Positional versatility is especially useful for hitters. However, in fantasy leagues that use starting pitcher and relief pitcher lineup spots, having a starter who can slot into a reliever role is a nifty bonus. RP-eligible starters are available throughout drafts, and this piece analyzes the most exciting choices. Below we take a deeper dive on Jeffrey Springs.
- Fitz’s Positional Primers
- Hitters to Avoid | Target
- Pitchers to Avoid | Target
- Latest Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft
RP-Eligible SPs to Target: Jeffrey Springs
Jeffrey Springs (SP/RP – TB): 169.8 ADP & 174.6 ECR
The Rays stumbled into a gem last year when converting Jeffrey Springs from the bullpen to the rotation. The lefty made only two starts versus 110 relief appearances in the majors before last season. Springs made seven relief appearances before getting his first turn in the rotation last year. After that, he made only one more relief appearance before closing the year with 24 more starts.
In 25 starts spanning 125.0 innings, Springs had a 2.66 ERA, 3.33 xFIP, 3.36 SIERA, 1.10 WHIP, 5.5 BB%, 25.9 K% and 29.4 CSW%. The 30-year-old southpaw’s bread is buttered by a filthy changeup. According to Baseball Savant, Springs’ changeup had the 26th-highest whiff rate (38.1%) among 320 pitches with a minimum sample of 150 plate appearances. Further, per FanGraphs, it had a 47.9 O-Swing%, 21.5 SwStr% and produced a 77 wRC+ against it. Springs wisely used the pitch at a 34.7% clip.
Springs’ late and unexpected breakout is a reason for pause. Yet, the underlying stats were legitimate. The fly in the ointment was his modest workload of 135.1 innings in 2022 and the sizable leap from 44.2 innings in 2021. Thankfully, Springs’ shortcomings are an easy pill to swallow at his fair ADP and ECR.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
