Cam Bedrosian

Bedrosian's 2019 season ended in early September when he was shut down with forearm soreness. That came on the heels of him using his slider more than he ever had in previous seasons. The slider is his best pitch as he throws both a hard and tight one as well as a slurvy version of it as a change-of-speed pitch since he lacks a real changeup. He does not have the live arms of Ty Buttrey and Justin Anderson, but Bedrosian has the command of his pitches which those aforementioned names both lack. Bedrosian is out of options, so he will have to make the Angels' bullpen to stay on the roster. Given what we know about reliever volatility, keeping an eye on him would be wise because he looks close to breaking out if presented with the right opportunity.

After getting some preseason hype as a potential closer, Bedrosian finished 2018 with just a single save. No player on the Angels had more than 14. He recorded a decent-but-unremarkable 3.80 ERA in 64 innings, while his strikeout rate fell to a mediocre 21.0% after sitting at 31.5% and 27.9% over the previous two seasons. In parts of five big-league campaigns, the 27-year-old now has one excellent season but four which were middling or worse. Cody Allen was brought in to take over the ninth, and Bedrosian doesn't have a particularly strong claim to be the next man up. If he can recapture the form which saw him post a 1.12 ERA back in 2016, he could make a charge for the setup job, but with a fastball which has declined for two straight years and now sits at 93.1 mph, over two mph slower than it was at its peak, such a turnaround seems unlikely.

An injury to Huston Street opened the door for Bedrosian to begin the season in the closer role, but Bedrosian landed on the DL with an injury of his own just weeks into the campaign. There was a setback with the injured groin along the way and he didn't immediately take back the ninth inning upon his return. Bedrosian picked up a few more saves after Bud Norris' removal from the role, but manager Mike Scioscia eventually grew to favor Blake Parker as his endgamer. Although he failed to secure the closer job, Bedrosian had a fine season with his 3.38 FIP coming in more than a full run lower than his ERA. Bedrosian posted a 10.7 K/9 despite a noticeable dip in average fastball velocity, as he got more swings on pitches out of the strike zone with a heavier reliance on the slider. The right-hander should be in the back-end bullpen mix again in 2018, but Parker likely has the edge over Bedrosian entering spring training.

Bedrosian will be a favorite target for those preferring not to pay top dollar for saves, and for good reason. The hard-throwing right-hander misses bats with regularity -- he's capable of fanning hitters at a double-digit per nine clip. However, there are some roadblocks: control, health and Huston Street. Walks have always been an issue, with last season's 3.1 BB/9 mark representing a major improvement over what the second-generation reliever registered at Triple-A and during previous stints in the majors. Bedrosian's 2016 season ended after a blood clot was discovered in his right arm while he was on the DL with finger tendinitis. However, he's supposed to be fully recovered from both in the spring. While Street has more experience closing games, he has been exhibiting declining skills. There's a good chance that if Bedrosian stays healthy and limits the free passes in Cactus League play, he'll open the season with ninth-inning duties.

Bedrosian pitched to the back of his baseball card in 2015, combining a nice strikeout rate (9.2 K/9) with a bloated walk rate (5.2 BB/9) in 33.1 innings, which resulted in a 5.40 ERA. He found success at Triple-A Salt Lake last season, posting a 2.78 ERA, but exhibited the same control problems, notching a walk rate over 3.5 BB/9 in 24 games. Bedrosian's average fastball velocity of over 94 mph makes for a potentially valuable bullpen weapon, and he will likely be given another shot to succeed with the big club based on his rapid ascension through the lower levels of the minor leagues. However, he will likely never realize his value (fantasy or otherwise) until he can get his control straightened out.

Hailed as a top-10 prospect in the Angels' organization heading into the 2014 season, Bedrosian made quick work of Double-A Arkansas, notching a 1.13 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 24 innings before being promoted to the big club in July. Unfortunately for the former first-round pick, he would not see much success the rest of the season, as he allowed 17 runs in 19 innings in the majors. The 23-year-old did not fare much better during a brief stint at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he allowed six runs in eight appearances. The strikeouts have always been a part of Bedrosian's skill set (9.7 K/9 in 202.2 minor league innings), but so is a career 4.7 BB/9. Bedrosian is a young man with swing-and-miss stuff, which could project well for his future, but until he is able to harness his control, he won't see much time at the big league level.