Brad Ziegler

45-Year-Old PitcherP

Free Agent

2024 Stats

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0-0

ERA

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WHIP

0.00

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

There was no outlook written for Brad Ziegler in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man No

Height 6'4"

Weight 231

DOB 10/10/1979

Born Pratt, KS

College Missouri State

Drafted 2004 OAK

Announces retirement

PFree Agent

October 10, 2018

Ziegler announced his retirement from professional baseball Wednesday afternoon via his personal Twitter account.

ANALYSIS
Ziegler spent 11 years in the big leagues, dating back to his debut with Oakland in 2008. Over 717.1 innings throughout his career, he logged a 2.75 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 479 strikeouts and 105 saves. In his release, Ziegler stated, "The daily grind has taken its toll on my body. There were really tough times in the past two seasons when I wondered if I could physically continue doing what it would take to stay on the field, and even if I could continue to perform at the level I always had." Across a career-high 82 appearances split between Miami and Arizona this past season, he posted a 3.91 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 10 saves in 73.2 innings. He heads to retirement as the Diamondbacks' franchise leader in wins, innings pitched and appearances by a reliever.

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

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As an extreme groundball pitcher, Ziegler relies on soft contact and the resultant infield outs. Despite recording a below-average hard contact rate, Ziegler sported a high .346 BABIP, yielding a career-worst 1.55 WHIP. Making matters worse, in 2016, Ziegler's strikeout percentage spiked to a career best only to plummet to his lowest ever last year. Despite a bloated 4.79 ERA, Ziegler managed to save 10 contests while recording a hold in seven others. He began the season setting up A.J. Ramos, but after Ramos was traded to the Mets, Ziegler returned from a five-week stay on the DL to inherit ninth-inning duties. He held the gig until late September when a committee was employed. Ziegler will likely be considered the underdog to Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider for the Opening Day closer job. Even if he emerges with the role, Ziegler's lack of strikeouts makes him a third closer at best in mixed formats.

Ziegler started the 2016 season in Arizona as the primary closer, posting a 2.82 ERA in 38.1 innings while registering 18 saves in 20 opportunities. Arizona traded Ziegler midseason to the Red Sox, with whom he played an integral role as the setup man. In 29.2 innings with Boston, Ziegler posted an impressive 1.52 ERA across 33 games, adding four saves in the process. The 37-year-old has proven his value and versatility in the bullpen, owning a 2.25 ERA across 68 innings last season. His strikeout rate has never been particularly good for a back-end reliever, but Ziegler's extreme groundball rate (66.3 percent for his career) has made up for what he lacks in terms of swing-and-miss stuff. After signing with the Marlins in free agency, Ziegler is likely ticketed for setup duty in front of A.J. Ramos.

Not considered a prototypical closer, Ziegler was still able to excel in the role last year. After replacing an ineffective Addison Reed, Ziegler converted 30 of 32 save opportunities and posted a 1.85 ERA. Ziegler had just 36 strikeouts in 68 innings (4.8 per nine), and he’s never been a huge strikeout guy—his career rate is 5.9 per nine. Still, the sidewinder found ways to get guys out, limiting opposing hitters to just a .198 batting average. His career 3.41 FIP suggests some regression is coming in the ERA department, and Arizona might prefer to use Ziegler in a setup role if it can, based on his inability to miss bats. But as the team’s best internal option to close at the moment, Ziegler should return to the role in 2016. He’s definitely not an elite fantasy closer, but if he should offer good ratios and plenty of saves if he can hold the job all season.

Ziegler showed himself to be capable of handling the closer role in 2013, saving 13-of-15 opportunities using his obscenely high groundball rate to induce tons and tons of weak contact. It wasn’t enough to convince the Diamondbacks that he could do it again over a full season, as they acquired Addison Reed for the role in 2014. Ziegler went back to eighth-inning duty and continued to find plenty of success. His groundball rate fell some, but his strikeout rate was a career-best 19.2% to offset the dip. Three outings of just a third of an inning, during which he allowed eight total runs, ballooned his ERA to a career-worst 3.49, but he had a 2.46 ERA in his other 65 appearances (totaling 66 IP). He will again be a setup man in the Arizona bullpen with a chance at saves if Reed falters. He doesn’t strike out enough batters to hold without those saves, though.

Ziegler, the side-arming groundball specialist in the Arizona bullpen, became the closer in Phoenix through injury and the poor performances of his peers. Closing is probably not the ideal role for a pitcher who has induced over 68 percent of his outs on the ground in each of the last three seasons, but he was solid in the role, blowing just two saves. With the D-Backs' addition of Addison Reed, Ziegler will rejoin the bridge to the ninth inning along with the likes of J.J. Putz and David Hernandez.

Ziegler continues to have success on the strength of his sinker, which generated an outstanding 75.5 percent groundball rate last season. As part of a deep Arizona bullpen, most of his contributions will come in middle relief when the D-Backs are looking to get a double play ball, and it's unlikely that he'll pick up more than the occasional vultured save with a trio of arms ahead of him in the pecking order to handle the ninth inning. As a result, the value he provides will be significantly greater in simulation leagues and other formats that make better use of relief arms of his ilk.

It should come as little surprise that the A's were willing to flip Ziegler to the D-Backs during his first season with arbitration eligibility in 2011. Ziegler's ability to induce grounders will likely enable him to remain a viable middle relief option even while pitching half of his games at Chase Field. Still, his flashes of fantasy value in the past came from short-term opportunities to serve as the closer in Oakland, and with David Hernandez entrenched as the No. 2 option for saves should anything happen to J.J. Putz, there's not much to get excited about here for most owners.

Ziegler's continued poor results against lefties (15.1 IP, 19 hits, 5:17 K:BB) make him a poor fit for an expanded role even when injuries open the door, as was the case in the A's bullpen in 2010. He remains effective against righties, but doesn't strike out enough batters to be an effective endgame option given his limitations.

Ziegler battled the flu early in the season, and found himself playing a less and less prominent role in the A's bullpen as the season progressed with the emergence of Andrew Bailey and the effectiveness of Michael Wuertz. Zielger's struggles against lefties (.336 average against, 18 walks and just 14 Ks in 27.1 innings) will prevent him from excelling as a late-inning reliever, particularly given the depth in the A's bullpen.

Ziegler, who set a major-league record for the most scoreless innings to begin a career, ended up with 11 saves and a 1.06 ERA in 47 appearances. Of some concern was his poor 22:30 BB:K rate, and his ability to pitch multiple innings likely places him second behind Joey Devine in a now Huston Street-less A's bullpen. Ziegler could still see the occasional save chance, but the smart money figures to back Devine in spring. Ziegler's lack of Ks takes away some value traditionally held by quality set-up men in deeper leagues.

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Records 15th hold

PArizona Diamondbacks

September 5, 2018

Ziegler was credited with his 15th hold of the season after retiring both of the batters he faced Tuesday in the Diamondbacks' 6-0 win over the Padres.