Zack Littell

Littell was happy to turn the page from an extremely small sample in 2020, when he surrendered five home runs in only 6.1 innings of work. In contrast, Littell recorded a 2.92 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 61.1 frames in 2021. Part of that success can be attributed to increased velocity, as he averaged 95 mph on his fastball for the first time in his career. In turn, he posted a career-best 13.3% swinging-strike rate and 25 K%. Perhaps most importantly, Littell was able to keep the ball in the yard in 2021 (1.0 HR/9), something that has caused him problems in past seasons and could continue to be an issue due to his relatively heavy flyball lean. Looking ahead to 2022, Littell is unlikely to join the closer mix without significant injuries and struggles to others in the Giants' bullpen. Nevertheless, he has proven capable of turning in solid ratios with some strikeouts and could be relevant in NL-only leagues as well as deeper mixed leagues that reward holds.

Littell improved in his second season with the Twins and could carve out a steady role in the Minnesota bullpen. The 2013 11th-round draft pick -- now with his third organization -- found success at Triple-A and was productive in the majors as well with more of a strikeout punch than he showed in his 2018 stint. He had a 3.71 ERA and 25.7 K% at Triple-A Rochester. That success had him shuttled up and down from Triple-A to add depth to Minnesota's bullpen before he closed out the season in the majors in September. With the Twins, he improved his velocity (93.8 mph average fastball), reduced his walks (6.2%) and kept the ball in the park (0.97 HR/9). He'll need to improve his strikeout rate in the majors to be an impact reliever. Continued progress could lead to a steady role in middle relief.

Littell was a lightly-regarded 11th-round draft pick on his third organization before finding success at Triple-A with the Twins last season, which resulted in a late-season promotion to the majors. He had a 3.57 ERA and decent 8.3 K/9 at Triple-A. Littell struggled in the majors with a 6.20 ERA and just a 6.2 K/9. He has had command issues in the minors (3.4 BB/9 at Triple-A) and those issues were magnified in the majors (4.9 BB/9). He generates some groundballs (43.7%) and has average velocity (91.9 mph), but isn't outstanding enough in any area to project much upside. He'll likely just add rotation depth at Triple-A or work in low-leverage spots out of the bullpen, where he could add a couple ticks to his fastball.