2008 Preview: Pitching

Having selected thirteen (mostly) awful position players to take up a little over half of the Opening Day roster, I am now left to throw in an additional dozen pitchers to round off the team I'd most prefer to see when the Cards break camp at the end of Spring Training. The same disclaimers that applied to the previous entry apply here: injuries or trade notwithstanding, these twelve players are the ones I would consider the most likely to succeed as big leaguers on my favorite team.

SP Adam Wainwright (R)
SP Matt Clement (R)
SP Joel Pineiro (R)
SP Braden Looper (R)
SP Mark Mulder (L)
RP Randy Flores (L)
RP Ryan Franklin (R)
RP Jason Isringhausen (R)
RP Tyler Johnson (L)
RP Russ Springer (R)
RP Brad Thompson (R)
RP Todd Wellemeyer (R)

Projecting the pitching is, for the most part, a useless activity, because most of it is already determined. The bullpen is always difficult to predict, because just about anything could happen by the end of March. A few names I did not include anywhere on this list you may have noticed: Anthony Reyes and Josh Kinney.

I fully expect Reyes to be on a different team by the time the regular season starts; his standing has decreased in the minds of those inside and outside the organization, and I think if St. Louis can find any kind of interest in him, he'll be gone. As far as I'm concerned, his upside is still big enough based on his minor league stats alone that he warrants another shot at proving himself. I can't imagine he's any less qualified to start than Looper; if he made the rotation, Looper could go back to being a reliever, bumping Brad Thompson from the roster, which needs to happen. Thompson very well may not be a part of the Cards' plans either, but he seems a more likely fit than Reyes at this point. As for Kinney, he went through Tommy John surgery in March of last year, and I couldn't find a single piece of news regarding his current health, so I have no reason to believe he'll be considered a bullpen candidate, although I'd gladly take him for that final spot over Thompson. I'd also take any random semi respectable minor league candidate over Thompson, for that matter.

Indeed, it's the minor league aspect of the equation that could make the bullpen situation interesting. The Cardinals have an assortment of interesting arms to call on that are, at worst, very nearly Major League ready, such as the following:

Kyle McClellan, 23, RHP
2007 AA - 2.35 ERA, 7.04 H/9, 0.59 HR/9, 1.76 BB/9, 8.80 K/9, 0.98 WHIP
The main problem with McClellan seems to be stuff. Aside from his strong showing at Palm Beach and Springfield last season, he's always displayed an affinity for giving up hits (although typically not the long ball at least), and his K totals have not always been so impressive over the course of his career.

Jason Motte, 25, RHP
2007 AA - 2.20 ERA, 6.61 H/9, 0.55 HR/9, 4.04 BB/9, 11.57 K/9, 1.18 WHIP
Motte's advanced age is deceiving; he began his minor league career in the Cards' organization in 2003 -- as a catcher. While his cumulative line as a hitter is laughable (.191/.220/.233), he was converted to a pitcher for the 2006 season, so his strong showing in Springfield is actually his fourth stop in just two seasons as a hurler, making his ascent through the system somewhat encouraging.

Chris Perez, 22, RHP
2007 AA - 2.43 ERA, 3.76 H/9, 0.66 HR/9, 6.20 BB/9, 13.72 K/9, 1.11 WHIP
Widely seen as one of the top Cardinal prospects, Perez actually did make the jump to AAA Memphis last season for 15 appearances, but the results weren't as good as they were at Springfield. While he continued to overpower hitters via the strikeout and limit base hits, his control problems increased to a dangerous extent, as he handed out nearly a walk per inning pitched. In fact, control has always plagued Perez throughout his career, as he averages 6.43 free passes per nine innings despite his other impressive peripherals.

Mark Worrell, 24, RHP
2007 AAA - 3.09 ERA, 7.79 H/9, 0.81 HR/9, 3.36 BB/9, 8.87 K/9, 1.24 WHIP
Worrell has advanced through the minors steadily, if not speedily, and will be 25 by Opening Day. After spending all of 2006 in Springfield, and all of 2007 in Memphis, it's unlikely he needs a whole lot more seasoning. At this point, he probably is what he is, and while his stats suffered a very slight decline in the move from AA to AAA, it appears that he at least deserves a shot to stick in the St. Louis bullpen. However, chances are if the Cards' brass was terribly impressed by him, he would have already gotten an opportunity.

While I believe any of these four would be worth a look in the pen, it's far from a safe bet La Russa will open the season with any of them. Don't be surprised if Thompson's cherubic ass makes the cut and claims the final spot.