Yoshihisa Hirano

Hirano entered the season as a potential closing candidate in Arizona after finishing 2018 with a strong 2.44 ERA. He wasn't able to live up to the hype in his second season stateside, however, finishing with just one save and a 4.75 ERA in 53 innings of work. He also missed some time with elbow inflammation, though he returned for seven appearances in September, so that likely won't be a worry heading into this year. Despite the downturn in his ERA, 2019 wasn't a completely negative season for Hirano, as his strikeout rate did increase from 22.5% to 26.2%. He lost some of his ability to keep the ball on the ground, though, with his groundball rate falling from 50.3% to 44.4%. Hirano still appears to be good enough to hold down a bullpen spot, but he's not a particularly strong candidate for high-leverage work and is unlikely to add many saves to his total this season.

Arizona brought Hirano over from Japan before the 2018 season, and he impressed in his first big-league campaign. The sparkling ERA may oversell his performance a little bit, as "Yoshi San" punched out just 8.0 batters per nine. He relied more so on the groundball -- his splitter helped him force a 50.3% groundball rate. Hirano tunnels it well with his four-seamer from a three-quarters delivery to bolster the deception, hence his 12.2% swinging-strike rate last year. Given this effective (if atypical for a back-end arm) approach, the 35-year-old will likely at least hover around the Diamondbacks' saves picture for much of the season. However, Archie Bradley seems to have the inside track to that job, so Hirano will likely begin the season in a setup capacity. Include him on the list of closers in waiting, should Bradley get hurt, traded or struggle in the ninth.

Hirano signed a two-year deal with Arizona after serving as the closer for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan the last five seasons. Hirano isn't overpowering (mid-to-low 90s fastball) but has good control and generates groundballs. Last year he had a 2.98 ERA with a 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 and 29 saves. However, he's 34 years old and has seen his strikeout rate decline each of the last three seasons. He'll likely work as a setup man but could challenge for the closer role.