January 22, 2021

Upon his return to San Diego in 2020, left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz did not disappoint despite spending time on the injured list (shoulder) which limited him to 18 2/3 innings pitched. Pomeranz posted a 1.45 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and an impressive 29:10 K:BB while saving four games in five attempts. Due to the greater use of his four-seam fastball with an elite spin rate, Pomeranz posted the highest strikeout rate of his career (39.7%). He also saw huge dips in exit velocity, overall barrel rate, and overall hard-hit rate allowed when compared to his 2019 numbers. His performance in 2020 was also supported by a 1.93 xERA, and impressive numbers against right-handed hitters that included 23 strikeouts in 14 1/3 IP. With Kirby Yates leaving for Toronto and Trevor Rosenthal unlikely to resign with the Padres, Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan were initially the front runners be called upon to share closing duties in 2021. When the Padres signed Mark Melancon and Keone Kela in mid-February, the path to saves in the San Diego bullpen got a little muddied. Despite the potential cap on save opportunities due to a presumed timeshare, Pomeranz should still outperform his current ADP of 267 based on his ratios and strikeout potential alone. Moreover, all is not lost when it comes to save totals. Given Pagan's struggles last season in the closer role, Melancon's injury history, and Kela coming off of an injury-riddled 2020 (COVID-19, forearm), Pomeranz could still run away with the closer role, despite the deep bullpen. With the potential to get the majority of the save opportunities for an All-Star caliber team, Pomeranz should be one of the first relievers selected by managers once elite closers are off the board.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller