December 31, 2018

Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias put forth his second-straight season as a reliable closer, converting 30 of 34 saves with a 2.38 ERA, a 10 K/9 rate, and a 1.07 WHIP over 72 innings pitched. Iglesias provided extra value in the volume of innings he got deployed; the Reds used him in multi-inning outings for 16 of his 66 appearances. Iglesias’ one spot of concern was his elevated hard-hit rate (34.8%) compared to his career average (26.9%). This, in turn, led to an inflated HR/9 rate (1.50 vs 0.98 career). Looking deeper, Iglesias’ two main pitches, his sinker and slider, had the least vertical (3.09 inches) and horizontal (4.77 inches) movement, respectively, of his career. That being said, the velocity was still there for both pitches and his fly-ball rate (35.2%) was in line with his career average (34.3%). This evidence, in conjunction with his overall season stats, seems to suggest that the extra HR were just a fluke rather than something to be worried about for 2019. Iglesias holds value as a closer due to his job security (he just signed a three-year deal) and the fact that the Reds are building to become more competitive in 2019, hopefully meaning more save opportunities. Assuming Iglesias can replicate his peripherals and earn a few more saves, he should be a top-eight closer and would be a good value in the 90 to 100 overall pick range.--Connelly Doan