Riley O'BrienSTL · RP

2026 review

Riley O'Brien anchored the Cardinals' ninth inning all year, saving 38 games in 66 appearances while blowing 8, and closed the book with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 64.0 IP, a 23.2 K% and a 10.5 BB% over 276 BF. Drafted at NFBC ADP rank 260, he finished 236th of 1472 overall in the TDK LABS 5x5 value rank, 24 spots above his ADP rank, 71st of 811 pitchers, and 38th of 575 players at RP. His 4.08 ERA ran 0.91 below his 4.99 xERA over 276 BF. His sinker sat at 98.3 mph Mar-Jun over 337 pitches and dropped to 97.1 mph Jul-Sep over 283 pitches, and his best month was Apr at a 1.50 ERA in 12.0 IP against a 6.30 ERA in 10.0 IP in May. The TDK LABS card had him solidifying his grip on the ninth in early May, still the locked closer through an illness and trade speculation in early Aug despite an ugly recent stretch, and by late Sep it described him as an entrenched closer whose high save total was outpacing a declining strikeout rate late in the season.