Hill went through a series of arm problems from 2009-11, and he seemed destined to spend the rest of his career in the bullpen. Hill didn't necessarily even dispute the notion.
"When I was in the bullpen and had a pretty good gig, I thought that would be it and I'd stay and I'd continue on being successful as a reliever," said the Milton, Mass., native. "I didn't really see getting back into starting and didn't really know if I would be able to handle the workload of starting."
After getting released by the Nats, Hill started experimenting a bit on his own.