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ANALYSIS: The Cincinnati Reds have had plenty of things going for them to start the 2020 season, but bullpen performance has not been one of them, with Lucas Sims and Amir Garrett being the only two relievers with ERA below 5.06, which is held by closer Raisel Iglesias. With the usual setup man Michael Lorenzen struggling, Robert Stephenson on the IL, and Pedro Strop facing some injury issues of his own, Amir Garrett has an excellent opportunity to see his time on the field increase as well as his time in the highest-leverage of situations.
The 28-year-old former St.Johns basketball player has improved every season since making his MLB debut in 2017, and in 5.2 IP this season, Garrett holds a 1.59 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, and improved figures of a 3.2 BB/9, and a 14.3 K/9. The velocity of his fastball and slider have not been his best at 93.9 MPH and 84.7 MPH, but with his overall contact rate down from 62.8% to 40.6% and his swinging strike rate up from 16.2% to 24.1%, Garrett utilized means other than raw speed to make batters routinely miss. With much of his later-inning competition currently hurt or severely struggling and Raisel Iglesias coming up cold frequently, Amir Garrett is a heavily slept-on option to receive greater high-leverage opportunity and make the most of it.
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