Yankees relief pitcher Stephen Tarpley first popped up on our radar last September when he was promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and proceeded to appear in 10 games (nine innings) while allowing six hits, three runs and 13 strikeouts.
Though the third round pick by the Orioles back in 2013 did walk six batters during the final month of the regular season, his calm demeanor and ability to challenge hitters from the first pitch impressed the Yanks enough to carry him on the Postseason roster.
Struggling mightily in his lone appearance against the Red Sox in the ALDS (three runs on four hits in one inning of work) only motivated the USC product to enter Spring Training with an even more dedicated approach.