Shawn Armstrong

Shawn Armstrong

34-Year-Old PitcherRP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2025 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Shawn Armstrong in 2025. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the Rays in January of 2024. Traded to the Cardinals in July of 2024. Waived by the Cardinals in August of 2024. Claimed off waivers by the Cubs in August of 2024. Released by the Cubs in September of 2024.
Reaches free agency
PFree Agent  
September 25, 2024
The Cubs released Armstrong on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
Armstrong cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week and is now a free agent. The veteran reliever will look for a new club this offseason after collecting a 4.86 ERA and 66:25 K:BB over 66.2 innings for the Rays, Cardinals and Cubs in 2024.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
19
Last 10 Games
16
Last 5 Games
16
How many pitches does Shawn Armstrong generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Shawn Armstrong generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-19%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-32%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-19%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-10%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .290 303 76 22 80 25 1 7
Since 2022vs Right .234 468 110 31 99 17 2 8
2024vs Left .359 113 26 9 37 11 1 4
2024vs Right .245 182 40 16 40 6 1 2
2023vs Left .209 98 24 5 19 5 0 1
2023vs Right .170 109 30 6 17 3 1 1
2022vs Left .293 92 26 8 24 9 0 2
2022vs Right .263 177 40 9 42 8 0 5
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-12%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-27%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-43%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-23%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.93 1.33 91.2 3 3 1 9.0 2.3 1.1
Since 2022Away 3.45 1.24 88.2 3 3 2 9.5 3.0 0.4
2024Home 5.50 1.54 37.2 1 2 0 8.4 2.6 1.2
2024Away 4.03 1.52 29.0 2 1 1 9.6 4.3 0.3
2023Home 1.78 1.11 25.1 0 0 0 9.9 1.1 0.7
2023Away 1.01 0.71 26.2 1 0 0 8.8 2.7 0.0
2022Home 3.77 1.26 28.2 2 1 1 9.1 2.8 1.3
2022Away 4.91 1.42 33.0 0 2 1 10.1 2.2 0.8
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Shawn Armstrong compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.64
 
K/9
8.9
 
BB/9
3.4
 
HR/9
0.8
 
Fastball
93.5 mph
 
ERA
4.86
 
WHIP
1.53
 
BABIP
.368
 
GB/FB
1.07
 
Left On Base
68.4%
 
Exit Velocity
82.1 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.5%
 
Spin Rate
2315 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
21.4%
 
Swinging Strike
10.3%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Shawn Armstrong See More
MLB Barometer: Every Hitter Dealt at the Deadline
134 days ago
Which hitters were the biggest winners and losers of the trade deadline, and which one best describes new Ray Christopher Morel?
Closer Encounters: Reliever Trade Madness!
137 days ago
Several big-name relievers changed teams at the deadline, with closers like Tanner Scott and Carlos Estevez heading into unclear situations with their new teams.
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
232 days ago
Erik Siegrist dives into the AL free-agent pool as a host of players get ready to return from injuries, including Orioles hurler Kyle Bradish.
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
239 days ago
Erik Siegrist digs into the American League talent pool and thinks the Guardians' Tyler Freeman could be on the cusp of a breakout.
The Z Files: Projecting Pitcher's BABIP
338 days ago
Todd Zola considers a new approach to regressing a pitcher's BABIP, which suggests better days should be ahead for Hunter Greene.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Armstrong began the season on the 60-day IL with a neck injury. He was activated in early June and picked up where he left off the previous season, providing the Rays with quality efforts as an opener or reliever. In 39 appearances, he compiled 52 innings, fanning 54 with only 11 walks. He only yielded two home runs, fueling a 1.38 ERA, while a .250 BABIP buoyed a .90 WHIP. Last season, Armstrong collected six holds, so if he's healthy all season, the righty could garner double digits in the holds department. Even if Armstrong incurs some regression, he's still a quality reliever, capable of supporting ratios while providing a few punch outs in deeper formats.
Back soreness cost Armstrong a month of the 2020 season, limiting him to 14 appearances for the Orioles. The right-hander's performance in those 14 appearances was off the charts, with Armstrong posting a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and .170 BAA. Control was his biggest area of improvement; Armstrong cut his walk rate in half from 10.7% to 5.3%. He cut down on his four-seam fastball usage in favor of more cutters, which was a good call as hitters have had no trouble launching the four-seamer into the air. His strikeout rate has hovered around 25% the last three seasons, hinting at some upside in Baltimore's unsettled bullpen. Armstrong did not have a save in 2020 and only compiled three holds, however, so he clearly has a ways to go if he's to earn manager Brandon Hyde's trust and separate himself.
Armstrong entered last spring looking like a potential candidate for saves in Seattle, due more to a lack of alternatives than a particularly impressive track record on his part. He did indeed finish the year with four saves, though none of them came for the Mariners. He threw just 3.2 innings for Seattle before being waived and claimed by Baltimore in late April. While he did grab a few saves for his new club, he didn't pitch particularly well, finishing the season with a 5.74 ERA. His 23.3% strikeout rate was decent enough, but his 10.7% walk rate and 29.5% groundball rate were each quite poor. Entering his age-29 season, there should again be plenty of saves up for grabs in Baltimore, but Armstrong doesn't appear to be a favorite for them. He doesn't offer much for fantasy owners in a middle-relief role, so there's little reason to invest in him unless he moves towards the top of the closer depth chart.
Armstrong made just 14 appearances with the big-league club in his first year in the Mariners organization, but after the team's teardown this winter, he's now near the top of the bullpen hierarchy. Designated for assignment in March, Armstrong cleared waivers and spent time as the closer for Triple-A Tacoma, posting a sub-2.00 ERA with 15 saves in 49 appearances. He finally got the call to Seattle in late August and his success continued at the highest level, with Armstrong even earning his first career save on the final day of the season. He altered his pitch mix significantly from his time with the Indians, cutting his fastball usage greatly (from 64.2% to 39.2%) while adding more cutters and curveballs. The end result was a 21.1 K-BB% in his limited sample. A 95.6 LOB% and .229 BABIP exaggerated the quality of his performance, but regardless Armstrong is in the mix in deep leagues as he could very well close when Anthony Swarzak is inevitably traded.
Armstrong was shuttled between Cleveland and Columbus in 2017, due in part to issues keeping the ball in the park during his time with the Indians (1.82 HR/9). Throughout most of his time in the minors, home runs haven't been an issue, and Armstrong showed signs of growth with his main flaw last season by keeping his walk rate under 4.0 BB/9 at both levels. He's shown a three-pitch combo against big-league bats, using a fastball, cutter and curveball in his bid to keep opposing hitters off balance. In December, the Mariners acquired Armstrong in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus pool money following Shohei Ohtani's decision to sign with the Angels. With the move to Seattle, Armstrong's path to a regular bullpen spot is slightly easier, but he'll need to maintain the improved control he showed last season in order to avoid making trips between Seattle and Tacoma in 2018.
Armstrong was on the fringe of making the Cleveland bullpen at the start of 2016 and ended up starting the season in the majors. But following a debut outing that saw him get taken for one run off two hits, he was sent back to Triple-A Columbus, where he was one of the club’s most-used relievers. As has become expected, Armstrong’s numbers were great at Columbus and he put together a 1.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP that was complemented by a 35.3 percent K-rate over 47 games (49 innings). After putting in plenty of time with their Triple-A affiliate, Cleveland brought Armstrong back up to the majors near the season’s end. During said stint, he allowed only two runs across 7.2 innings, but walked five batters in that time. For 2017, Armstrong should be on track to begin the year in the middle of Cleveland’s major-league bullpen, and may turn into a decent producer of holds if he replicates his stellar, strikeout filled minor-league performances.
Armstrong flashed the same kind of dominant stuff in his brief time with the Indians (0.88 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 in eight innings) that was on display at Triple-A Columbus (49.2 innings, 37 hits, 80 strikeouts, 14.5 K/9, zero homers). The only issue with his Triple-A performance was a poor BB/9 rate (4.7) as he walked 26 batters in just over 49 innings, and that has been an ongoing concern throughout his professional career (4.5 BB/9 across five minor league seasons). The Indians are set at closer with Cody Allen on board, but Bryan Shaw was merely serviceable in a setup role, so there may be opportunities for more high-leverage work. First things first, Armstrong will need to cement his spot in the bullpen with a strong showing in spring training.
More Fantasy News
Departs 40-man roster
PChicago Cubs  
September 20, 2024
The Cubs designated Armstrong for assignment Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Claimed by Cubs
PChicago Cubs  
August 30, 2024
The Cubs claimed Armstrong off waivers from the Cardinals on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Jettisoned from 40-man roster
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
August 27, 2024
The Cardinals designated Armstrong for assignment Tuesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up first win with new team
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
August 25, 2024
Armstrong (3-2) earned the win Sunday over the Twins, retiring both batters he faced.
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Acquired by St. Louis
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
July 30, 2024
The Cardinals acquired Armstrong from the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Dylan Carlson, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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