Gabriel Ynoa

Ynoa got his first taste of the upper levels of the minors when he made his Triple-A debut to kick off the 2016 season. His time there mostly mirrored his experience at the lower levels -- nothing overpowering with relatively few strikeouts and walks, but effective enough to keep the ball in the yard and to keep his ERA at a respectable 3.97. When he got his chance in the majors later in the season, the 23-year-old uncharacteristically lost control as he yielded 3.4 BB/9, but he was also done in by bad luck to the point that his FIP (2.60) was nearly four runs lower than his ERA (6.38). Though he looked much more comfortable as a starter, he was used mostly out of the bullpen in the big leagues (10 appearances, three starts). The righty would be much more valuable to owners out of the rotation, but he'll have to compete for a spot at the back end in spring training even after being dealt to the Orioles in February.

When Ynoa is on the mound, one thing is for certain; he's going to attack the strike zone. He's averaged a mere 1.2 BB/9 in his five professional seasons. The formula proved successful at the Low-A level in 2013, earning him a promotion to High-A St. Lucie to begin the 2014 campaign. Eventually, Ynoa made the jump to the Double-A level as a 21-year-old, and while the results weren't great (4.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), he maintained a low walk rate (1.6 BB/9) and was very good away from Binghamton's home park (2.72 ERA road ERA). His strikeout rate dropped signficantly with the move up (from 7.0 K/9 to just 5.7 K/9), and his flyball tendencies caught up with him a bit (nine homers in 66.1 innings with Binghamton), but he showed enough to convince the Mets he warranted protection from the Rule 5 draft. Ynoa may struggle upon his promotion to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2015, though the Mets could always have him bypass the Triple-A level and just give him a long-relief role with the big club.