Grant Dayton

In his first season back from Tommy John surgery, Dayton bounced between the majors and Triple-A Gwinnett, only throwing 12 innings at the top level. He looked good in those innings, posting a 3.00 ERA and a 14:4 K:BB, though the four homers he allowed gave him a poor 6.21 FIP. In 26.2 frames at the Triple-A level, he produced a similarly strong 3.04 ERA with a 39.8% strikeout rate and 3.9% walk rate, suggesting that his talent is still there heading into his age-32 season. His health remains a question, however, as he missed two months with a broken toe. If he's healthy in 2020, he should provide a fair amount of strikeouts in a middle-relief role, but his chances of earning his first career save will be limited in a deep Atlanta bullpen.

Dayton missed the entirety of the 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in August of 2017. A typical recovery timeline should have him ready to go by the start of this season. Dayton is now 31 years old and has thrown just 50 big-league innings, which ordinarily wouldn't make a player worth a second thought, especially one coming off such a lengthy injury layoff. The only reason the veteran is interesting is due to his success back in 2016, as his 2017 numbers were quite poor while he battled multiple injuries. In 26.1 innings in 2016, he combined a stellar 38.6% percent strikeout rate with a 5.9% walk rate, leading to a 2.05 ERA. The sample is quite small, and it's possible that injuries have robbed him of whatever magic he had that season, but he had hype back then for a reason, so it's certainly possible he breaks camp.

Add another piece of evidence to the case that good relievers can come from nowhere. Dayton was traded midseason in 2015 to the Dodgers from the Marlins in exchange for struggling former first-round pick Chris Reed, and was dominant the second he was called up to the majors in late July 2016. By September, Dayton had established himself as the bullpen's top left-handed reliever. In 26.1 innings, he yielded a 2.05 ERA while striking out 39 and walking just six. His arsenal features a low-90s fastball and deadly curveball that he'll mix in about once every five pitches. While a rookie with those numbers could be enticing as a stash, there is a large caveat in that he's a very old rookie at age 28. Still, there's no question he gets strikeouts like few others and is on a team that will keep him in a high-leverage role as long as he keeps it up.

Dayton struck out over a batter per inning at each of his two stops in 2014, compiling a 3.13 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 72 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He continued to show solid command during his age-26 season and has posted 348 strikeouts against just 99 walks during his 284.1 minor league innings pitched. The lefty hurler is likely headed for some additional time at Triple-A to start the season, but with continued growth in a relief role, he could make his way to the majors this summer.