Anthony Banda

After toiling in mediocrity over his first seven big-league seasons, Banda came out of nowhere to post a surprisingly effective 2024 campaign. The southpaw's 3.08 ERA, eight holds and two saves were all career-high marks, as were his 48 appearances and 49.2 innings. The Dodgers tend to get the most out of their hurlers, and that was certainly the case with Banda, who essentially had his career turned around due to a recommendation from one of the team's pitching coaches to change the grip on his slider. The result was the southpaw going from rarely throwing the pitch most of his career to deploying it over 28% of the time in 2024 with devastating results, as opponents hit only .154 against the offering while whiffing on over 51% of their swings at it. Banda continued his fine work in the postseason, as he gave up just one run over 8.0 playoff innings while racking up 11 punchouts (though he also walked six batters and hit two). He should be a key lefty relief option for LA again in 2025, though he isn't likely to get enough high-leverage work to be a viable option in most fantasy formats.