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

By Patrick Karraker

Mar 7, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia (54) pitches to Washington Nationals second baseman Dan Uggla during the second inning of a spring training baseball game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia (54) pitches to Washington Nationals second baseman Dan Uggla during the second inning of a spring training baseball game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tim Cooney St. Louis Cardinals
Mar 7, 2014; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA;St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Tim Cooney (66) throws in spring training action at Tradition Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports /

On the Bubble

Tim Cooney

Cooney seems destined for the minors to start 2016 unless an injury occurs among the projected starting rotation. But if that should happen, the 24-year-old lefty seems to be the most logical option as the team’s sixth starter. Cooney went 1-0 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and .241 opponent batting average in six big-league starts as a rookie, and if you throw out the dud of a debut start that he had on April 30, he threw for a 2.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and .206 opponent average.

The Cardinals could also opt for lefties Tyler Lyons and Marco Gonzales as alternative rotation candidates. However, Lyons and Gonzales will be pushing for big-league bullpen jobs to begin 2016, so it might make the most sense just to let those two focus on becoming effective relievers, while prepping Cooney as the next man up in the rotation and keeping him stretched out all spring.

Next: Not Likely

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