Sam Freeman

Freeman upped the use of his slider, and increased the velocity on his fastball to its highest mark since 2013 (95.1 mph) to become a useful member of the Atlanta bullpen last season. Walks have always been an issue for Freeman, who has managed just one season below 4.0 BB/9 over six big-league campaigns. At his best, he induces a lot of outs on the ground, and 2017 marked the second time in his career that he thrived in that regard, as his 58.5 percent groundball rate was a new high. It's unlikely that he'll log enough innings to help as a staff filler, and most of his appeal to the Braves likely comes from his ability to get out of a jam with runners on base by getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground. As a result, he lacks appeal to fantasy players, even in simulation formats, where his propensity to issue free passes makes him very risky.

Freeman was designated for assignment by Texas in the last round of roster cuts to begin the year, but he resurfaced in early May and spent the rest of the year pitching out of the bullpen. He was only marginally effective, walking far too many batters (5.9 BB/9) and showing reverse splits for the second straight season. Freeman is a poor choice as a lefty-specialist as a result, and makes a poor choice for pitching multiple innings thanks to his poor control, so there's a real chance that he'll find himself on the outskirts of a Rangers bullpen fortified with a trio of young arms (Keone Kela, Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman) over the course of last season.

Freeman pitched well for the Cardinals in 2014, splitting time between Triple-A Memphis and St. Louis during the season's first couple months before becoming a permanent fixture in the bullpen for the Cardinals. He posted an excellent 2.61 ERA while striking out 35 in 38 innings and accruing two wins and 11 holds. His 1.39 WHIP and 3.92 xFIP indicates that his ERA was a bit lucky and he probably won't be so fortunate in 2015. Still, the Cardinals have struggled to a degree to produce reliable bullpen arms and if he can continue to pitch well the 27-year-old could stay in the St. Louis bullpen for the entire 2015 season. If he can rack up holds and miss a few more bats he could provide some sneaky fantasy value in deeper leagues.

Freeman logged 12.1 innings late in the 2013 season and fared much better than his first time around in 2012, posting a solid 2.19 ERA in his limited role. Freeman's 4.63 xFIP should temper any expectations for a bigger breakout in 2014, but it's worth noting that his 16.0% strikeout rate was significantly lower than his minor league numbers. The latter suggests that he could develop into a serviceable bullpen arm. At 26, and with only 32.1 innings under his belt, 2014 will likely be a make-or-break season for him with the Cardinals.

If you don't remember that Freeman pitched 24 games for the Cardinals last year, don't feel bad. Nearly every appearance was an inning or less, and he gave up 13 runs and 10 walks in just 20 innings. Still, the 25-year-old jumped a couple of levels in 2012 and struck out 27 batters in 30.1 Triple-A innings. He'll probably be up-and-down for St. Louis this year as one of the final options in the bullpen.