Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery's first five starts of the 2018 campaign were sluggish. He was walking more while fanning fewer than he did in his promising rookie season. The lefty was lifted after one inning in a May 1 start in Houston with what was initially diagnosed as a left elbow strain. A little over a month later, Montgomery went under the knife, undergoing Tommy John surgery. With a typical 12-to-14 month recovery time frame, it's possible Montgomery can return sometime during the second half of 2019. However, the Yankees aren't going to hold a rotation spot for him, so he's likely to return as a reliever, or perhaps spend extended time starting for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Unless you have deep reserves, Montgomery really isn't even a target for those in keeper leagues as a 2020 stash since his role is unclear.

Above-average control of four average offerings will take a pitcher a long way in Major League Baseball, as Montgomery showed last season. He only throws his fastball 92 mph and none of his secondary pitches (curveball, slider, change) are truly plus yet, but they all play against big-league hitters -- the offspeed is good enough for Montgomery to keep right-handed hitters in check (.241/.301/.386 last season). Montgomery limited the free passes in his first exposure to big-league hitters (3.0 BB/9), which was huge as he did have some issues with the long ball, especially on the road (1.7 HR/9). There may be room for growth in the strikeout department given his 12.2 percent swinging-strike rate, above-average chase rate and track record at the upper levels of the minors, but owners would be wise to simply pay for a repeat (of both production and workload), with anything beyond that being a bonus.

A big-bodied southpaw out of South Carolina, the 6-foot-6 Montgomery tormented the opposition in 2016. A polished college hurler drafted in the fourth round in 2014, Montgomery had no issues with Double-A Trenton to begin the year and performed even better with a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, recording a 0.97 ERA and 37:9 K:BB in six starts to finish the year. Montgomery doesn't have one standout pitch, and he may not be frontline starter material, but he uses a three-pitch combination of fastball, changeup and curveball extremely effectively. Tinkering with Montgomery's mechanics has also allowed him to register a few more ticks on the radar gun. Montgomery should start the year in Triple-A with a chance to make his MLB debut by midseason.