Darren O'Day

O'Day was in line to see some save opportunities early on in 2018, produced an 18:2 K:BB through early May and was on pace for one of the best seasons of his career. Then the injury bug bit. He hyperextended his elbow while stretching in early May and missed over a month, then he injured his hamstring and underwent season-ending surgery after making just four appearances in June. He was included in a trade deadline deal that sent him to Atlanta, where he’ll play out the final year of his contract. Based on his experience and strong strikeout numbers over the past few years, he figures to play a prominent role in the Braves’ bullpen in 2019, though his path to saves is blocked with Arodys Vizcaino and A.J. Minter already battling for the closer role.

After an injury-riddled 2016, O'Day returned to his usual workload, throwing at least 60 innings for the fifth time in the last six seasons while posting double-digit holds for the sixth straight season. The soft-throwing righty relies on deception and a sweeping slider he throws almost half the time to keep hitters off balance. His platoon splits are essentially the same, though in 2017 he was more generous in terms of homers to lefty swingers. Despite topping out in the high-80s, O'Day has carried a double-digit strikeout rate the past three seasons, setting a new career high with an 11.3 K/9 mark in his latest campaign. O'Day benefits as the change-of-pace arm in a bullpen stacked with power arms. Look for the 35-year-old veteran to continue working in high-leverage scenarios, raking up whiffs and holds, with a scattered save or two. There are several others in line for the Orioles' closer gig in the event it opens.

Coming off of an All-Star season in which he posted a 1.52 ERA and 5.86 K/BB as the Orioles' primary setup man, O'Day struggled to regain his elite form in 2016. Bothered by hamstring and shoulder injuries, the 34-year-old missed significant time and was only able to toss 31 innings after throwing at least 60 innings in his previous four seasons. Even when he was on the mound, O'Day struggled to retire batters. His control was a major issue as he saw his BB/9 increase from 1.9 in 2015 to 3.8 in 2016. He also saw his HR/FB balloon from 7.2 percent to 17.1 percent. The righty finished the year 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 10 holds. With the offseason to rest up, O'Day is a good bet to rebound in 2017 as one of the Orioles' primary high-leverage relievers.

It has been four years since the Orioles claimed O'Day off waivers from the Rangers, and it has proven to be one of the best recent under-the-radar moves in baseball. Since coming to Baltimore, O'Day has been the best setup man in the game. O'Day pumped up his K/9 to 11.3 in 2015 and has averaged an 88.7% LOB rate since joining the Orioles. He re-signed with Baltimore in December, inking a four-year, $31 million deal, one of the highest-paying reliever contracts in baseball history. With Zach Britton as the closer, O'Day will remain the setup man for 2016.

O’Day’s consistent smothering of right-handed batters has allowed him to continue to deliver year after year of excellent work even as his work against lefties has bounced around some in recent years. He has always been susceptible to the home run against southpaws, but last year they hit just .189 in 106 plate appearances, so a handful of homers didn’t do much damage. Over the last three years, he has accumulated 198 innings of 2.05 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 201 strikeouts. However, even with a bullpen in flux, he couldn’t really grab hold of the closer role, with limited chances in April and May, but he remains an incredible eighth-inning force. The ratios are enough to intrigue the AL-only leaguers, but the state of the game actually makes his 26.9% strikeout rate somewhat mediocre, and the fact that he’s unlikely to ever grab hold of the ninth-inning job eliminates any reason to hold him in mixed leagues.

O'Day might get lost in Baltimore's slew of relievers, but with 3.6 WAR over the past two years he may be the best of the bunch. The submarine pitcher still does not provide a ton of value in most leagues unless holds are rewarded. O'Day only throws in the mid-80s, but his throwing motion appears to keep batters off balance. As good as O'Day has been, the Orioles do not appear to consider O'Day as a candidate to close. It's possible that their plans could change after Jim Johnson was traded to Oakland at the non-tender deadline in December. O-Day should enter 2014 in his usual setup role and he could get a crack at the ninth inning depending on the other candidates brought in by the front office leading into the season.

Baltimore traded for O'Day just days after the Rangers lost the 2011 series without O'Day on the roster. O'Day responded by returning to his previous form and threw more than a strikeout per inning for the first time in his career. Behind Jim Johnson, O'Day was the most effective pitcher out of the bullpen in the regular season and in the playoffs. During the season O'Day repeatedly found himself pitching in tie ballgames, leading to seven wins. He had a batting average against at just .199 for the season and walked just 5.3 percent of his batters. As far as middle relievers go, O'Day has been one of the best in three of the last four seasons and he figures to play a significant, albeit non-closing role in 2013.

O'Day struggled with a hip injury early in the season, eventually undergoing surgery that kept him sidelined until July. He wasn't nearly as effective as before, allowing seven homers in just 16.2 innings with Texas as he battled shoulder soreness in addition to his hip woes. He was claimed by the Orioles after Texas attempted to remove him from the 40-man roster, and there's reason for some optimism given his two excellent seasons prior to 2011's injury-riddled mess. Watch the early spring results and health reports. The Orioles also lack a clear-cut closer at press time, which could ultimately lead to an opportunity for O'Day if he's healthy.

O'Day had another solid season out of the Texas bullpen, posting a nice 0.887 WHIP and 2.03 ERA in 72 appearances. He's particularly effective against righties, holding them to a .207 batting average against in his career, and will continue as a valuable member of Texas' middle-to-late relief in 2011.

O'Day emerged as an effective reliever after being plucked off waivers early in the season. He had three full months of sub-1.70 ERAs and he was particularly effective against righties (40 innings, 25 hits, 34:14 K:BB and no homers allowed). Those leagues that count holds as a scoring category should pay extra attention to O'Day, as he emerged as the Rangers' primary seventh-inning reliever, and could take on a larger role if Neftali Feliz moves back into the rotation.