RADIO
Shawn Tolleson was handed the reins in the ninth inning for the first time in his career last season as a result of the struggles of Neftali Feliz, and didn't disappoint, notching 35 saves in 37 opportunities. Tolleson's 2.99 ERA represents a slight rise from the 2.76 he posted in 2014, but the 28-year-old may have enjoyed a better overall season, as his strikeout rate (25.5%) walk rate (5.7%) and groundball rate (42.4%) all reached career-best marks. If there is a concern in Tolleson's profile, it may be his tendency to allow home runs, but he showed improvement in that department as well, cutting his HR/9 rate to 1.12 following a 1.26 mark in 2014. If anything is certain in baseball, it is that a few closers will lose their jobs by the end of any given season, but Tolleson showed solid peripherals and nice improvement in just his second season over 50 innings, and could be worth a shot in the middle rounds of standard drafts.
Shawn Tolleson Emerges as Solid Closer Option
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