2 years agoCincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz was quietly one of the best bullpen arms in 2022. His microscopic 1.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, along with a 32.5% strikeout rate and seven saves in the final two months, gave fantasy managers a ton of value as a waiver wire pickup. Diaz threw two pitches, a four-seamer and a slider. His fastball averaged 95.7 MPH and had a 100th-percentile spin rate, while his slider produced whiffs at a 45% clip. The 26-year-old was in the 97th percentile in terms of whiff rate and owned a 30.2% strikeout rate in the minors, so it's clear he'll bolster that department. Diaz's ERA and WHIP will be hard to replicate, especially with his walk issues (12.9% in 2022). He also posted an absurd .178 BABIP and a 6.9 HR/FB rate. But all ERA estimators were positive on Diaz, including his 3.32 FIP and 2.76 xERA. His 0.71 HR/9 will climb, especially as he continues pitching at Great American Ballpark, but he made life unpleasant for opponents, allowing a .159 xBA and .279 xSLG, and it won't be easy to maintain a fly ball rate as high as 36.6%. The Reds will likely be in the basement of the NL Central, but Diaz is the club's most intriguing reliever and should go into 2023 as the closer, so it won't be a challenge to eclipse 20 saves. His ADP of 140 is a solid price for the right-hander.--Spencer Seguin