Chaz Roe

On the surface, Roe's 2019 campaign was a step back after a stellar 2018 season in which he emerged as one of the AL's top setup men. He tallied nine fewer holds (23) than in his previous campaign, and his ERA (4.06), WHIP (1.57) and walk rate (13.5%) all jumped by considerable margins. However, Roe's struggles were due in part to bad luck -- his .357 BABIP was sixth-highest among qualified relievers -- and his 3.31 FIP was more than a half-run lower than his 2018 mark. Roe upped his strikeout rate to a robust 28.4% while giving up half as many homers (three) in a nearly identical number of innings. The veteran has been used by the Rays primarily as a situational righty, so he could be impacted by MLB's reliever rule changes next season. Nonetheless, he's worth a look in holds leagues as he ranks third in baseball in that category since the start of 2018.

If Roe didn't miss almost seven weeks in the second half, he probably would have led the league in holds. As is, he logged 31, good for a tie with teammate Jose Alvarado for the fifth most in the majors. Roe's missed time was due to a meniscus tear which required surgery. When he returned, he didn't miss a beat, closing the season with a 3.52 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 15.1 frames, fanning 15 while recording a dozen holds. The 32-year-old right-hander deploys a two-pitch mix, using a fastball and slider equally, fueling a very good 26% strikeout rate, albeit down four points from 2016-2017. Roe was one of the few Rays relievers so entrenched in the setup role he wasn't used as the newfangled opener. That's where he should continue this season, making him one of the best options in leagues with holds as a scoring category.

Roe pitched effectively in the majors when given the opportunity. In 8.2 innings following a September callup to the Rays, he posted a 2.53 ERA. The sample was small, but Roe's underlying skills matched those he demonstrated in 29.2 innings in 2016. He posted high strikeout rates of 29.8 and 29.6 percent in those two seasons, along with high walk rates of 11.4 and 11.3 percent and high groundball rates of 57.7 and 56.0 percent. It's a pretty stereotypical profile for a slider-heavy reliever -- he threw his slider 53.7 percent of the time last year. The skills are there for the 31-year-old to be productive if given the chance, and Roe could be rosterable in leagues deep enough where a high-strikeout reliever who doesn't get any saves is worth owning. However, unless the Rays trade away several of their more established relievers, owners in shallower leagues will have little reason to consider him.

Over the past decade, Roe has been the textbook definition of a journeyman pitcher, playing for six different organizations in his first 10 professional seasons. In 2016, he added another team to the list after the Orioles designated him for assignment in late July and the Braves claimed him a week later. Roe posted a 3.72 ERA (5.73 FIP) with the O's, but fared much better out of the Braves' bullpen over 20 innings. Some improvement was to be expected as he moved from the offensive-heavy AL East to the much less daunting NL East. If the veteran makes the big league club in 2017, he'll likely serve in a similar relief role. Unless he somehow finds his way into a setup role, however, he holds minimal fantasy value in even the deepest of leagues.

Roe has a strong minor league track record over the last three years, but he is still working on making a successful transition to the MLB level while pitching for his sixth organization since 2006. He transitioned to the bullpen back in 2011 and has shuttled between Triple-A and the major league level since 2013. Since making that conversion, Roe has thrown a fastball and slider almost exclusively. He added more than one mph to his fastball, which can top out in the mid-90s. Roe had a 2.19 ERA at Triple-A last season and was aided by an unsustainable .195 average against. After being promoted, Roe slotted into middle relief, where a .342 BABIP worked against him. The Orioles will have a multitude of bullpen options in camp this spring and Row will have to produce well to earn back his bullpen spot.

To say Roe has not lived up to expectations as a former first-round pick (32nd overall in 2005) would be a vast understatement. The 6-foot-5 right-hander owns a 4.44 ERA and 1.52 WHIP at the major league level (24 appearances) and has been even worse in parts of four seasons at Triple-A (5.42 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). In all fairness, Roe has been much better since spending 2012 in the independent leagues, posting a 2.95 ERA and 95:25 K:BB in 72 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A over the past two years. He didn't show quite enough in 2014 to convince the Pirates that he deserved a contract tender this offseason, but the Orioles quickly scooped Roe up on a minor league deal and will allow him to compete for one of their final bullpen spots in spring training. A spot toward the front-end of a bullpen brings very little fantasy utility.

Roe earned the opportunity to make 21 appearances out of the bullpen for the D-Backs in 2013, generating plenty of outs on the ground (57.1% groundball rate) and fanning opposing hitters at an acceptable clip (9.7 K/9). His mistakes were punished, however, as he surrendered three homers in just 22.1 innings and issued free passes at an elevated rate (5.2 BB/9). The Rangers claimed Roe off of waivers in the offseason, and he'll look to prove that he's ready for a middle-relief role in Texas on the strength of his impressive numbers at Triple-A Reno (1.23 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 1.6 BB/9) last season.

A good athlete, Roe could have been a college football quarterback out of high school. Instead, he chose baseball and was a first-round selection. His arm action detracts from his ability to repeat his delivery. His curveball is an excellent pitch and one he mixes in well with a fastball that sits around 90-91 mph. Roe is on the 40-man roster, but he needs time to develop and other pitchers could quickly surpass him with all the great young arms in the Rockies' organization.