Camilo Doval 2022 Player Outlook: Likely Closer With Good Stuff To Outperform ADP
3 years agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander Camilo Doval emerged as a leading arm in the club's bullpen during his rookie campaign, pitching to a 3.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 33.9 K%, with three saves across 27 innings. His primary offering, slider, has above-average movement in both directions, producing a 40.3 Whiff%, as well as an impressive .202 xwOBA. Doval's four-seamer, though not as solid with below-average movement, averaged 98.6 MPH with 99th percentile spin. Together, they lead him to a 33.5 Whiff% and 33.1 CSW%. Combining that with his minor league strikeout rate of 30% suggests he has the stuff to maintain a high K%. Doval managed a mediocre 8.3 BB% a season ago, and considering his 13 BB% during his minor league career, it wouldn't be a surprise if he struggles more with free passes next season, meaning a heightened WHIP. His ERA won't be as impressive next season either after a .259 BABIP and 81.2 LOB%. However, Doval's 2.83 xERA in 2021 is a good sign, he'll get his fair share of groundballs (50 GB% in 2021), and his 87.5 average exit velocity from last season should help keep it around 3.50. The Giants have a few options to close out games (Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers), but the 24-year-old compiled three saves in the final six games of last season and had the only save during their short postseason run. Hence, Doval should be the number one option going into next season. His high number of strikeouts while exceeding 20 saves without hurting ERA makes him an excellent pick at his ADP of 154.