Matt Lindstrom 2009

Because Florida doesn't have any strong alternative to take over as closer, many experts consider Matt Lindstrom a good value in the late rounds of drafts. Certainly a closer who is going around the 19th round of drafts can't be too terrible a pick, but there is definitely reason for some concern. In 2007, Lindstrom was excellent, striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings and walking 2.9 to go along with a good groundball rate (47.4%). Unfortunately, Lindstrom took a major step backward in 2008, striking out only 6.8 per nine innings and walking 4.1. In a starting pitcher, that kind of change would likely indicate arm trouble. Because of the limited number of innings they pitch, reliever statistics are generally going to have more variance, and we can't really draw any conclusions from Lindstrom's decline. Maybe he was hurt. Maybe he just wasn't as good as his 2007 season suggested. Either way, I think there's a good reason that he's going as low as he is in 2008 drafts.