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St. Louis Cardinals: Evaluating the Position Player Roster Bubble

By Patrick Karraker

Mar 14, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Greg Garcia (35) attempts to throw out a Minnesota Twins base runner during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Twins defeated the Cardinals 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Greg Garcia (35) attempts to throw out a Minnesota Twins base runner during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Twins defeated the Cardinals 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Eric Fryer St. Louis Cardinals
Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /

Eric Fryer

Opening Day Roster Odds: 1/10

Since Yadier Molina is playing in spring training games and has now begun to take the bat off his shoulder, Eric Fryer’s minuscule chances of making the Opening Day roster seem to be moving towards zero. If Molina, who didn’t collect his first Grapefruit League at-bat until Monday, had continued to hesitate with swinging the bat over the next couple weeks as he completes his recovery from offseason thumb surgery, Fryer could have opened the season on the big-league roster as Brayan Peña’s backup.

Next: Does Marco Gonzales Have a Big-League Future with the Cardinals?

With Fryer just 3-for-19 this spring and without an at-bat this week, though, it appears to be a virtual certainty that the Cardinals will open the season with just two catchers on the roster, and those two backstops will be Molina and Peña. In fact, since Fryer has performed poorly during spring training and has just 65 games of big-league experience, it’s highly possible that 40-man roster member Mike Olhman, who’s hitting .364 this spring, could be the first catcher called up in the event of an injury to Molina or Peña. In fact, considering Peña’s value as a pinch hitter and the fact that the Cardinals carried a third catcher, Ed Easley, for nearly a month last summer, it’s possible that Ohlman could find a spot on the big-league bench this summer even if there’s not an injury. With that said, Fryer could be better-suited for that role if he finds his way at the plate, as the 25-year-old Ohlman will be entering his first season at Triple-A.

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