RADIO
Ryan Pressly 2022 Player Outlook: Top Closer At A Slightly Discounted ADP
3 years agoRyan Pressly is currently the sixth reliever being taken in drafts, but there's a case for him being the third best reliever in drafts. Last year, Pressly tallied 26 saves from 28 opportunities. Of the 19 pitchers to have achieved 20+ saves, only Josh Hader and Jordan Romano (both one) had fewer blown saves. Of the ten closers who had more than 26 saves, only Hader and Mark Melancon had a better ERA than Pressly's (2.25). And that ERA was supported by his 2.55 xERA, 2.43 xFIP and 2.42 SIERA. Pressly also put up elite strikeout numbers, with his 32.4% K% ranking in the 94th percentile last year, while putting up a career-low 5.2% BB% (92nd percentile). Pressly's arsenal suits that of a closer with an average fastball velocity of 95.4 MPH in 2021, which also ranked in the 97th percentile for spin rate. That's backed up by a slider which he threw 35.8% of the time and had a .159 batting average against it and a curveball thrown 24.5% of the time which had a .204 batting average (and also ranked in the 100th percentile for spin-rate). Pressly puts up elite numbers on a team that should give him plenty of save opportunities and is much less volatile than some of the closers going before him in drafts.
