Chris Devenski

Devenski's sophomore season was his peak value. Even though that work is recent memory, it feels like occurred seven years ago. His snapdragon changeup has gone from an elite pitch to just an average pitch by pitch values, and his average fastball is now below-average. His breaking ball is his only plus pitch by pitch values, and a lot of that comes from his crazy delivery which hides the ball rather well. A righty with a changeup should be excellent against lefties, but Devenski struggled for the first time in his career against lefties last year with a .273/.348/.482 slash line in 155 plate appearances. His historical efforts against lefties should earn him another chance, but it is the one baseball skill he has, so he cannot afford another year of regression. Fantasy-wise, he has very little value as his diminished skills limit his leverage exposure.

Devenski was a popular target last year even though he wasn't expected to garner more than a handful of saves. The allure was more innings than the normal reliever combined with a dominant strikeout clip. He ended up disappointing as even before he was felled by a hamstring injury in August, the Astros cut back on using Devenski for multiple innings, plus his strikeout rate fell back a notch. He surrendered nine homers, just two fewer than the previous season in 33.1 fewer innings. As a flyball pitcher, Devenski is prone to the long ball. However, a bloated 15.1% HR/FB didn't help. Flyball pitchers generally carry a low BABIP, aiding WHIP, but he's no longer a cinch for 80 innings and Devenski loses some luster in a market replete with dominant middle relievers. He's still roster-worthy in leagues where high-strikeout setup men are assets, but it's no longer necessary to go the extra mile. There will be others of his ilk.

Devenski was dominant in his role as a multiple-inning reliever in 2017, finishing as one of the top fantasy relievers that was not a full-time closer. His ability to chew up late innings with a diverse cache of offerings resulted in four saves almost by accident. The flyball pitcher endured issues with home runs (1.23 HR/9) and his walk rate was a tad high at 2.9 BB/9, but he compensated with the swing and miss, posting a 17.1 percent swinging-strike rate and 44.5 O-Contact percentage (lowest among pitchers with at least 70 innings). The Astros probably value him too much as a reliable bridge to make him a full-time closer, but he will chip in a few during his normal duties, which bolsters what he can offer. Format matters, as investors will get more from him in deeper or innings-restricted leagues.

Devenski quietly had a really sharp season as a long reliever. He averaged about two innings per appearance as a reliever and went three-plus innings in 10 of them. He did log 24.2 frames as a starter over five starts, too, but his best work was in relief. He displayed a diverse four-pitch arsenal, but leaned most-heavily on his changeup (31 percent). His .484 OPS off the changeup was fourth-best among the 43 pitchers who threw at least 400 changeups. He only used his slider 10 percent of the time overall, but it was devastating with a .194 OPS against and 45 percent strikeout rate in 31 plate appearances, leading him to up its usage in the second half in lieu of the curve. His strikeout and walk rates were nearly identical to his minor league work, but he kept the ball in the yard and displayed much sharper command. He is reportedly being groomed for a starting role in 2017 and makes an interesting gamble in deep leagues.