Prospects to Target in Redraft (NFBC Draft & Holds): Relief Pitcher

This week, I will be breaking down prospects that you should be targeting in NFBC Draft and Hold formats. These articles will be evergreen all offseason and applicable to NFBC formats and all redrafts. This article will go extremely deep, given the nature of the 50-round draft and hold format that NFBC hosts.

All ADPs referenced will be from NFBC Draft Champions, and I will give thoughts on their potential value in relation to that ADP.

Relief Pitching Prospects to Target in Redraft

Seth Halvorsen, RHP, 25, Colorado Rockies, 6’2”/225, MLB (ADP: 437)

Halvorsen made a dominant MLB debut in 2024, posting a 1.46 ERA across 12.1 innings with a 28.3 percent strikeout rate to just a 4.3 percent walk rate. This came after a solid showing in the minors, but Halvorsen has shown walk issues at times, so it was refreshing to see him post a low walk rate.

Armed with a 100 mph four-seam fastball with seven feet of extension, Halvorsen blows it by hitters. He then turns to a 90 mph splitter and an 89 mph slider. The arsenal is impressive and Halvorsen already has MLB closing experience. He could grab 15-20 saves this year and I would not be shocked.

Verdict: Halvorsen has a path to saves and already has big league closer experience. Buy.

Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, 22, Milwaukee Brewers, 6’7”/200, AAA (ADP: 477)

The Brewers identified Misiorowski as a high-upside arm out of Crowder College and took him in the second round of the 2022 draft. Some scouts immediately identified him as being one of the biggest steals of the draft. Misiorowski quickly vaulted up prospect rankings and now sits on the cusp of an MLB debut.

Misiorowski pumps a fastball that consistently reaches triple digits but plays up even more due to his release point and extension. The fastball averaged over 98 mph this season with 16 inches of IVB from a 5’4” release height. Given the release point, the fastball characteristics are pretty insane, and Misiorowski gets over ten inches of arm-side movement as well.

Misiorowski's biggest swing-and-miss pitch is a curveball that sits in the mid-80s with negative 11 inches of IVB but consistently gets good sweeping action. The curve gives hitters nightmares when trying to prepare for both the fastball and the curveball, which misses a tremendous amount of bats.

Misiorowski also throws a slider/cutter that sits in the low 90s but gets up to 96 on occasion. The pitch has some carry and an inch or two of horizontal movement. He will flash a changeup on occasion, sitting in the lower 90s, but it is not often used.

What you see is what you get with Misiorowski: a tall, lanky arm with a tough-to-pick-up release point and some of the best stuff in the minors. He struggles to throw consistent strikes, but the move to the bullpen in August did see that mark jump to 62 percent from 58.5 percent as a starter.

Do the Brewers continue to develop Misiorowski in the bullpen? Or will he move back to a starter's role in 2025? Either way, the talent in his arm is immense.

Verdict: The latest report is that the Brewers plan to let him pitch in the Majors in a bullpen role. Trevor Megill is locked in the closer role at the moment, but it would not be surprising to see Misiorowski get saves.

Andrew Walters, RHP, 24, Cleveland Guardians, 6’4”/222, MLB (ADP: 750)

The Guardians drafted Walters, a pure RP prospect, in the second round of the 2023 draft. The pick has already paid dividends as Walters flew through the minors, dominating in his 50 innings. The 2.32 ERA with 79 strikeouts to 25 walks was impressive and earned Walters a promotion to the majors just over a year after being drafted.

Walters relies heavily on his fastball, which is a dominant one. It sits at 96 with a ton of spin, 18 inches of IVB, and short-running action. His slider is a high-spinning pitch that averages six inches of sweeping action. Walters threw a splitter in the minors but did not show it in a small MLB cameo. The pitch produced the highest whiff rate of his pitches in the minors, sitting in the upper 80s with an impressive movement profile.

Walters is one of the few pitching prospects you watch and say, “This looks like a potential closer.” The stuff is elite. Walters throws strikes, and he misses a ton of bats. This is the kind of arm you want pitching at the back of your bullpen.

Verdict: The Guardians are armed with a strong bullpen, and have the best closer in the game in Emmanuel Clase. While the back-three are deep here, we don’t know what will happen over the course of a season. Walters could snag a couple of saves and do it with strong ratios and big strikeout numbers. He has been selected in just one Draft Champion league. I would certainly grow that total myself.

Zach Maxwell, RHP, 24, Cincinnati Reds, 6’6”/275, AAA (ADP: 718)

Maxwell is electric out of the bullpen and could be in the back of the Reds bullpen as early as Opening Day 2025. Spending the majority of the year in Triple-A, Maxwell posted a 3.17 ERA with a 2.76 FIP across 54 innings with a 36 percent strikeout rate. Sure, the walk rate is entirely too high at 16 percent, but the stuff is off the charts here.

The fastball averaged 99 mph this year with 18 inches of ride from a 6’6” release height. The pitch gets some armside movement but creates some deception from his release point. It is a high-spinning offering that missed bats at a near 30 percent clip this year.

The slider sits in the upper 80s with a nice gyro shape. The offering had a 50 percent whiff rate on it this year. Despite the walks and strike rates, Maxwell will be an explosive bullpen option.

Verdict: The Reds are the opposite of the Guardians; their bullpen is not great. Alexis Díaz is shaky, and Emilio Pagán, as the setup man, leaves a bit to be desired. Maxwell is MLB-ready, and I see no reason why he could not grab five or more saves in 2025. Buy.

Edgardo Henriquez, RHP, 22, Los Angeles Dodgers, 6’4”/200, MLB (ADP: 737)

It is pretty rare I rank pure relievers this high on prospect-only rankings, but it is also rare that we see a young prospect jump from Single-A to the Majors with the kind of performance that Heriquez had.

In 53 minor league innings, Henriquez posted a 2.72 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 29 walks. Although his time in the majors was just three innings, Henriquez punched out five and allowed just one earned run.

Henriquez has an electric fastball that averaged just shy of 100 mph with 16 inches of ride from a 6’2” release height and has five inches of arm-side run. That pitch was used 60 percent of the time in 2024.

The slider sits around 89 mph with around zero inches of IVB and five inches of horizontal. It missed bats at an absurd rate of north of 65 percent. Henriquez also utilized a low-90s cutter that also missed bats.

Henriquez looks like a future closer with elite stuff. He threw strikes at a league-average rate and had an elite 20 percent swinging strike rate. Henriquez might have the best stuff of reliever in the minors in 2024.

Verdict: The Dodgers have been known to mix and match saves. While they have a three-headed monster in the back of the bullpen in Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, and Evan Phillips, Henriquez already has an MLB save locked down and has elite stuff. He is not being drafted in most DCs. I would take a stab with my last pick.

Luis Mey, RHP, 23, Cincinnati Reds, 6’5”/235, AA (ADP: 748)

The Reds love this type of reliever if you read the report on Zach Maxwell. Mey is a big build with a huge fastball. His 55 innings this year, he posted a 3.44 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 43 walks.

Mey averages 99-100 regularly and has touched 102 mph. The pitch has good horizontal movement, having 15 inches of horizontal movement. Mey also mixes an 88 mph cutter in with similar IVB to his sinker, but shorter horizontal movement. Command will be a big thing to watch as Mey threw strikes at just a 59 percent clip in 2024, but the stuff is electric enough that he can get away with sub-par control.

Verdict: Copy and paste the Maxwell verdict. Mey is electric and might be better than Maxwell long-term. He just has less upper-level minors experience, but the arm talent is there.

Shane Smith, RHP, 24, Chicago White Sox, 6’4”/235, AAA (ADP: 744)

Smith was an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest who has been highly impressive as a pro pitcher in the Brewers organization. After thriving in a bullpen role in 2023, Smith made 16 starts and pitched in 27 games in 2024, totaling 94.1 innings, where he posted a 3.05 ERA with 113 strikeouts and 29 walks.

Pounding the zone, Smith threw strikes at a rate north of 65 percent this season. He missed bats and rarely allowed hard contact, keeping the ball on the ground at a high clip.

Smith’s fastball sits at around 94 mph but can reach up to 98 mph. The pitch plays up due to nearly seven feet of extension. Smith also throws a cutter in the low-90s which is his second most used pitch. The curveball dials it all the way back to 80 mph, as the pitch has 12 inches of sweeping action with negative 14 inches of IVB.

Whether Smith is a starter or reliever long term is the question. Just six of his 27 appearances in 2024 saw him pitch at least five innings, and only 11 were more than three innings. Regardless, Smith is a talented arm and has proven he can be a big-league arm in some capacity, even if it is in the bullpen.

Verdict: Smith was the first pick in the Rule 5 draft and a near lock to stick on the White Sox roster. While he has pitched in multiple roles and while his role is still up in the air, just go look at the White Sox bullpen. Smith could nab plenty of saves.

Ryan Zeferjahn, RHP, 27, 6’5”/209, Los Angeles Angels (ADP: 730)

Traded from Boston to Los Angeles at the trade deadline, Zeferjahn pitched extremely well across 46 minor league innings before dominating in his 17-inning MLB sample. Throwing from a lower release height, Zeferjahn mixes three pitches in a 97-98 mph fastball, a 90 mph cutter, and an 83 mph sweeper.

The stuff is very good with Zeferjahn overall, and he misses plenty of bats, posting a 31 percent strikeout rate in the minors, which translated to a 28 percent mark in the majors. While not a big name, Zeferjahn has the opportunity in 2025 and the stuff to succeed.

Verdict: I have zero confidence that Ben Joyce will stay healthy and hold the closer role in Los Angeles. I would not be shocked to see Zeferjahn get 10-15 saves.