St. Louis Cardinals: Evaluating All the Relief Pitchers in This Year’s Camp

On the Bubble

Matt Bowman, Marco Gonzales, Mitch Harris, Dean Kiekhefer, Tyler Lyons, Miguel Socolovich, Sam Tuivailala

The Cardinals ran through a ton of relief pitchers in 2015, and with many of them returning this spring, the club will have a wide array of options from which to pick as they fill the last spot or two in the bullpen.

The favorite among this group to win a job is lefthander Tyler Lyons, who has been used mostly as a spot starter over the past three seasons, but has excelled when given the opportunity to pitch out of the bullpen. In 20 career relief appearances spanning 42.2 innings, Lyons owns a 1.91 ERA, an 0.898 WHIP, and a .197 opponent batting average. In addition, his excellence against lefthanders provides reason for optimism that he can effectively replace departed lefty specialist Randy Choate. In 161 chances against lefties as a major-leaguer, Lyons has limited them to a .199 batting average.

If Lyons has a disastrous spring training, he could be pushed by Marco Gonzales or Dean Kiekhefer for a role. It’s also possible that either of those lefties could occupy the 13th pitcher role, giving the Cardinals a third lefty in the bullpen. The Cardinals quickly need to figure out what they’re going to do with Gonzales, a 2013 first-rounder who has just one option year remaining.

He’s still got potential as a starter, but with all five members of this year’s rotation locked in at least until 2017 and Lance Lynn also scheduled to return next year, it might be best to accelerate Gonzales’s timetable by making him a reliever, possibly reconsidering him as a starter when a need is created. For what it’s worth, Gonzales has been dominant as a reliever when called upon, limiting hitters to a .133 batting average.

Kiekhefer is more of a traditional lefty specialist in the mold of Choate, and he could be a dark horse for a spot. His splits weren’t spectacular last year at Triple-A Memphis, but the organization obviously is intrigued by him enough that they sent him to the Arizona Fall League at the conclusion of the season. While there, Kiekhefer allowed just one hit to a lefthander while facing 12.

The Cardinals also have the trio of Mitch Harris, Miguel Socolovich, and Sam Tuivailala, all of whom were recalled from the minors under dire circumstances in 2015 but were surprisingly fantastic. Each of Harris (3.67 ERA, .278 BAA), Socolovich (1.82 ERA, .221 BAA), and Tuivailala (3.07 ERA, .228 BAA, average fastball speed of 96.7 MPH) could push his way into contention for a bullpen spot with a strong spring, though all of them will be on the outside looking in as the spring begins due to the sheer volume of bullpen talent that the Cardinals possess heading into the 2016 season.

One other reliever who shouldn’t be discounted is Matt Bowman, a righthander who the Cardinals selected from the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft earlier this winter. Bowman spent most of his time in the Mets organization as a starter, but if he’s to make the Cardinals’ opening roster–which would be a requirement, unless the Cards want to offer him back to the Mets or make a trade to retain his rights–he’d be in the mix strictly as a long reliever. With Carlos Villanueva gone and no one signed to replace him, the long relief role could be one that’s up for the taking.

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