RADIO
Taylor Rogers 2020 Outlook: Intriguing High-Upside Closer
5 years agoTaylor Rogers emerged as a reliable closer in 2019 after the Twins had entered the year with an unsettled bullpen, to say the least. Rogers took over the role early in the year and never gave it back up, posting a 2-4 record, 2.61 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 30 saves, and a sparkling 90/11 K/BB ratio over 69 innings pitched. He held a 32.4% strikeout rate (11.7 K/9) and his 2.85 FIP suggests that his numbers were not fluky in his first season operating as a closer. He also picked up 12 multi-inning saves. His career-high 86.4% strand rate and terrible 10.9% swinging strike rate point to the possibility of regression heading into the 2020 season, but his impressive K/BB ratio, strikeout rate, and ample opportunity to notch saves make the 29-year-old an intriguing selection in the mid-rounds of fantasy drafts. Rogers is being taken at pick 127 OVR in early drafts, ahead of established veterans in Kenley Jansen, Will Smith, and Craig Kimbrel. Consider the risk of slight regression while weighing his projections, but a full season as the Twins closer with his kind of strikeout upside makes him well worth the asking price.
