Tony Zych

Zych came into 2016 with sleeper hype as the Mariners' potential closer. Unfortunately, he tanked when he was on the mound, which wasn't often considering he was placed on the disabled list in May with rotator cuff tendinitis and was later optioned to Triple-A. He underwent a right shoulder biceps tendon transfer surgery in October. He's expected to start spring training on time, but probably won't begin the season in any position to have consistent fantasy value. Edwin Diaz has the closer spot all but on lockdown, and Zych must surpass several more reliable back-end bullpen arms. The Mariners may even take it easy with him to preserve his shoulder. If all goes well in his rehab and he regains the high-90s average velocity on his fastball, he'll re-enter the consciousness of save speculators. In his first two partial seasons, Zych has maintained a 50 percent groundball rate. Combining those traits would help him meet his elite upside. Don't lose track of him if he can shake the injury bug.

A 2011 fourth-round pick by the Cubs, Zych is an intriguing right-handed prospect who could make an impact in the Seattle bullpen this year. Zych impressed in his major-league debut last season, giving up only five earned runs in 18.1 innings despite a .348 BABIP and finishing with a 2.11 FIP. He has a 96-mph fastball and an effective slider he learned from Cubs ace Jake Arrieta that he commands for strikes. A groundball pitcher, Zych posted excellent strikeout rates across three levels last season, topping out in Seattle with an 11.78 K/9 and an outstanding 31.6 K%. He also showed great control with just nine walks in 67 total innings (1.16 BB/9), including none in 15 outings at Double-A Jacksonville. Zych has the talent to land a late-inning role out of spring training, which perhaps made it at least a little easier for general manager Jerry Dipoto to trade hard-throwing right-hander Carson Smith this offseason. If nothing else, Zych will be hard to beat as the last player listed alphabetically in the MLB record book.