Ryne Stanek

Stanek battled a sore back in the spring, but the shutdown afforded him time to recover and break summer camp with Miami. Stanek gave up three earned runs in his first inning of work, then was one of several Marlins to be placed on the COVID-19 IL. He was activated in early September but continued to struggle with command and control, walking seven while surrendering two homers in nine frames. Stanek will enter 2021 the same way he did 2020, possessing a live arm capable of missing bats but with trouble finding the strike zone as evidenced by a career 28.6 K% and 11.7 BB%. Punchouts are always enticing, but unless Stanek figures out a way to throw more strikes, he's just another guy with a 97-mph fastball lacking control. The right-hander will have to start at the bottom of the ladder after being non-tendered and signing a one-year deal with the Astros.

Stanek will always be the original "opener" after starting 56 games for the Rays from 2018-19, totaling 83 innings in those starts. He even had a souvenir bottle opener with his likeness sold in team stores. Now, following a midsummer trade to the Marlins, Stanek has his eyes on a different role at the other end of the spectrum: closer. He did not fare well in his few save opportunities and his time with the Marlins was disappointing at large, marred by a massive spike in walk rate. Stanek was coming off a hip injury and there's hope that after a full offseason of rest he will be able to hold down a spot at the back end of the bullpen. Stanek averages close to 98 mph on his fastball and his swinging-strike rate has been 15% in all three MLB seasons. Jose Urena was the closer down the stretch but did little to impress, so the door would seem to be open for Stanek despite his struggles.

Stanek started the second-most games for the Rays last season with 29, though those all came in the opener role. He never threw more than two innings in any of his 59 total appearances. With only two pitches that he trusts to throw more than 15% of the time (fastball/slider), he seems well suited for such a role. It shielded him from facing hitters more than once and allowed him to post a 2.98 ERA in 66.1 innings. The question for fantasy owners is how valuable is a pitcher in that role? It hurts his chances at wins, but in leagues where starters and relievers are separated and which allow for daily lineup changes, he's very much on the radar. Stanek posted a 30.8% strikeout rate over a sizable workload, finishing with 66.1 innings despite not being called up until May.

Stanek has hair like Thor, and he has velocity like Thor. That is where the Syndergaard comparisons end. Stanek is now a full-time reliever with a big fastball, and little else. With Triple-A Durham, Stanek struck out 35 percent of the batters he faced and did not allow a home run in 44.2 innings. His strikeout rate dipped only slightly to 30.5 percent at the big-league level, but he allowed six homers in just 20 innings of relief with the Rays. He lacks a consistent secondary pitch, so when he falls behind, which is often, the opposition sits on the fastball and hits it hard. Stanek could take off if the command and a secondary pitch come along, but you should not roster him while waiting for that to happen. If nothing else, he's an interesting name to remember if the aforementioned skills growth occurs should the Rays have a ninth-inning vacancy down the road.

Stanek spent most of 2016 in Double-A Montgomery before finishing the season with Triple-A Durham. With Tampa's Double-A affiliate, the 25-year-old right-hander showed some promising flashes in his 11 starts, posting a 3.79 ERA while registering a solid 10.5 K/9 in 78.1 innings of work. His performance took a turn for the worse when he got to Triple-A. While generating strikeouts was Stanek's calling card at Double-A, his strikeout rate decreased to a disappointing 8.1 K/9 albeit in a small sample size. Additionally, Stanek produced a 5.92 ERA during his stint with Triple-A Durham, the highest of any stop in his career. Nonetheless, he showed enough promise for the Rays to add him to their 40-man roster following the 2016 season and thus shield him from the Rule 5 draft. Stanek will likely begin the season at Triple-A, but could possibly earn an eventual promotion to Tampa's major league bullpen if he steps up his performance in 2017.

When fully healthy, Stanek features a heavy sinking fastball that can sit in the mid-to-high 90s and a wipeout slider. Unfortunately, he missed a month and a half at the end of the 2014 season with shoulder fatigue, which is not a good sign, considering he had pitched just 55.2 innings to that point. He was able to make two rehab starts (a total of three innings) in late August, but questions remain about his ability to withstand the workload of a full season as a starter, especially with a slight 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame. Prior to being shut down, he spend most of last season at Low-A Bowling Green, posting a 3.63 ERA and a 46:13 K:BB ratio in 44.2 innings. The Rays have every reason to continue to work the 23-year-old righty as a starter, presumably at High-A Charlotte to begin 2015, but there is a good chance he will be a late-innings reliever when it is all said and done.

Stanek was selected by the Rays in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft out of Arkansas. Though he agreed to a contract, he did not play in any games at the professional level in his first season in the organization. He fell a little in the draft due to some injury concerns in his evaluations, but he is a tall fireballer with some nice breaking pitches and the Rays could groom him into a solid starter. Since he did not play professionally in 2013, it is uncertain exactly where he'll be assigned in 2014. Being a college right-hander, Stanek could rise through the system quickly if he puts aside the injury concerns.