orioles, where he struck out 48 batters in 28+2⁄3 innings while giving up just 14 hits and nine walks.[2] Hader was assigned by the Orioles to the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League (SAL) in 2013. In addition to participating in the SAL All-Star Game[5], he pitched to a 3–6 record until July 31 in 17 games started, with 79 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA.[3]