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BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues
OWNED IN: 7% of leagues
ANALYSIS: With the Pirates putting Keone Kela on the injured list, the team is in the market for a new closer to start the season, and Kyle Crick may just be the right guy. The 27-year-old had an ugly season last year, impacted by an inflated 20% HR/FB ratio, but he still limited hitters to a .193 xBA and 86.4 mph exit velocity, both in the top 5% of the league. In the two years prior to last season, he had been solid, with ERAs of 3.06 and 2.39. That comes out to a career 3.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, even with last season's stats included.
In addition to limiting hard contact, Crick possesses swing-and-miss stuff with a 27% strikeout rate last year. That's carried by a wipeout slider that had a .111 xBA, .207 SLG, and 24.7 PutAway%. If he can get his command back to previous levels, there is no reason that he can't provide you with a high K/9 and a few sneaky saves to start the year. Even if Kela winds up coming back and taking the role, Crick will have given you value in a Saves category that should be particularly unpredictable this season.
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