Drew VerHagen

VerHagen was perhaps one of the few somewhat bright spots to come out of what can only be described as a meltdown in Motown in 2014. He struggled early, but the converted starter started to get things under control in September. VerHagen's overall K:BB rate (13:14) won't draw any eyes, but only six of those walks came in September. He saw an almost 3 mph uptick in his fastball velocity as a reliever and delivered a power arsenal that finally started to dominate hitters. Verhagen's 2.05 ERA (26.1 IP), 1.22 WHIP and three September holds speak to his late-inning potential. He's 6-foot-6, so his fastball plays up even more because it's on hitters before they know it. Could he be a closer some day? Perhaps, but not in 2016. He'll be in the mix for late-inning work, though.

Selected by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, VerHagen has quickly worked his way through the Tigers' system. The big 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander spent the majority of 2014 with Triple-A Toledo, finishing 6-7 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 19 starts. He also made one spot start for the Tigers, allowing three earned runs over five innings. Despite his imposing figure and low-90s fastball, VerHagen doesn’t ring up many strikeouts, picking up just 63 whiffs in 110.2 innings with the Mud Hens. Instead of strikeouts, VerHagen relies on his sinker, which hitters rarely make hard contact on. His long-term upside is that of a low-strikeout innings eater at the back of a major league rotation, and VerHagen does not have a clear path to fantasy value in the short term with Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon brought in during the offseason to round out the starting staff.