Ryan Dull

Dull took a step back last season after putting together a breakout 2016 campaign (2.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 73:15 K:BB across 74.2 innings). The 28-year-old saw a noticeable jump in his walk and home run rates in 2017 -- to 3.4 BB/9 and 1.5 HR/9, respectively -- which resulted in a career-worst 5.14 ERA. He also struggled to get left-handed batters out, as they hit .300/.417/.480 against him last year after slashing just .244/.320/.367 against him in 2016. Still, the right-hander missed bats at a career-best clip (25.4 percent strikeout rate and 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate) and was one of Oakland's most used relievers despite missing nearly two months of the season with a knee injury. He figures to once again play a prominent role in the team's bullpen next season and could eventually push Blake Treinen for the closer job.

After shooting from Double-A to the major leagues in 2015, Dull didn't miss a beat in 2016. The right-hander quickly became a rock in the Athletics' bullpen thanks to an ERA that sat below 3.00 for the majority of the season while exhibiting exquisite control (1.8 BB/9) in his career-high 74.1 innings pitched. Although there was a lot to like about the 27-year-old's campaign, there were some blemishes. He gave up 1.2 home runs per nine innings, which likely could have been worse given his 0.74 groundball/flyball rate. He also posted an 8.8 K/9, which in its own right is decent, but it leaves something to be desired for a late-inning reliever. Dull's success last season will likely have him in line for another big workload as a member of the Oakland relief corps, although it'll be tough to garner much value outside of leagues that count holds while Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle and John Axford are in town scarfing up most of the save opportunities.

After a sparkling 61 innings across Double-A and Triple-A where Dull allowed a mere five earned runs, the righty was called up and made his major league debut with the A's in September. Dull came out of the box firing up zeroes like he had in the minors, allowing zero runs while striking out 13 over his first 11 innings. He finally hit a few bumps near the end of the season and ended his first major league month with a 4.24 ERA over 17 innings. Dull has sported a nice 11.2 K/9 across his four minor league seasons while posting a 2.1 BB/9 and allowing a 0.6 HR/9. With his great minor league resume and a solid first stint in the majors (aside from the four homers), Dull figures to have a very strong shot to earn a role in the A's bullpen to begin the 2016 campaign.