Julian brings the heat. With the top rated fastball in the Indians’ system, Julian Merryweather glided through the lower levels of the minor leagues with solid peripherals. From A- to AA, his xFIP hovered near 3.00, with small blips up in his first season and upon his first promotion to AA in 2016.
Last season, another bump occurred. Merryweather reached Columbus and his xFIP grew to 3.89. That wasn’t his only issue at the highest level of the minors — he also posted his highest walk rate (15.7%), highest HR/9 (1.5), and saw a slight decrease in K/9 (8.