Once upon a time, Chris Devenski was a bona fide relief ace and fan favorite in the Astros bullpen. In 2016, the former 25th round pick posted a staggering 2.7 fWAR in 108.1 innings (48 games, 5 starts), often throwing in multi-inning stints out of the pen. He showed an ability to both limit walks and hard contact, and was an unbelievably valuable weapon for A.J. Hinch, at times perhaps his most trusted stopper.
The following year, he looked to be poised to take yet another step forward. He began to pitch exclusively as a reliever, and was suddenly missing more bats.