Julian Merryweather Turning Into Relief Star?
4 years agoToronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Julian Merryweather missed all of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery and pitched only 19 professional innings over the next two seasons, but he struck out three Yankees hitters on 11 pitches on Opening Day and has been a relief ace early on. He has been averaging 98.8 mph on his fastball, a big jump from the 96.7 mph he had with Toronto last year. Merryweather's fastball/changeup velocity difference is nearly 20 mph, which is significant for a hard thrower. For a Toronto bullpen that lost Kirby Yates for the season, Merryweather could rise up and take the closer role for the Blue Jays. He's a perfect 2-for-2 in the save category so far, and fantasy managers need to pick him up now if they need saves.
Source: MLB.com - Mike Petriello
Source: MLB.com - Mike Petriello