Austin Pruitt

If you are a fan of spin rate, Pruitt is one of your favorites to follow. He has some good spin, particularly on his curveball, and worked both as a starter and a reliever in his rookie year. Oddly enough, he did much better as a starter as he held opponents to a .244 average and .293 OBP over eight starts with a 4.19 ERA. As a reliever, those numbers ballooned to a .350 average and .403 OBP. He was hurt by the long ball as a starter as eight of his 11 homers came in those outings. All in all, it was an odd year, but he showed enough to have a role on the Rays' 2018 staff, maybe even in the rotation should the team trade Jake Odorizzi or another starter.

Pruitt performed decently for Triple-A Durham, where he spent the entirety of the 2016 season as a starter. He made 28 starts in which he registered a 3.76 ERA and 3.53 FIP in 162.2 innings. The minor league veteran has earned as a reputation as a reliable strike thrower, which was demonstrated through his solid 1.5 BB/9 in 2016. On the other hand, his crucial need to throw strikes comes in part from an inability to miss a lot of bats, which has showed in his often unspectacular K/9 rates. He needs to prove last year's great 8.2 K/9 is more than a fluke. At 27 years old, Pruitt likely is what he is at this point in his career: a low-ceiling pitcher with the potential to eventually fill out the bottom of a rotation or serve as a swing man. Additionally, the Rays liked him enough to add him to their 40-man roster in the fall. AL-only owners should keep an eye on him, as he could be a replacement option if the Rays' rotation is hit by injuries.