Aaron Blair

Arizona’s 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Blair should break into the majors in early 2016, especially now that he's with Atlanta following an offseason trade. Last year, the 23-year-old posted a 13-5 record and 2.92 ERA in 160.1 innings split fairly evenly between Double-A and Triple-A. His 3.16 ERA for Triple-A Reno was impressive considering the brutal pitching environments of the Pacific Coast League. Blair’s strikeout rate fell last year, from 10.0 K/9 in 2014 to 6.7 last season. This should not come as a major surprise, as Blair figures to be more of a No. 3 with good ratios, and not an overpowering frontline arm. In deep mixed and NL-only leagues, Blair could be a profitable endgame option, as he will likely force the Braves' hand relatively early on if they start him back at Triple-A.

The No. 36 pick in the 2013 draft, Blair climbed two full levels during the 2014 season, finishing his campaign at Double-A Mobile. Like fellow Mobile righty Braden Shipley, Blair’s repertoire is highlighted by a plus fastball/changeup combo. Over 154.1 innings, he posted a 171:51 K:BB ratio, making him a player to watch in the Diamondbacks’ system. Blair’s 4.35 ERA at High-A Visalia can be largely ignored, as he was pitching in the California League, a rough environment for any pitcher. His peripheral numbers suggest he was much better than that. He also probably wasn’t as good as his 1.94 ERA over 46.1 innings at Double-A, as he was stranding a whopping 87.3% of baserunners. Blair should return to Mobile for the start of 2015, but look for him to be promoted aggressively if he picks up where he left off in 2014, with the potential to join the D-Backs’ rotation in the dog days of summer.