Jake Diekman

Diekman bounced back from the two highest ERAs of his career with an excellent 2020 season, cruising to a 0.42 ERA in 21.1 innings. It took quite a bit of good luck for him to allow just a single earned run all year, as seen in his .179 BABIP and 96.9% strand rate, but he still deserves most of the credit for a very impressive campaign. While his 14.3 BB% was high even by his standards, he more than made up for it with an excellent 36.9 K% and 61.5% groundball rate, both career highs. Altogether, that's the profile of someone who could definitely pitch in the ninth inning, and Diekman appears to have the inside track on that job with Liam Hendriks leaving in free agency. Relievers are inherently volatile, and it would hardly be a surprise to see Diekman take a step back in his age-34 season, but anything similar to his 2020 form would make him quite a serviceable option.

Similar to the 2018 season, Diekman toed the rubber for two different teams in 2019, beginning the year with the Royals before being dealt to the Athletics prior to the trade deadline. Before joining the A's, he posted a 4.75 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with a 62:23 K:BB over 41.2 frames, though he experienced problems with his command upon his arrival in Oakland, turning in a 16:19 K:BB over 19.1 innings of work. Diekman finished the year with a 4.65 ERA and a 12.19 K/9 over 62 innings, though his 3.55 FIP shows he threw the ball better than his ERA would indicate. The 32-year-old has spent time with four different teams over the last two seasons, so while there's been plenty of demand for the left-hander, he hasn't managed to stick in any one bullpen. Despite this, his solid FIP and high strikeout numbers indicate that he could appear in the late innings for any number of teams in the majors.

For Diekman, 2018 was a tale of two cities. He began the season as one of the Rangers' top relievers. After some early-season struggles, he worked his ERA back down to a manageable 3.69 mark to go with his stellar 11.1 K/9. This led the Diamondbacks to trade for him at the deadline, though they did not get quite what they were expecting. Diekman started off fine, but he stumbled in September and finished his time in Arizona with a 7.53 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. His FIP suggests he wasn't as bad as his ERA shows, attributing most of his issues to a lofty .416 BABIP. Walks continue to hurt him, however, as the 5.2 BB/9 he posted was his worst mark in a full season since his time with the Phillies at the onset of his career. Diekman seems like a good bounce-back candidate given his high strikeout rate, decent FIP and improved health, but it's optimistic to think he could sniff the ninth for any of the 30 MLB teams.

Even if he performed poorly upon making his season debut in September, Diekman's comeback would have been a nice story after he required three offseason procedures to address ulcerative colitis, a condition he's dealt with since childhood. In addition to inspiring teammates with his perseverance, Diekman became a go-to option out of the Rangers' bullpen, delivering scoreless outings in 10 of 11 appearances while collecting five holds and a save. With Diekman's condition providing no complications over the winter, he'll enter the 2018 campaign as one of the top setup men to Alex Claudio. Since Claudio often wasn't deployed in a traditional fashion at closer last season and lacks the premium velocity most teams value at the back of the bullpen, it's not difficult to envision manager Jeff Banister turning toward other options for saves at some point. The left-handed Diekman, whose velocity typically sits around the mid-90s, could be a candidate to fill the void, especially if he continues to retire right-handed hitters as effectively as he did last September.

The southpaw's ability to strike out batters at an above-average rate will lock him into an important role in Texas' bullpen. As with many high-effort relievers, he allows too many free passes -- at least 4.4 per nine innings in each of the last three years. His opponents' BABIP came in at a career-low .248, mainly because he allowed more flyballs. For a Texas pitcher, that's living on the edge, and that hit rate was way too low compared to normal (.316 career). Has he turned a corner? Maybe, because perhaps he'll just walk people instead of allowing hits. At least he improved against both right-handed and left-handed bats, which helps his ability to rack up holds, though he remains primarily a situational arm. Several dominoes will need to fall for him to gain consistent save opportunities.

Acquired as part of the Cole Hamels trade, Diekman was an integral part of the Texas bullpen that fueled a September resurgence and resulted in an AL West championship. Diekman's improved control since a shaky debut in 2012 has allowed him to rack up 169 strikeouts in just 129.1 innings the past two seasons, and his run out of the Texas bullpen (21.2 innings, 13 hits, seven walks, 20 strikeouts) was a good bit better than his early-season numbers with the Phillies. He will serve as the Rangers' top left-handed reliever in 2016, and his ability to miss bats and pump 100 mph gas could put him in the mix for saves if Shawn Tolleson loses the job.

Diekman had a breakout year in 2014 and became a key member of the Phillies' bullpen. He struck out 100 in 71 innings for an eye popping 12.7 K/9 ratio. He was extremely tough on lefties, but has work to do against righties. They hit .256 against him, and while he struck out 62 right-handers in 46.2 innings, Diekman also walked 30. If he can cut back on the walks, he'll become an elite relief option.

Diekman received an opportunity to join the Phillies' bullpen in June last season despite less-than-stellar numbers at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. His awkward delivery and mid-90s fastball allow him to generate lots of swings and misses, but he has struggled to command his pitches throughout his time in the minors. Something clicked for Diekman last summer, however, as his 3.8 BB/9 over 38.1 innings with the Phillies was the best of his career. He also had a pronounced platoon split, which may lead to him being used as a lefty specialist moving forward. Over 69 plate appearances last season, he held lefties to a .148 batting average and had a 23:6 K:BB ratio while righties hit .298 off of him.

Diekman got his first taste of the majors last season, but showed he wasn't quite ready for the assignment. His strikeout rate remained excellent in the majors, but a 6.6 BB/9 was too much to overcome. The Phillies will continue to work with Diekman on honing his command. Diekman has the potential to be a lot more than just a lefty specialist if he can make the adjustment.

Diekman, 25, earned a 40-man roster spot this winter after a dominant season at Double-A Reading last year. He struck out 83 batters in 65 innings, but also walked 44. The walks are a bit of a concern though the Phillies seem to be eying Diekman for a lefty specialist role given his .099 average allowed against left-handers last season. He'll likely get a chance to compete for a bullpen spot this spring, but our guess is he opens the year in Triple-A before seeing time in the Phillies' bullpen later in the year.