Drew Rasmussen

Rasmussen was one of the two arms Tampa Bay received just before the summer from Milwaukee for Willy Adames. Rasmussen was exclusively a reliever for Milwaukee, and did much of the same for Tampa Bay throughout the summer until injuries on the roster forced him into a starting role, which he took a surprising liking to. Rasmussen became a more efficient pitcher as a starter simply by attacking hitters with fastballs and sliders and not looking for the punchout as much as he did as a reliever. Rasmussen held hitters to a .171 average as a starter (.239 as a reliever) and had a 4.5 BB% starting (11.8% relieving). He may not go deep into games without an effective third pitch, but he has proven to be efficient enough to get through five with what he has and qualify for wins. A better third pitch would help his strikeout rate as a starter, but his work down the stretch was promising. Read Past Outlooks