Jon Duplantier

Duplantier made his big-league debut just days into the 2019 season, though injuries, role changes and demotions prevented him from fully establishing himself. He ended the year with three starts and 12 relief appearances in the majors, posting a 4.42 ERA in 36.2 innings. Neither his 20.9 K% nor his 11.0 BB% were particularly good, but the mediocre start to his career shouldn't kill all hope for Duplantier's major-league future. Despite his poor big-league walk rate (and his significantly-worse 16.7 BB% in 38.0 Triple-A innings), he's generally received good marks for his command. The biggest thing working against Duplantier is durability, or lack thereof; he's totaled 175.2 innings over the past two years (including the 2018 AFL), with more shoulder trouble eating into his 2019. If those issues force Duplantier to the bullpen, he'll have limited value barring an unexpected leap into the closer role.

Duplantier is among the most skilled pitchers in the minor leagues, but durability is a big question mark. After he managed to throw 136 innings in 2017, that number fell to just 74 this past season as Duplantier dealt with hamstring and, more notably, biceps issues. This came after Duplantier missed the entire 2015 season with a shoulder injury and after he battled elbow soreness during his first year of pro ball in 2016. He made up for some lost time this past year in the Arizona Fall League, throwing 21.2 innings and fanning 32 against some of the most polished hitting prospects in the game, but in the end he was still under the century mark in total. His slider is an impressive swing-and-miss pitch and Duplantier can get both strikeouts and groundballs with the heater. Add in plus command and Duplantier has clear mid-rotation potential, but consider us skeptical that he can hold up to the rigors of a major-league season year-in and year-out.

Most pitchers from Rice are overused to the point that they are shells of themselves once they get into pro ball. This, coupled with the fact that he dealt with a shoulder injury in 2015, is how Duplantier fell to the Diamondbacks in the third round in 2016. So far the 6-foot-4 righty has been better than anyone could have imagined. He led qualified minor-league pitchers with a 1.39 ERA across stops at Low-A and High-A last year -- the second lowest minor-league ERA over the last 25 years, trailing only Justin Verlander's 1.29 mark from 2005. Duplantier commands a plus fastball, two potentially above-average breaking balls in his slider and curveball, and an average changeup. That pitch mix, while deep, doesn't quite match his absurd production. Considering he turns 24 in July and will be making his Double-A debut this year, it's too early to say he has frontline upside. A better bet is that he struggles at times in the upper levels and settles in as a mid-rotation starter.