Mitch Spence

Spence was plucked by the Athletics in last winter's Rule 5 Draft and did what most Rule 5 pitchers do at the beginning of the season, filling a long relief/mop-up role. He had a solid 11-appearance run in the bullpen, collecting a 4.26 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB over 25.1 innings. A need in the A's rotation arose in mid-May and Spence filled it, ultimately holding an unremarkable 4.64 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 18.8 percent strikeout rate across 24 starts. A cutter and a slider made up more than 70 percent of the 26-year-old's repertoire, as he threw a sinker less than 15 percent of the time. An atypical approach might be Spence's best shot to stick as a starter, as the righty throws strikes and induces grounders but his stuff is pretty underwhelming across the board. It seems unlikely he'll ever be more than a streamer type in fantasy.