Frankie De La Cruz

Part of the swag the Marlins received for Miguel Cabrera, Florida let de la Cruz start at Triple-A to build up some experience and innings, even though his future is still likely in the big league bullpen. His rate stats weren't especially pretty and he got hammered in a brief major league trial, but he kept the ball down even in the thin desert air at Albuquerque and showed some improvement in his control, so he's headed in the right direction. He might need one more season in the minors before he's ready to step in as a set-up man though.

The Tigers thought highly of De La Cruz's arm and wanted him to develop into a set-up man, but he was plenty expendable when the opportunity to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida arose during the winter. They had De La Cruz starting in the minors for a while last season to give him more innings to help refine his secondary pitches. He made some progress in cutting back on the walks but more improvement is needed. De La Cruz will have a great chance at making the Marlins' Opening Day roster this spring, but he's unlikely to be of much use in fantasy leagues until he harnesses his control.

The Tigers moved De la Cruz into a starting role at Double-A last season and the young righty made the most of the opportunity going 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 54:20 K:BB ratio in 63.1 IP. He features two quality pitches but lacks command of the changeup that he'll likely need to be a successful starter in the majors. It's possible he'll move back to the bullpen, where he profiles as a set-up man, by the time he gets to the majors.