Sam Dyson

It's difficult to imagine an MLB reliever starting a season in a more disastrous fashion than Dyson did in 2017. Coming off a breakout year in which he posted a 2.43 ERA and tallied 38 saves as the Rangers' closer, Dyson struggled mightily out of the gates, allowing 11 runs in his first four relief appearances. He was unseated as the team's ninth-inning arm before the calendar turned to May. Dyson pitched in middle relief for a bit before being designated for assignment in early June. He was scooped up by the Giants and inserted into the closer role shortly thereafter when Mark Melancon hit the DL with an elbow injury. Dyson found more success with the Giants but was still far from dominant, as evidenced by the 29-year-old's 6.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 after the move. He'll return to the Bay Area in 2018 but will likely be limited to a setup role with Melancon reclaiming the ninth-inning duties.

One of baseball's leading groundball pitchers finally flashed those skills in a notable fantasy role, running away with Texas' closer gig after Shawn Tolleson imploded. He boasts a 2.45 ERA since 2013, mainly via a dominant two-seamer/sinker. Still, he carries a few warning signs for 2017. Dyson has quietly allowed homers at a more frequent rate in the last two years. Relievers can keep high left on-base percentages, but his jump to 85.4 looks ripe to dip back toward his career 77.1 mark. His strikeout rate (7.0 per nine) and swinging-strike percentage (8.3) were his lowest in his three seasons with significant work. Dyson's walk rate also ballooned to 4.1 BB/9 in the second half. Fantasy owners shouldn't bet on a closer sustaining success with those numbers, no matter how good his signature pitch. He's particularly risky since Texas has several options who may keep his leash short.

Dyson showed a marked improvement in his walk rate, issuing just 21 free passes in 75.1 innings in 2015 after allowing 15 walks in 42 innings the year prior, and a big jump in his strikeout rate also followed and resulted in a fine season out of the bullpen. A midseason trade sent him from Miami to Texas, and his numbers after the trade were the best of his young career (24 hits allowed, 30:4 K:BB in 31.1 innings). Thanks to a heavy sinker that produced a massive 6.0 GB/FB, Dyson should serve as Texas' primary setup reliever to closer Shawn Tolleson initially and could be first in line to be elevated into the closer role should something happen to Tolleson. The acquisition of Tom Wilhelmsen in November provides another possible obstacle to the closer's role, however.

Dyson harnessed his sinker in a big way during 2014, his most consistent season as a professional. He began the season notching a 2.49 ERA over 25.1 innings at Triple-A New Orleans before getting a midsummer call to the big leagues. Following his promotion, Dyson reeled off 42 strong innings in the Marlins' bullpen, inducing groundballs at a 63.3% clip while posting a 2.14 ERA in 31 games. Dyson's arsenal is far from overwhelming as he allowed 41 hits and 15 walks against 33 strikeouts during his time in the majors, but worked his hard, mid-90s sinking fastball to an excellent 3.82 GB/FB ratio. Turning 27 in May, Dyson is set to function as an important multi-inning piece in the middle of the Miami bullpen.

Despite a solid season in the minors that included a 2.67 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across three levels, Dyson -- a roster casualty in Toronto after the 2012 campaign -- was largely ineffective during a brief stint with the Marlins in September. He allowed 11 earned runs in 11 innings, with five walks against five strikeouts. Control is a key factor for Dyson, who has struck out just 100 batters in 185.1 minor league innings and offers a hard sinking fastball that has led to consistently strong groundball rates in the minors. Dyson has spent most of his time in the Marlins' system as a starter, but could also be a consideration to contribute in relief at some point in 2014.