Craig Stammen

Stammen set up for Kirby Yates for most of 2018 and 2019, accumulating 54 holds across those two seasons. Some thought he had spec appeal, but the Padres didn't end up trading Yates last year and it was never a lock that the aging Stammen would have stepped in anyway. Stammen ended up returning to the Friars on a multi-year deal, but now Drew Pomeranz is also vying for late-inning opportunities. Stammen added a tick of velocity last season, averaging just under 93 mph on his fastball but still saw his strikeout and home-run rates go in the wrong direction. He limits free passes (4.4 BB%) and total baserunners, but Stammen will be 36 come Opening Day and at this point it doesn't seem like his fantasy utility will ever extend beyond "mono league staff filler."

Though he wasn't named to the NL All-Star team, Stammen put together an All-Star-caliber campaign at age 34. Stammen posted a 2.73 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while leading the team in both appearances and holds (23). He also vultured eight wins, giving him more earned standard 5x5 value than the likes of Carlos Martinez and Kevin Gausman. The peripherals backed up everything he did; Stammen improved his K-BB% by a whopping 8.4 percentage points (to 22.4%) and cut his home-run rate from 1.34 HR/9 to 0.34 HR/9. His 71.6% first-pitch strike rate was tops among all relievers with at least 50 innings. For the vast majority of major-league players, dramatic year-to-year skill gains rarely stick -- even more rarely for players of Stammen's age. With that in mind, it's wise to bet on serious regression, but on the strength of what he did in 2018, Stammen should open the year as the Padres' top setup man barring a trade.

Stammen had an odd 2017. He had made a career with the Nationals of working medium leverage situations and not getting hurt with the long ball. He worked a lot of innings and vultured a few wins in a relief role in 2012 and 2013. He came back last year after missing most of the past two seasons with an elbow injury and promptly posted the worst home-run rate of his career in San Diego of all places. Pitchers returning from elbow surgery typically struggle with command, so we can give Stammen a pass for last year. He is now a free agent, and one that should not have trouble finding a home given that he was able to pick up where he left off with his pre-injury workload. Stammen has a splits issue -- he's very good against righties -- so he has a ceiling in terms of his role in the late innings.

Of all the injuries that beset the Nationals in 2015, Stammen's might have been the most overlooked. The veteran right-hander had been the glue in the bullpen for three years, working in short or long relief as needed and averaging 80.2 innings with a 2.93 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 74:26 K:BB ratio over that stretch, but a poor spring proved to be the product of a torn flexor tendon in his arm and he was lost for the year after just five appearances. Without Stammen to soak up those middle innings, the Nats struggled to bridge the gap from their starters to Drew Storen and eventually made a trade for Jonathan Papelbon that backfired spectacularly. If Stammen can return to full effectiveness following his surgery, he'll be an important part of the bullpen once again, but given his middling low-90s fastball/slider arsenal he doesn't have much margin for error.

Stammen once again soaked up a fair number of innings out of the Nationals' bullpen in 2014, but his fantasy utility took a big hit when his K/9 rate dropped to under seven and his ERA rose by more than a full run. Part of that ERA rise is noise, as his FIP was right in line with the previous two seasons, but the plunge in his strikeouts isn't something that can as easily ignored. There's no obvious culprit in his numbers to explain the drop, so like the ERA, it could just be a blip. Then again, the 31-year-old right-hander's stuff has never been considered plus. If those strikeouts don't return, Stammen will go from being a safe harbor on your waiver wire to a complete fantasy afterthought.

Stammen solidified his spot near the top of the fungible reliever rankings in 2013. While his slider-heavy repertoire doesn't generate a great strikeout rate, the Nationals frequently use him for multiple innings, which gives him plenty of chances to rack up bulk strikeouts and vulture wins (166 and 13, respectively, over the last two seasons), and consecutive years with a sub-3.00 ERA doesn't hurt either. When you're scrambling for a pitcher at the end of your deep league auction or draft, don't forget about Stammen.

After failing as a fifth starter, Stammen has reinvented himself as a setup man. He has not seen a big increase in fastball velocity despite the increased 2012 strikeout rate, so his success might not be sustainable, and he is way down the depth chart when it comes to saves anyway so don't put too much fantasy stock in his turnaround.

Stammen had a lackluster season in Triple-A as a starter last year, posting a 4.75 ERA. He was hurt by a .327 BABIP and 69.3 percent strand rate, and pitched in seven games for the Nationals out of the bullpen. His skills translate to the bullpen because of his lack of a dominant pitch and his 90.5 mph fastball. Additionally, his ability to register groundballs and throw strikes could land him on the 25-man roster by the end of spring training.

Stammen added a slider in 2010, which got him a few more strikeouts but did nothing to help his other numbers. He'll get a look in the bullpen, but when he gets hit Stammen gets hit hard and until that problem is solved it doesn't matter what his role is.

Stammen was the prototypical Nationals pitcher last season, keeping his fringy stuff down in the strike zone just enough to have some degree of success in the majors, if a 5.11 ERA can be called 'success'. To be fair his FIP was only 4.68, but when you live as close to the edge as Stammen, it's hard to see that gap as merely a product of bad luck. Jordan Zimmermann's Tommy John surgery likely keeps him in the rotation picture for one more year, but the organization's pitching depth is improving rapidly and a guy like Stammen will be the first one to get the ax when the kids are ready.