For relief pitcher Liam Hendriks, 2015 was all about a fresh start. Prior to this season, Hendriks had been a young, less than mediocre starting pitcher. Then, last year, the Toronto Blue Jays decided to stick Hendriks in the bullpen and he excelled in this new position.
In 2015, this 26-year-old right-handed Australian pitched 64 innings in relief, which resulted in a 2.92 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 71 strikeouts and 0.9 WAR. Before this season, Hendriks’ ERA had not been below 4.50 and his WAR was always negative. Additionally, his velocity jumped from an average of 91 MPH to a startlingly 99 MPH.