Zack Godley

Godley had 15 wins and a strong 3.82 FIP over 178.1 innings in 2018, but couldn't make it through April of last season before manager Torey Lovullo removed him from the Diamondbacks' starting rotation. Through six starts, the right-hander had a 7.58 ERA and 1.72 WHIP over 29.2 innings. He made a few spot starts but spent most of the rest of the season in the bullpen. While the results were better in relief, Godley was far from good with a 5.21 FIP and 9.2 K-BB% over 53 relief innings. He worked behind in counts with a Zone% barely cracking 40% during his time with Arizona, and while his cutter remained OK, his curveball lost a good deal of its effectiveness. Ultimately, the Diamondbacks cut bait and Godley moved onto Toronto via waiver claim. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in November and eventually joined the Tigers on a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training.

The 15 wins Godley racked up last season easily set a new career high, but things were not pretty otherwise, as his ratios took quite a hit from 2017. The two main culprits: more walks (8.5 BB% in 2017, 10.2 BB% in 2018) and fewer groundballs (55.3 GB% in 2017, 48.8 GB% in 2018). His strikeout rate also dipped slightly (26.3 K% to 23.4 K%), but not dramatically. Even with the slippage in those important metrics, his FIP (3.82) and xFIP (3.96) were below 4.00 for the second year in a row, so he is by no means a lost cause. Godley's curveball is one of the most effective in the game, and it helped him keep the ball in the park, for the most part (career-best 0.81 HR/9). He also relies on a sinker, cutter and changeup. Godley figures to slot in as one of Arizona's top starters this year, but won't come close to last year's win total as the team has switched gears to a full-on rebuild. He makes for a mid-round rotation filler in mixed leagues.

Godley emerged as one of 2017's most pleasant surprises on the back of an improved cutter and increased use of his curveball. He posted the best swinging-strike (13.3 percent) and first-pitch strike (60.8) rates of his short career. His .280 BABIP was a bit fortunate for a grounder pitcher (55.3 groundball percentage), and he must sustain his 9.6 K/9 to counteract his walk rate, which remained high at 3.1 BB/9. Godley had one of the lowest percentages of pitches in the strike zone (40.3, ranking 70th of 75 pitchers with 150-plus innings, per Fangraphs) and may need to adjust with Arizona losing improved pitch-framer Chris Iannetta to free agency (2.80 ERA in 17 pairings). Don't pay for a repeat of his breakout, but advanced metrics (3.37 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 3.32 xFIP) and the introduction of the humidor in Arizona lend hope to the idea that Godley will be able to sustain a high level of performance.

An effective starter in 2015, albeit in just six starts, Godley regressed in 2016. The righty missed out on a rotation spot out of spring training, so he started the season in the minors. Godley made his way to the majors later in the season and appeared in 27 games for the Diamondbacks, including nine starts. However, he posted a 7.31 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 34:17 K:BB in 48 innings as a starter, likely solidifying a long-term relief role. The righty really struggled to miss bats in the rotation, but he managed a solid 26:8 K:BB in 26.2 innings of relief, as his low-90s fastball plays up in short bursts. He should serve as an innings eater out of the bullpen going forward, with the potential to pitch his way into mid-to-high leverage situations down the road. That could be useful for Arizona, but it doesn't do much for fantasy owners.

Godley was a fast riser through the Arizona organization in 2015 after coming over from the Cubs as a part of the Miguel Montero trade in the winter. Though the organization may have planned on keeping Godley in the minors all year, injuries opened up a spot start for the 25-year-old on July 23. He went six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven. The stellar performance led to five more starts and a total of eight more appearances, and Godley ended up going 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 36.2 innings. The solid work — albeit in a small sample — will allow Godley to compete for a rotation spot in 2016.