T.J. Zeuch

Zeuch threw a no-hitter for Triple-A Buffalo last season before debuting in September. His run with the big club was mostly underwhelming, though he did nearly double his strikeout rate with the jump to the majors, from an ultra-low 11.6% to 20.2%. The 6-foot-7 righty's signature pitch is the sinking fastball, which helped him to groundball rates in the upper-50s/low-60s throughout his time on the farm. The league at large had been moving away from sinkerballers, but in a juiced ball year, extreme groundball pitchers became more en vogue. His slider and changeup were positive offerings by pitch values. However, when a pitcher allows as much contact as Zeuch does, a lot is left up to chance and the defense behind them, and the Blue Jays had a bottom-five defense in the American League last season. In this division, the spots where you could realistically use Zeuch will be few and far between.

A first-round pick in this past June's draft, Zeuch presents an imposing figure on the mound at 6-foot-7, 225 lbs. The 21-year-old from Pittsburgh relies mostly on a fastball/slider combination, though his curveball also has the potential to be a plus pitch. He even features a changeup from time to time, though that remains a work in progress. Zeuch fanned 14 batters in his final two starts at Low-A to end the 2016 campaign, so the strikeout potential exists. Zeuch will likely return to that level and work on his secondary pitches as well as repeating his delivery, as is often the issue for tall hurlers. Still, Zeuch is supposed to have above-average control, and the polished college hurler could advance quickly with a fast start.