5 years agoHector Neris entered 2019 as a candidate to get saves for the Phillies should David Robertson slip up or get hurt. The latter happened and Neris finished the season as the undisputed top-option for saves in Philadelphia. Neris posted 28 saves with a 2.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 67.2 innings of work last season and will enter 2020 as the leading candidate to close for new manager Joe Girardi. Neris is one of the most underrated relievers in fantasy thanks to an ugly 5.10 ERA he put up in 2018 which included a stint in the minor leagues. A closer look at his season, however, shows a supremely talented pitcher that went through a rough stretch with his mechanics. After dominating Triple-A, Neris came back in mid-August and struck out 35 batters in 17.2 innings with a 2.04 ERA supported by a not-a-typo 0.05 FIP. Obviously, that is a small sample size, but Neris backed it up with a strong 2019 where he improved his barrel rate by over five percent (12.7 to 7.1). Neris is a talented pitcher who has a career K-rate over 30 percent so he’ll help in strikeouts as well. Expect Neris to be around 30 saves again with a low three’s ERA and well over a strikeout per inning making him an attractive RP option being drafted outside the top-10 at RP and top-150 overall according to early ADP data.--Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller