Ty Blach

Blach was given a long look in the rotation last year and enjoyed some initial success, but all the contact allowed caught up to him and he was ultimately moved to the bullpen late in the season. The lefty posted just a 4.0 K/9, which was easily the lowest mark among qualified starters -- it was even the third-worst mark among the 355 MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings. He limited the free passes and was good against same-handed hitters (.261 wOBA), but Blach struggled away from AT&T Park, especially with the long ball. Now 27 years old, Blach seems unlikely to find a new level to his game, and a permanent move to relief work is probably the best thing for his future. He may be deployed in a specialist's role given the lack of velocity and struggles against right-handed hitters.

Blach proved prepared for his September promotion, as he debuted with a 1.06 ERA in four appearances (two starts). The lefty posted a 3.43 ERA overall in 26 starts with Triple-A Sacramento, who play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and he was especially good after the All-Star break (2.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .193 BAA). His play has put him in the conversation for the team's fifth-starter role this season. However, from a fantasy perspective, Blach is not an especially exciting player given his lack of strikeouts (5.9 K/9 with Giants and 6.2 K/9 in the minors). He will be merely a matchups play in deeper leagues barring sudden skills improvement.

The good news is that Blach registered a 3.13 ERA in 141 innings at Double-A Richmond in 2014. The bad news is that he only notched 91 strikeouts (15.3% K rate), which raises significant concerns about his ability to remain effective as he faces better hitters. Still, at this point there is probably a better case to be made that Blach can survive as a No. 5 starter in the big leagues than highly touted Richmond teammate Kyle Crick, who has infinitely better stuff, but cannot touch Blach’s command, which is exceptional. Betting against a lefty with a plus changeup and the ability to paint the black (or Blach for those who like a bad pun), is never a wise proposition, but Blach’s margin for error is thin. He will look to continue his stellar start to his professional career at Triple-A in 2015, and if everything goes well, Blach could be used as an emergency starter for the Giants later this season.