The hard throwing Iglesias came on the scene in Cincinnati last season and turned a lot of heads within the organization. He also made believers of the rest of the league of his true talent. Now he's one of the most popular "sleepers" in 2016 drafts.

Will he turn in a big-time 2016 season for fantasy baseball owners? Will he live up to the hype train that's been building around him? Let's take a deeper dive, and see if there's some ADP value to be found on draft day.

Editor's note: Be sure to check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, which is already loaded up with lots of great articles. Aside from staff rankings and ADP analysis across all positions, we also dig into MLB prospect rankings, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well.

Last Season

Even though Iglesias went 3-7 in 16 starts last season with a 4.15 ERA, it was his intangibles and potential that have him poised to break out. His 9.82 K/9 is what got the attention of fantasy owners and rightly so. However Iglesias balanced out the young Cincinnati rotation with his ability to have opposing batters swing at pitches outside of the strike zone at a 34% clip.

The other stat that is fascinating when it comes to Iglesias is how little he throws his 92 MPH fastball compared to his 91 MPH sinker and his 82 MPH slider. His fastball usage is around 19% which is becoming less prevalent in MLB pitchers these days. Young pitchers who rely on pitches with movement tend to have more success getting outs with their fastball. However, he tends to get outs with all three of the aforementioned pitches throughout the course of the game. This in turn makes hitters stay on their toes in pitcher friendly counts and gives Iglesias an incredible edge.

Raisel put together an impressive 2015 campaign after the Reds signed him to a seven-year, 27 million dollar deal to come over from Cuba. His K/BB of 3.71 demonstrated excellent command and control while his 1.14 WHIP and .225 BAA showed his consistency through each start. His 3.55 FIP could stand to improve. With more starts under his belt his ERA should go down as well.

Cincinnati is still going through a rebuild movement and will have several moving parts throughout the season. The bullpen lost Aroldis Chapman and the offense still has pieces to move while the rotation is filled with youth. Raisel is the oldest member of the Reds rotation at 26!

2016 Outlook

The love and admiration that Raisel Iglesias will garner should be warranted. In his final nine starts, he compiled 62 K, 19 ER, and 8 QS. He was the workhorse that the team needed down the stretch through all the injuries and disappointments that filled the 2015 campaign.

His ADP is sitting at 231, and he should be ranked much higher by season's end. The K% should remain in the mid-20% range and the walk rate should stay fairly low. Wins will all come down to whether or not his offense can give him enough

Conclusion

If you as a fantasy owner are looking for a young, hungry, intense, and productive SP to grab in the middle rounds, then Iglesias should slide in next to starters such as Marcus Stroman, Luis Severino and Joe Ross who all have similar potential. Look to grab Raisel for his K, QS, and expected improvements in ERA and FIP.

Plus you want to be the player that took a chance on a diamond in the rough right? Plus you will be getting him at cheaper value than some other high profile SP that will go several rounds before him!

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]