Jose Cisnero

Cisnero began the season with the chance to earn dominant closer status, but he failed to build on 2020's breakthrough campaign. He gave back his control gains while also inducing fewer strikeouts. In 2020, Cisnero's swinging strike mark was an impressive 14.8%, but it dipped to a pedestrian 9.3% last year. His velocity went up a tick, but Cisnero traded in 17% of his four-seam fastballs for two-seamers. The change did more harm than good as his sinking fastball generated swinging strikes at a low 5.9% clip. Cisnero will be 33 years old next season, so Detroit will probably look to groom someone younger to close. However, he did 18 holds and four saves last year, so he could be useful in the growing pool of leagues using holds in their scoring.

Cisnero enjoyed his strongest big-league season to date in 2020, registering a 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across a team-high 29 appearances. That he pitched in the majors at all is a testament to his perseverance, as the right-hander endured a five-year lull between big-league outings after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014, making stops in the Mexican Baseball League and the independent Can-Am League. Cisnero has dealt with control problems throughout most of his career, and much of last season's success was tied to a stable 8.1 BB%. The veteran didn't have to sacrifice velocity to reach that mark as he continued to touch the upper-90s with his featured four-seam fastball. That helped him notch a strong 27.6 K% and gain some high-leverage work for Detroit. He should continue to compete for such a role this season and could feasibly see some save opportunities if other options falter.

Cisnero has yet to overcome the control problems (4.8 BB/9) that he's battled throughout his career, but the hard-throwing right-hander (93.7 mph fastball) has at least shown strikeout potential (8.6 K/9) over 48.1 big league innings. The soon-to-be 26-year-old struggled in five relief appearances with the Astros early last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a strained UCL in late May. Cisnero was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in November to clear a spot on Houston's 40-man roster, but he'll likely be ready to pitch again sometime this summer.

Cisnero was assumed to step in as the Astros' closer after they traded Jose Veras last season, but the soon-to-be 25-year-old righty struggled when that window of opportunity opened, and was subsequently optioned to Triple-A. Primarily a starter in the minors, Cisnero was summoned to make his major league debut in late April when the Astros needed a long reliever. For the most part, he performed well in that role, with a solid 8.5 K/9 rate over 43.2 innings, but he'll need to improve his control (4.5 BB/9) and do a better job of keeping the ball in the park (1.0 HR/9) if he wants another shot in the majors this season.