San Francisco Giants RHP Camilo Doval was the first relief pitcher off the board in ESPN average live drafts this season. Yep, let that sink in for a minute. Doval went in the fifth round, just a tad ahead of Josh Hader, Emmanuel Clase and literally every other pitcher expected to earn valuable saves because he earned 66 of them during the past two seasons, with myriad strikeouts and excellent run prevention. Doval was -- we thought -- productive and safe moving forward.
Doval currently pitches for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, which is where he was sent after blowing his fifth save of the season in Washington prior to the weekend, permitting a pair of walks and a Luis Garcia Jr. three-run homer. Giants personnel and fantasy managers hadn't been pleased with the wild Doval for months, but he had saved eight wins since the start of July, despite occasional hiccups. Few could have imagined something as extreme as a demotion to the minor leagues, but it happened.
