Tayron Guerrero

Guerrero showcased the Dellin Betances starter kit (minus the nasty offspeed stuff) in his first extended taste of big-league action last season. He stands a towering 6-foot-8, fires a fastball in the upper 90s (averaging 98.8 mph, tied with Aroldis Chapman) and, naturally, has control problems (11.2 BB%). The pieces are there for him to be an effective high-leverage reliever, but he posted a 5.43 ERA due in part to a rather pedestrian 25.4% strikeout rate. He'll need a fairly significant spike in that number or a drop in his walk rate in order to be a shutdown reliever, improvements which aren't impossible despite Guerrero already being 27 years old. Pitchers of his size are often late bloomers. He may not even need to improve by all that much to get in the mix for saves given the sad state of Miami's bullpen. It will only take a small step back for Guerrero to be sent down to the minors, but his velocity alone makes him worth a spot on watch lists.

Prior to being dealt to the Marlins, Guerrero's play regressed with the Padres at the start of 2016. Over 13 games (12 innings) at Triple-A El Paso, Guerrero was rocked to the tune of a 6.00 ERA and 1.75 WHIP. While he was fairly easy to hit and owned a .250 opponent batting average over that stretch, walks added fuel to the fire, as he allowed nine with El Paso. However, a fresh start at Double-A Jacksonville did him a world of good and allowed him to not only look like his old self, but improve. Upon his arrival, Guerrero and his 95 MPH fastball promptly delivered a 26.3 percent K-rate and abnormal walk rate of 5.3 percent. With an 11.1 percent career BB-rate, it's been typical of Guerrero to be significantly lacking in terms of control, so he'll likely have to prove his elevated accuracy is here to stay with one of Miami's minor league affiliates at the start of 2017 before making a meaningful impact in the majors.

At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Guerrero is an imposing presence on the mound. He's also shown an ability to miss bats at a high clip throughout his minor league career (9.0 K/9), but walks have been his Achilles heel. The 24-year-old did show some improvement in that department to begin 2015, issuing 20 free passes in 42.1 innings with Double-A San Antonio, but the control completely left him again after his promotion to Triple-A El Paso in August. He did not earn a September call-up despite already being on the 40-man roster, but Guerrero did maintain his 40-man spot at the November Rule 5 deadline, which suggests he will at least get to make a case for a spot in the Padres' unsettled bullpen come spring training. Unless Guerrero can sustain an improved walk rate, then he will likely continue to be on the fringes of major-league consideration.

Guerrero was nearly untouchable in 25 appearances with Low-A Fort Wayne to begin the year, posting an even 1.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 42:12 K:BB over 36 innings. The effort earned the towering (6-foot-7) right-hander a promotion to High-A Lake Elsinore in June, and while he wasn't quite as dominant with the advanced affiliate, with his walk rate jumping by more than two per nine innings (from 3.0 BB/9 to 5.3 BB/9), his numbers were still impressive (2.63 ERA, 9.2 K/9). Needing to protect him from the Rule 5 draft following the conclusion of his fifth minor league season, the Padres added Guerrero to their 40-man roster in November. While he'll be old for his level again to begin 2015, Guerrero could be put on a fast track, with the Padres likely hoping to come to a conclusion about his potential prior to next winter.