Ryne Nelson

Nelson worked as a back-end starter for Arizona in 2023, but it was an underwhelming rookie campaign with a 5.31 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 96:46 K:BB across 144 innings. His 7.4 percent walk rate was solid and consistent with his time in the minors, but he had a 15.5 percent strikeout rate and a 1.5 HR/9. He still made the postseason roster and had a minimal role prior to the World Series, when he allowed just one run over 5.1 frames of valuable long relief in Game 4. Despite that strong finish, Nelson likely won't enter 2024 with any guarantee for a rotation spot, especially since Arizona made additions in free agency. However, the right-hander still has plenty of upside and was encouragingly less reliant on his fastball last season, and he could be a solid back-end piece in 2024 if he's able to better utilize his secondary offerings. Read Past Outlooks