RADIO
Pete Fairbanks 2023 Player Outlook: Head of Underrated Rays Reliever Duo
2 years agoUnless you were in need of saves and spent some FAAB on Fairbanks last season, you probably didn't realize how dominant he was when he finally returned to the Rays bullpen. After injuring his lat muscle in March, Fairbanks was shelved for the first half of the season. Upon returning in July, Kevin Cash only waited three outings before sending his stud out for a save opportunity. He would go on to pitch 21 scoreless innings to close out the regular season, collecting eight saves along the way. He finished 2022 with a beautiful 1.13 ERA, 1.03 xERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 43.7 (!) K%. Both his fastball and slider gained ~1000 RPM from 2021 and his filthy slider also gained over 4 inches of vertical movement. But the most impressive improvement from past seasons was almost completely eliminating free passes, as evident by his 3.4 BB%. He's obviously in peak form and should start the season as the favorite over Jason Adam for save opportunities. There is health risk after two surgeries and even experiencing a numb finger in October, but at a ~214 ADP the elite closer upside is well worth it.
