Darwinzon Hernandez

Hernandez is a mesmerizing pitcher to watch. He can throw his first pitch and you already have your phone out working on your FAAB claim for the week. Yet, by the end of that plate appearance, you've either deleted it, or upped your bid by 50%. He has an electric fastball that dances on its way to the plate. He can throw a devastating breaking ball when he is up in the count and batters have to either protect or are looking fastball. The issues come in between as Hernandez's offerings rarely go where the catcher wants them to go. While 57 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work should get your attention, so should those 26 walks. He worked 77.2 innings over three levels last year, striking out 136 batters while walking 74. A quasi Steve Dalkowski if you will. If Hernandez could find some consistent command of his pitches, he would be a devastating late-inning reliever.

Hernandez opened some eyes in the Arizona Fall League, fanning 24 in 11.1 innings against some of the most polished hitting prospects in baseball. After spending the bulk of the minor-league season as a starter at High-A Salem, the big southpaw moved to the bullpen late with Double-A Portland and continued to work in relief in the AFL. The changeup is decent but lags behind a 70-grade fastball and impressive slider. He's had major walk issues throughout his professional career, failing to post a BB/9 under 4.0 at any stop. As primarily a fastball-breaking ball arm with shaky command, Hernandez is a long shot to make it as a starter. Thankfully his two bread-and-butter pitches are good enough to where Hernandez can fall back as a high-leverage reliever. While he did not break camp with the team, Hernandez could get the call at any point if the team decides it needs a power lefty out of the bullpen.