Josh Lindblom

Lindblom was an unheralded journeyman in MLB from 2011-14, recording a 3.82 ERA in 136.2 IP, working mostly as a reliever. He went to South Korea for a couple years and returned to the U.S. briefly in 2017 to work as a reliever for the Pirates but was released that summer. Lindblom returned to the KBO, and this time he became a star (2.68 ERA the past two seasons). He embraced analytics, ditching his two-seamer for his high-spin four-seamer -- it averaged 2,600 rpm, which would have ranked in the top 10 in MLB last season. The 6-foot-4 righty now throws six pitches, including a plus splitter and quality cutter. He was named MVP in 2019, going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA (second in KBO) while leading the league in K/9 (8.7). Lindblom parlayed that success into an incentives-laden three-year, $9.125 million deal with the Brewers that can earn him up to $18 million. He makes for a nice late-round flier in fantasy.

Lindblom had a very rough 2014 after being acquired by Oakland in a December 2013 trade with the Rangers. He appeared in only one game for the A's (a spot start in an April doubleheader), but did make 16 starts for Triple-A Sacramento. Lindblom was not good in his Triple-A work, finishing with a brutal 5.79 ERA over 84 innings. Lindblom had a mediocre 6.4 K/9 in the minors and could be headed for bullpen work for the long haul. During his varied stints in the majors, he has been strong as a reliever, with a 3.17 ERA and a 8.9 K/9 in 105 relief innings. Combine these numbers with his lack of success as a starter in the minors in 2014 and Lindblom could be well-served to be used in the bullpen, but that opportunity will have to wait as he signed a contract to pitch in South Korea in 2015.

Lindblom shuttled between Triple-A Round Rock and the majors last season, spending most of the year in the rotation at Round Rock. The K/9 rate dipped, as one would expect, in his move back into the rotation and he'll likely be nothing more than a so-so swing man out of a major-league bullpen. After his inclusion in an offseason trade with the A's, it's unclear if Lindblom is facing a role change with his new club.

The Phillies acquired Lindblom from the Dodgers as part of the Joe Blanton trade in July. He struggled with his control after joining the Phillies, seeing his walk rate balloon to 6.6 BB/9. Lindblom was traded again during the offseason, landing in Texas as part of the Michael Young deal. He maintained a healthy strikeout rate last season, and should have a leg up for a bullpen spot this spring. He's more likely to work in middle relief than to be a factor in late-inning, high leverage situations.

A former second-round pick out of college, Lindblom made his big league debut in 2011, and it can't be described as anything other than a big success. After rotating between the rotation and bullpen in the minors the prior year, Lindblom opened 2011 with a 2.13 ERA in 42.1 Double-A innings before joining the Dodgers. A big leaguer now, Lindblom tossed 29.2 innings of 2.73 ERA ball with a 28:10 K:BB. He doesn't profile as well as a closer as guys like Kenley Jansen, but expect Lindblom to be a key member of the team's bullpen in 2012.

Working both as a starter and a reliever at Double-A and Triple-A, Lindblom finished with a 3.83 ERA and 82:26 K:BB in 96.1 innings. He was used as a reliever in the second half of the season and fared better (2.42 ERA) in that role than he did as a starter (4.05 ERA). A second-round pick in 2008, Lindblom's long-term role has yet to be determined, but he could conceivably compete for a rotation spot this spring.

A second-round pick out of Purdue in 2008, Lindblom impressed in his brief pro debut. Lindblom posted a 1.86 ERA with a 33:4 K:BB in 29 innings for Great Lakes in the Midwest League before making one start for Double-A Jacksonville (five innings, two runs). Lindblom was projected as a reliever before the draft, though his success as a starter for the Dodgers should keep him in that role as he moves through the system. He could move quickly in 2009.