RADIO
Pirates relief pitcher Tony Watson will once again serve as the set-up man for Mark Melancon in 2016. The southpaw has excelled in the role, leading the league with 75 holds over the past two seasons. Pat Neshek finished a distant second during that time with 53 holds. To further illustrate Watson’s dominance, the hurler was one of only two relievers to exceed 70 innings and post a sub-2.00 ERA in each of the previous two seasons (Dellin Betances is the other). Unfortunately, there are several indicators that Watson has been pitching above his skill level. The Pittsburgh reliever posted a 1.63 ERA in 2014 and a 1.91 ERA in 2015. However, his FIPs for those seasons were 2.69 and 2.84, respectively. Even more concerning, Watson’s 2015 xFIP was a bloated 3.60. Watson’s outstanding 9.43 K/9 rate of 2014 fell to a below-average 7.41 in 2015, and his BB/9 rate in 2015 exceeded 2.00 for the first time since his below-average 2012 campaign. The left-hander will need to tally more strikeouts in 2016 if he wants to maintain his dominant ERA of the past two seasons. Watson is a notch below the elite fantasy set-up men, but he will be first in line to take over ninth inning duties if something happens to closer Mark Melancon.
Tony Watson Looks to Continue Dominance
