Shawn Armstrong

Back soreness cost Armstrong a month of the 2020 season, limiting him to 14 appearances for the Orioles. The right-hander's performance in those 14 appearances was off the charts, with Armstrong posting a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and .170 BAA. Control was his biggest area of improvement; Armstrong cut his walk rate in half from 10.7% to 5.3%. He cut down on his four-seam fastball usage in favor of more cutters, which was a good call as hitters have had no trouble launching the four-seamer into the air. His strikeout rate has hovered around 25% the last three seasons, hinting at some upside in Baltimore's unsettled bullpen. Armstrong did not have a save in 2020 and only compiled three holds, however, so he clearly has a ways to go if he's to earn manager Brandon Hyde's trust and separate himself.

Armstrong entered last spring looking like a potential candidate for saves in Seattle, due more to a lack of alternatives than a particularly impressive track record on his part. He did indeed finish the year with four saves, though none of them came for the Mariners. He threw just 3.2 innings for Seattle before being waived and claimed by Baltimore in late April. While he did grab a few saves for his new club, he didn't pitch particularly well, finishing the season with a 5.74 ERA. His 23.3% strikeout rate was decent enough, but his 10.7% walk rate and 29.5% groundball rate were each quite poor. Entering his age-29 season, there should again be plenty of saves up for grabs in Baltimore, but Armstrong doesn't appear to be a favorite for them. He doesn't offer much for fantasy owners in a middle-relief role, so there's little reason to invest in him unless he moves towards the top of the closer depth chart.

Armstrong made just 14 appearances with the big-league club in his first year in the Mariners organization, but after the team's teardown this winter, he's now near the top of the bullpen hierarchy. Designated for assignment in March, Armstrong cleared waivers and spent time as the closer for Triple-A Tacoma, posting a sub-2.00 ERA with 15 saves in 49 appearances. He finally got the call to Seattle in late August and his success continued at the highest level, with Armstrong even earning his first career save on the final day of the season. He altered his pitch mix significantly from his time with the Indians, cutting his fastball usage greatly (from 64.2% to 39.2%) while adding more cutters and curveballs. The end result was a 21.1 K-BB% in his limited sample. A 95.6 LOB% and .229 BABIP exaggerated the quality of his performance, but regardless Armstrong is in the mix in deep leagues as he could very well close when Anthony Swarzak is inevitably traded.

Armstrong was shuttled between Cleveland and Columbus in 2017, due in part to issues keeping the ball in the park during his time with the Indians (1.82 HR/9). Throughout most of his time in the minors, home runs haven't been an issue, and Armstrong showed signs of growth with his main flaw last season by keeping his walk rate under 4.0 BB/9 at both levels. He's shown a three-pitch combo against big-league bats, using a fastball, cutter and curveball in his bid to keep opposing hitters off balance. In December, the Mariners acquired Armstrong in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus pool money following Shohei Ohtani's decision to sign with the Angels. With the move to Seattle, Armstrong's path to a regular bullpen spot is slightly easier, but he'll need to maintain the improved control he showed last season in order to avoid making trips between Seattle and Tacoma in 2018.

Armstrong was on the fringe of making the Cleveland bullpen at the start of 2016 and ended up starting the season in the majors. But following a debut outing that saw him get taken for one run off two hits, he was sent back to Triple-A Columbus, where he was one of the club’s most-used relievers. As has become expected, Armstrong’s numbers were great at Columbus and he put together a 1.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP that was complemented by a 35.3 percent K-rate over 47 games (49 innings). After putting in plenty of time with their Triple-A affiliate, Cleveland brought Armstrong back up to the majors near the season’s end. During said stint, he allowed only two runs across 7.2 innings, but walked five batters in that time. For 2017, Armstrong should be on track to begin the year in the middle of Cleveland’s major-league bullpen, and may turn into a decent producer of holds if he replicates his stellar, strikeout filled minor-league performances.

Armstrong flashed the same kind of dominant stuff in his brief time with the Indians (0.88 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 in eight innings) that was on display at Triple-A Columbus (49.2 innings, 37 hits, 80 strikeouts, 14.5 K/9, zero homers). The only issue with his Triple-A performance was a poor BB/9 rate (4.7) as he walked 26 batters in just over 49 innings, and that has been an ongoing concern throughout his professional career (4.5 BB/9 across five minor league seasons). The Indians are set at closer with Cody Allen on board, but Bryan Shaw was merely serviceable in a setup role, so there may be opportunities for more high-leverage work. First things first, Armstrong will need to cement his spot in the bullpen with a strong showing in spring training.