Predicting the Memphis Redbirds’ Opening Day Roster

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UPDATE 3/30: The Cardinals have announced that Marco Gonzales will begin the season as the ace of their Triple-A rotation, so he enters the number one slot here.

Starting Pitchers (5): Marco Gonzales, Tyler Lyons (L), Mike Mayers, Tim Cooney (L), John Gast (L)

Though the Cardinals will likely begin the season with either  or Carlos Martinez in their big-league bullpen, they won’t have a whole lot of major-league tested depth in their Triple-A rotation. That’s assuming, of course, that veteran righty Carlos Villanueva opts out of his minor-league deal with the team, as the Cards would have to pay a $100,000 retention bonus to keep him in the organization.

The above listed rotation includes just two pitchers with big-league experience: Lyons, who has made 12 MLB starts, and Gast, who made three in 2013. For what it’s worth, Cooney and Mayers are somewhat highly regarded; Cooney, a 2012 third-rounder who spent all of 2014 in the Memphis rotation, is ranked as the Cardinals’ 10th-best prospect by MLB.com, while Mayers, a 2013 third-rounder, is ranked 23rd.

Petrick, a former undrafted free agent, split last season between Memphis and Double-A Springfield. While he struggled at Memphis, going 7-6 with a 4.62 ERA in 24 appearances and 20 starts, he was invited to big-league camp this spring, so there’s obviously some level of excitement about him within the organization.

While all of these pitchers are natural starters, there may be a better chance for guys like Lyons, Gast, and Cooney to make their way onto the big-league club as relievers later on this season as more depth is needed in the bullpen.

Next: Bullpen