Jose Torres

Dissecting a reliever's season is a challenge, as we're working with a small sample of innings. Looking under the hood, it's clear Torres' issues with the long ball in June and July left a huge mark on his season. To wit, nine of the 13 homers he allowed last season occurred in the middle two months. They happened, they can't be ignored, he probably threw a few too many meatballs, but a 3.5 HR/9 over that stretch also reeks of some bad luck. That said, Torres is a flyball pitcher so even in Petco Park, he's prone to a higher-than-average home-run rate. Even those interested in a cheap middle reliever will look at Torres' 4.21 ERA with his 4.66 FIP and 4.52 WHIP and move on. However, an 8.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 suggest if the 24-year old southpaw can keep the ball in the yard, he's a perfect endgame ploy. And, as evidenced with Brad Hand, the Padres aren't reticent to use a lefty to save games.

Torres turned 23 in September, just days after his late-season promotion to San Diego. Prior to getting the call, he spent most of the year working in the bullpen at Double-A San Antonio, supporting an excellent 1.24 ERA with an 8.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. During his time at Double-A, Torres showed an aptitude for handling hitters on both sides of the plate, holding lefties to a .171 batting average against while righties hit .163 against him. In limited chances with the Padres, Torres leaned almost exclusively on his fastball (average: 94.6 mph), but his other two offerings include a slider and changeup. With a mere 5.2 innings above Double-A on his resume, Torres is likely to wind up in El Paso to begin the 2017 campaign, but there is little reason to think he won't be on the radar for low-leverage chances with the Padres if the team has the need for a fresh arm from the left side.