"First off, let me preface this by saying Fairbanks doesn't land in this article for performance-related reasons. He's been a fantastic back-end arm in the Rays bullpen for the better part of the last six seasons. In fact, Fairbanks added a cutter to his arsenal this past season, and it delivered fantastic results (.108 xBA/.136 xSLG/.106 xwOBA/34.4% whiff rate), giving him a newfound weapon against both righties and lefties."
"So you're probably wondering why he's on the avoid list. It's something, unfortunately, completely out of Fairbanks' control. He suffers from Raynaud's syndrome, which impacts blood flow to some areas of the body - such as fingers and toes - to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. This prohibits Fairbanks from effectively pitching in road games in April and October as he simply cannot properly grip the baseball."
Baseball's winter meetings are scheduled for December 7-10 in Orlando. The reliever market has already seen movement, including Raisel Iglesias returning to the Braves on a one-year, $16 million deal and Phil Maton agreeing to a two-year pact with the Chicago Cubs with a club option. The Toronto Blue Jays are linked to late-inning arms with closing ability and may pursue relief help. Tampa Bay's Fairbanks has excelled as a back-end reliever and added an effective cutter (.108 xBA/.136 xSLG/.106 xwOBA/34.4% whiff rate). Raynaud's syndrome limits Fairbanks' ability to grip and pitch in early- and late-season road games.
Read at BlueJaysNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]