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Danny Salazar 2019 Outlook: Breakout Relief Pitcher To Watch
6 years agoAfter missing all of 2018 with a variety of injuries, Danny Salazar looks to have a real shot to be a key arm in the Cleveland bullpen this season. Not only will he help one of the worse bullpens in the game, but the fantasy payoff is also well worth the stash for any owner. Last year was not the first time that he was plagued by injuries, and he will not start this season healthy either, but the skills alone explain why the team has not been willing to part with the player just yet. By rostering Salazar, fantasy owners are adding an elite arm, with a 17% SwK rate in 2017, and a career minimum of 9.72 K/9 back in 2015. The limiting factor has been the control, with BB/9 lines above 3.5 for most of his career. Even more, Salazar averaged less than five innings per start due to throwing a ton of pitches, as opposed to lack of production on the mount. If Salazar can get back to being healthy a move to the bullpen adds him to this the list of pitchers that have moved to the pen and seen their career take off. In this light, Salazar could move from a fantasy afterthought to an elite arm in the mold of ex-Clevelander Jose Mesa, or more recently, Zach Britton. The injury risk will always be there, but do not let this scare owner away from the obvious upside from an ADP of 514.
