6 years agoAs recently as May of 2018, Carlos Martinez looked like he was ready to take the next step towards being a full-blown ace. Then a lat injury derailed his season, and when he returned a month later, he struggled with his control and further injury issues. Martinez transitioned to the bullpen where he served as the Cardinals’ closer, but the team has stated it will use him as a starter again in 2019. That will change if Martinez struggles with health or effectiveness, but given the value of a top-tier starter, the Cardinals are going to give Martinez every chance to reestablish himself as a starter. The range of outcomes for Martinez is as wide as any pitcher in baseball. He could return to SP1 levels of 2016 when he managed a 3.04 ERA and 174 strikeouts, or he could fall out of fantasy relevance. He’s more likely to end up as a starter with a 3.45 ERA and a strong strikeout numbers or a mid-tier closer in the style of Arodys Vizcaino (a productive pitcher with control issues that make him something of a headache to own). If Martinez's ADP stays where it is now around 125, he’ll be drafted alongside mid-tier closers like Wade Davis and Ken Giles. However, Martinez potential to dramatically outperform those players is so high though it’s hard not to see many managers reaching for him one or two rounds early.--David Emerick