Felipe Vazquez 2019 Outlook: Lefty Has Become Solid No. 2 Closer
5 years agoPittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vázquez quietly had a career year in 2018, going 4-3 with 37 saves, a 2.70 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and excellent 11.44 K/9 in 70 innings. It was his second full year as Pittsburgh's ninth-inning man, and he's accrued 58 saves in that time frame for fantasy owners. He also posted a 1.67 ERA in 2017, although his strand rate of 79.5 percent proved to be very fortunate. He also stranded 77.7 percent of runners last season and allowed a .331 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), so Vazquez's run prevention might not be as good in 2019. Still, he's the best left-handed closer in the big leagues behind the Yankees' Aroldis Chapman and he continues to show dominant stuff, striking out a career-high 30.1 percent of the batters he faced in 2018. He's been extremely consistent the last three years, too, pitching in 70-plus games. His leash should be plenty long in the Pittsburgh bullpen with guys like Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez and Nick Burdi the only ones behind him. Perhaps his biggest weakness is pitching for a Pirates team that isn't expected to compete in 2019, which could limit his save opportunities. Other than that, Vazquez is a solid number-two fantasy closer that should be targeted after the 10th round in drafts. He's RotoBaller's eighth-ranked closer.