Derek Law

Law's outstanding 2016 rookie campaign continues to look like a mirage as the right-hander has failed to come close to that season's production in the three years that have followed. While his 4.90 ERA in his first season with Toronto was an improvement over the marks he posted the previous two campaigns, it was hardly reason to celebrate and was accompanied by a career-worst 14.0 BB% that ranked ninth-worst in the majors among qualified relievers. Law did do some things well -- he induced a 23.1 Soft%, 10th-best among relievers, and notched a career-high 23.5 K% -- but was stung by one of the highest WHIPs in the league (1.66). Law earned five saves and eight holds for the Blue Jays last season, but he was non-tendered by the club in December. His strikeout ability alone makes him likely to latch on with another team in 2020, but he has a lot to prove before he can be trusted in high-leverage situations.

After regressing during the 2017 season, Law failed to make the Opening Day roster. In the end, he only managed to log 13.1 innings in the majors all season. When he did pitch, he was less than effective, allowing 11 runs on 16 hits and eight walks. He struck out nearly a batter per inning (12 strikeouts), but another high home-run rate (1.4 HR/9) hurt him. A whopping 88.9% of the batted balls against him were of the medium- or hard-hit variety. His numbers in the minors were considerably better -- 2.45 FIP, 9.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9 -- but it's not as impressive given it was his third tour of the Pacific Coast League. He's not a lock to make the Giants' bullpen out of spring training, though the fact that he's out of minor-league options helps his cause. Either way, Law isn't much of a fantasy commodity.

After a breakout rookie season that saw him finish near the top of the Giants' closer depth chart, Law took a major step backwards, putting up a 5.06 ERA in 37.1 innings and earning a demotion to Triple-A for most of the second half of the season. Law's walk rate ballooned from 4.2 percent in 2016 to 8.3 percent last year. He also suffered a significant drop in groundball percentage, falling from an above-average 50.3 percent in 2016 to a below-average 38.3 percent in 2017. Law projects to return to the Giants' bullpen in 2018, but the results will need to improve if he's to climb back up the hierarchy.

While Hunter Strickland had all the preseason buzz as a potential breakout reliever, Law was the true San Francisco surprise, posting stellar numbers during his rookie campaign, including 14 holds and a 5.56 K/BB. He was consistently the Giants' best reliever while he was healthy and even served as the team's closer for a brief period after Santiago Casilla was demoted from the position. Law has four reliable pitches, headlined by his mid- to high-90s fastball. San Francisco added Mark Melancon this offseason to shore up that mediocre bullpen, so Law does not project to get many saves in the foreseeable future. However, he would be in that mix if Melancon were to suffer an injury. For now, Law will serve as a source of solid ratios and strikeouts for owners in deep leagues.

While his 4.56 ERA with Double-A Richmond may not say it, Law had a very successful return from Tommy John surgery in 2015. His ability to strikeout batters at a high clip returned (11.2 K/9) and he corrected the control issues that popped up before his elbow gave out (2.8 BB/9). He continued to limit the long ball (0.35 HR/9) and his 2.22 FIP shows that he suffered some poor luck, likely a result of his 61.2 LOB% with Richmond. With another offseason of rest under his belt, Law will look to make his case for the 2016 Opening Day roster after being one of the final cuts in 2015.

Law's walk rate nearly tripled with the move up to Double-A Richmond in 2014 (from 1.6 BB/9 to 4.5 BB/9), but the right-hander still finished with a 2.57 ERA, marking the fourth time he has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in as many professional seasons. A ninth-round pick out of Miami-Dade College in 2011, he also saw his strikeout rate dip by more than four per nine innings in 2014 (from 13.8 K/9 to 9.3 K/9), but Law has been able to sustain success as he has moved up the organizational ladder, making the decision to protect him from the Rule 5 draft with a spot on the 40-man roster a relatively easy one for San Francisco. Law, who complements a heavy, sinking fastball with a potential plus curveball and a slider, has also proven plenty capable in high-leverage situations, saving 27 games in the minors the last two seasons. It's well within the realm of possibility that he could work himself into the setup mix late in 2015.