Dominic Leone

Leone appeared to have the inside track on the closer job at the end of spring training, but some early struggles plus a lengthy absence due to a biceps injury resulted in him finishing the season with zero saves and a 4.50 ERA in 24 innings. His peripherals didn't match those from his breakout 2017 campaign, but he did at least beat the league average with both his strikeout rate (24.5%) and walk rate (7.6%), leading to a solid 3.62 FIP. He didn't pitch particularly well in 11 innings after his return from the disabled list, recording a 4.91 ERA with a 21.6% strikeout rate and a 9.8% walk rate. A bounce-back month could have made Leone an interesting sleeper again heading into this season, especially with the Cardinals' closer situation again unresolved, but as things stand, there are too many question marks to put Leone on the list of top speculative options.

Where did that come from? After a dismal season with the Diamondbacks in 2016 (6.26 FIP), Leone transformed into a back-end relief stud in his first season with the Blue Jays. He gained a tick of velocity on his fastball and upped his cutter usage nearly seven percentage points to 36.0 percent, at the expense of his slider. The right-hander in turn upped his strikeout percentage from 17.6 to 29.0 percent and improved his K/BB from 1.92 to 3.52. His walk rate figures to slide back again given his track record (3.5 BB/9 for career), and his .266 BABIP is ripe for correction, but if Leone can keep the strikeouts, he could eventually challenge for saves following an offseason trade that sent him to St. Louis. He has appeal in holds leagues right out of the gates in 2018 as well as some appeal in deeper standard-scoring formats over less skilled starting pitchers, even when factoring in ratio regression.

Leone bounced between Triple-A Reno and the majors last season, and he posted ugly numbers when he was with the Diamondbacks. He is only entering his age-25 season and has a solid four-pitch mix as a reliever, so he could develop into a quality big league reliever. In 2014 with Seattle, Leone looked promising while striking out 70 across 66.1 innings. He has failed to maintain that level of success in the two seasons since his debut, but Leone continues to intrigue big league teams seeking a young reliever with growth potential. Claimed off waivers by the Jays in November, Leone will be in the mix for a bullpen job during spring training, competing as a dark horse to replace Brett Cecil.

Leone was a nice addition to the Mariners' bullpen last season after his callup in early April. The hard-throwing right-hander mixed as many as four pitches, averaging 94.6 mph on his fastball. He led the bullpen in ERA, though his FIP was nearly a run higher (3.07). Leone had a strong strikeout rate, and excluding his intentional walks drops his walk rate to 3.0 BB/9. He'll be back again this season to pitch in middle relief.