Amir Garrett could emerge as fantasy gold in 2021

D.J. Short explains why Amir Garrett could emerge as fantasy gold this season by taking over the Reds' closer job.

Video Transcript

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DJ SHORT: Let's face it, closers are frustrating. Especially in this era of baseball, teams aren't afraid to employ multiple pitchers at the end of games or use their best relievers in high-leverage situations earlier in games. This evolving state of the game has made the search for saves something approaching a battle of attrition in fantasy leagues. However, surprising names emerge all the time, with late round selections and waiver wire pickups resulting in fantasy gold.

Amir Garrett of the Reds could be one of those guys this year. Garrett was slowed in the early part of spring training with forearm soreness, but he announced his return with authority, throwing four scoreless innings while striking out 10 of the 13 batters he faced. Yep, he sounds ready.

Control has been an issue at times in Garrett's career, but he holds a 3.03 ERA with 12.6 K per 9 in 90 appearances dating back at the start of 2019, with a mid-90s fastball and a nasty slider doing the heavy lifting. With the Reds trading Raisel Iglesias during the winter, Garrett looks like a man on a mission this year. The only big question from a fantasy perspective is if the Reds will eventually trade him, too.