10. Adam Ottavino
At this time last year, there were plenty of questions about Adam Ottavino. He had struggled with his command after dealing with shoulder inflammation, leading the Rockies to invest heavily in the bullpen last offseason.
As it turned out, the reinvented Ottavino was the Rockies best reliever. Relying on a cutter instead of a fourseasm fastball that had become eminently hittable, he dominated both sides of the plate. In doing so, he turned from a possible flyer on a one year deal into one of the most sought after relievers in free agency.
Once again, pitching in the thin air of Colorado did not matter. Ottavino posted a stellar 2.43 ERA and a 0.991 WHiP. In his 77.2 innings, he did allow a relatively high 36 walks, but he also struck out 112 batters to minimize that damage. Opponents only mustered a .158/.270/.238 batting line against him, with only five homers allowed in 309 plate appearances.
At 33 years old, Ottavino is not likely to take over the reigns as a Closer of the Present and Future. However, he is a dominant eighth inning arm, the type of pitcher that can help shorten a game for a contending team. Given the bullpen issues that several contending teams had to face last season, including into the playoffs, Ottavino should be in high demand.
Adam Ottavino may not be the type of player that wins a championship on his own. But he is the type of piece that can help lead a team to the postseason.