Andres Munoz 2024 Player Outlook: Flame-Throwing Reliever On The Cusp Of Breaking Out As First Choice For Saves
3 months agoSeattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz entered 2023 with a ton of hype as a Statcast darling and one of fantasy's top sleepers among relief pitchers. But a right deltoid strain in early April would dump cold water all over the 25-year-old's breakout prospects, costing him two months of action and letting Paul Sewald run away with Seattle's closing job. With Sewald out of the picture via trade during the second half, however, Munoz began racking up some saves later in the year after the Mariners made him work out of the seventh and eighth innings quite a bit to perhaps groom him for the role. Collecting the bulk of his saves (12) in 30 appearances from July 26 to Sep. 30, Munoz totaled a 2.94 ERA (2.70 FIP) and 67:22 K:BB over 40 innings in 2023. There's not much Munoz did wrong last year, according to Statcast, with a 10.4% walk rate signifying his most glaring flaw. After the M's made no notable additions to augment their bullpen this offseason, the flame-throwing right-hander has a clearer path to seizing the ninth-inning mantle for 2024. With an affordable fantasy ADP and some of the best swing-and-miss stuff in the entire game (39.4% whiff rate), Munoz deserves to be a popular choice once again as a top-12 option among relievers for any rosters searching for saves in the early-double-digit rounds, but he'll need to overcome former top prospect Matt Brash for the lion's share of the save opportunities.