George Kontos

An altered pitch mix helped Kontos post a career-best strikeout rate last season. With more cutters -- his primary pitch -- at the expense of his sinker and four-seamer, Kontos averaged 9.5 K/9 in 65 appearances between San Francisco and Pittsburgh. The cutter usage jumped even more after he joined the Pirates on a waiver claim in August, going from 51.5 percent to 58.7 percent, and what followed was a reduction in walks and homers (1.8 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9 with Pirates). His improvement in those two areas along with a little luck on balls in play (.222 BABIP) led Kontos to a 1.84 ERA in 15 appearances with Pittsburgh. This is looking like another potential Ray Searage success story, but Kontos still isn't likely to challenge Felipe Rivero for the closer role. If Rivero were to go down with an injury, Kontos could get a look, but he would have to beat out Michael Feliz for opportunities.

Kontos turned in another solid campaign for the Giants while serving as one of manager Bruce Bochy's most-trusted middle relievers, finishing with a 2.53 ERA in 57 appearances. He didn't provide much for fantasy owners with zero saves, nine holds and a pedestrian 5.9 K/9. Kontos doesn't overpower hitters with his fastball, instead relying on a wipeout slider to keep the opposition honest. While his 4.66 xFIP was over two runs higher than his ERA, he may simply be a sabermetric anomaly as his xFIP has been at least a whole run higher than his ERA for the past two seasons. The Giants bullpen was their biggest weakness in 2016, so the club will likely use arbitration to keep Kontos around to stabilize the middle innings next season.

On the surface, the 30-year-old Kontos turned in his best season as a professional in 2015. He tossed a career-high 73.1 innings and finished with a career-best 2.33 ERA. Digging a bit deeper we can see that things weren't so rosy for the veteran right-hander. His low strikeout rate (5.4 K/9), high LOB% (86.9%) and a 4.02 FIP that was nearly two whole runs higher than his ERA indicate that Kontos was getting extremely lucky in 2015. His success last season - fluky or not - earned him the right to start the year in the Giants' bullpen, but those who are hunting for holds should be weary of his ratios.

Kontos shuttled between Triple-A Fresno and San Francisco in 2014, making just 24 of his 54 appearances in the big leagues. He pitched well when called upon, however, turning a 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 into a 2.78 ERA thanks to a very low HR/FB rate (2.7%, career 8.0%). Kontos also handled lefties capably, posting a .143 BAA despite a 19.2 BB% against left-handed batters. Out of minor-league options, the Giants won't have the luxury of moving him up and down without exposing him to waivers. As a result, he may end up sticking in middle relief all season, as it's likely that another club would roll the dice on Kontos if he became available in 2015.

Coming off of a career year in 2012, Kontos took a step backwards in 2013 finishing with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 55.1 innings. Kontos barely has two full years of MLB service, so while a repeat of 2012 wasn't guaranteed, his peripherals (9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 2.80 FIP, 3.25 xFIP) didn't indicate any sort of regression coming in 2013. His velocity levels in 2013 were in line with 2012, but the big difference was his ability to use his fastball effectively. In 2012, the pitch value for his fastball wasn't impressive by any means (-3.3 wFB), but in 2013 it plummeted to -12.2 wFB due to his inability to locate properly. Opposing hitters would lay off his excellent slider and wait for him to make a mistake with his fastball, which led to more home runs surrendered (1.1 HR/9 in 2013 compared to 0.6 HR/9 in 2012) and bloated ratios. The Giants will likely give him a chance to work out his fastball location issues during spring training and re-earn a spot in the bullpen.

Kontos appeared in 44 games with the Giants out of the bullpen after being acquired in a trade right before the start of the season from the Yankees. He became a key cog in the bullpen for Bruce Bochy, posting a 2.47 ERA, 2.80 FIP and 3.25 xFIP, which indicate that he could remain a key setup man in 2013. Kontos relies heavily on his slider, which allowed him to record a 12.5 percent swinging-strike rate and 9.1 K/9. With a 51.3 percent groundball rate and an improved walk rate (2.4 BB/9), Kontos also should an ability to pitch against left-handed hitters by holding them to a .218 wOBA.

Kontos made his major league debut late in 2011, and profiles as a middle reliever for the long term.  Kontos was fairly effective out of the bullpen for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, putting up a 2.62 ERA with a 1.097 WHIP with 91 strikeouts in 89.1 innings.  Kontos' good command could secure him a middle relief role somewhere, but he doesn't a deep enough arsenal to exceed that ceiling.