Prelander Berroa

Berroa opened 2023 in the starting rotation for Seattle's Double-A affiliate, but he was quickly transitioned to a relief role after allowing 13 runs and 19 walks through five starts (22.2 innings). Blessed with a premium slider and upper-90's fastball combination, the 23-year-old ultimately finished the 2023 season with a 101:39 K:BB ratio over 65.1 innings at the Double-A level. He also made two appearances in the majors, walking three over two-thirds of an inning during his scoreless big-league debut. Seattle shipped Berroa to the White Sox in February, and he should have every opportunity to not only win a spot in Chicago's Opening Day bullpen, but also factor into the mix for saves, as the team lacks a clear closer. Berroa could profile as a long-term solution at the back end of the White Sox bullpen, though Improving his control would go a long way towards gaining traction in the closer's role in 2024.

With the success of Spencer Strider and others, the fastball/slider strikeout mavens who may have been pigeonholed as relievers a decade ago are now going to get a chance to start. Berroa's shortcomings (command, changeup) are the reason he is already on his third team (traded from the Giants to Mariners last season), but his dynasty value is at an all-time high due to his elite 2022 under-the-hood rates. His 15.3 BB% across High-A and Double-A is ugly, but everything else is exciting, including his called strike plus whiff, chase rate and zone whiff rate, per Prospects Live. Berroa is a groundball pitcher and opposing batters hit .158 against him, so he doesn't need pinpoint control to turn a lineup over multiple times. Every pitching prospect carries some level of risk, and outside the top handful, the risk gets pretty extreme. With this in mind, Berroa is a worthwhile flier in most dynasty formats, just in case he takes a step forward with his control.