J.J. Hoover

Hoover's 2014 implosion exemplified the Reds' bullpen failures as a whole. The biggest problem for Hoover was command -- he walked 11.3% of the batters he faced as opposed to 9.7% the year before -- and when he did get it in the strike zone, it got hit harder than ever. He gave up a homer nearly 15 percent of the time the ball got in the air, and he gave up flyballs over half the time it was hit. Most of the problems came with his fastball, where he achieved below-average results after having it be a major plus-pitch the year before. As a consequence, he threw his slider significantly more often, which made the walk rate spike. The good news for Hoover is that his velocity didn't change, suggesting that he might just need to make a mechanical adjustment to regain his command. Nonetheless, you can witness his attempts to do so from afar, as even if Aroldis Chapman is hurt as he was to start 2014, Hoover won't be the first choice to step in for him.

Hoover picked up three saves in situations where Aroldis Chapman was either unavailable or had already pitched early in the game, but otherwise his first half was pretty dicey, with him picking up all five of his losses and allowing four of his six homers. He was much stronger in the second half, which included a 26-inning scoreless stretch. Should the Reds follow through with the threat to move Aroldis Chapman into the rotation, he's a stronger candidate to close than Jonathan Broxton.

The Reds traded for Hoover at the start of the season in a moment of panic after losing Ryan Madson, Nick Masset and Bill Bray to injuries to the start of the season, giving up their one left-handed power bat off the bench in Juan Francisco. Hoover acquitted himself well, both at the major league level and at Triple-A Louisville when the Reds needed to make room in the bullpen when Bray returned. But so far the team hasn't been willing to use him in high-leverage situations, which is why they traded for Jonathan Broxton at the trade deadline and re-signed him this offseason. Hoover looks like he could be a good reliever, though his high fly ball rate could be dangerous in Cincinnati.

Hoover has been one of Atlanta's better pitching prospects for a few years, but gets lost in the shuffle in such a pitching-rich system. However, he moved to the bullpen last season, which may hurt his fantasy value. He has the stuff to dominate as a reliever with a plus slider that resulted in more than a strikeout per inning overall last year. He did start two games at Triple-A, so watch to see how he's developed next season. He could have a role in the Atlanta bullpen early in 2012 and still factor into the rotation at some point.

Hoover may get lost in a deep crop of Atlanta pitching talent, but with a low-to-mid-90s fastball and three above average pitches, he could emerge as one of the best. He was 14-7 with a 3.29 ERA and 152:50 K:BB ratio in 153.1 innings between High-A and Double-A. He did walk 15 batters in 20.2 innings at Double-A, but showed great control in the lower minors. He could be knocking on the door of the major leagues at some point next season.