Jimmie Sherfy

Though Sherfy began the season in the minors and was optioned on three separate occasions, he enjoyed success while in the big leagues, throwing 16.1 innings for the Diamondbacks with a 1.65 ERA. His peripherals were less glowing, helping to explain why Arizona kept sending him down despite the fact that he's now given up just three runs in 27 career MLB innings. He held onto a decent 24.6% strikeout rate, but his walk rate spiked to 14.5% while his groundball rate fell to 37.5%. His numbers were much better in 45 innings for Triple-A Reno (31.0 K%, 10.7 BB%) and he has a pretty impressive fastball/slider combo, so there's reason to believe he has a future as a high-leverage reliever even if his supporting statistics thus far in the majors suggest a more modest role. How soon he moves toward the back end of the Arizona bullpen remains to be seen.

Sherfy debuted with the D-backs in late August, making 11 appearances out of the bullpen after a successful four-and-a-half month run at Triple-A Reno. Since being drafted out of the University of Oregon by Arizona in 2013, he's worked exclusively as a reliever while making his way up the ladder, flashing gaudy strikeout rates at times, but most notably, showing improved control in the Pacific Coast League (5.2 percent walk rate) and after his promotion to the big leagues (5.4 percent) last season. During his time with the D-backs, Sherfy showed a two-pitch mix, utilizing a mid-90s fastball with movement and a good breaking ball nearly evenly to keep hitters off balance. Across all levels, Sherfy has 51 saves over the past two seasons, and while minor-league closers are hardly locks to get those chances at the top level, the D-backs' plans for him will likely hinge on their plans for Archie Bradley, Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano.

Sherfy began 2016 in High-A Visalia, but that didn't stop him from rising through the ranks and finishing the season with 23.1 Triple-A innings. He earned this promotion due to an absolute domination of High-A and Double-A Mobile, over which he also saved 18 games with a 14.62 K/9. Triple-A Reno, however, was not kind to Sherfy. His walk rate rose sharply to 5.01 and his strikeout totals dropped to 10.41. Triple-A hitters teed off on Sherfy, hitting 1.93 HR/9 against him. He should make his major league debut at some point in 2017 and has a chance for some high-leverage opportunities -- and potential future fantasy value -- in a relatively inexperienced Arizona bullpen, but he's going to have to adjust in his second go-round with Reno.