Around The Horn 2010: Part 7 – The Pitching Staff

Written by: Bill Ivie on 7th March 2010

Around The Horn 2010: Part 7 – The Pitching Staff | read this item

Welcome to the final part of 2010’s “Around the horn”, Part 7. Over the course of this week we examined each position for the Cardinals, taking a look at the strengths, the weaknesses, the starters, the bench and any key minor league players at that position.

Today, in the most expansive section, we will take a look at the pitchers of the organization.

The Starting Rotation as it stands right now: Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, Brad Penny
In 2009, the Cardinals pitching staff showed that it could carry the team. During periods of offensive ineffectiveness, the pitching staff would hold opposing offenses to minimal effectiveness and keep the team in the game. A large part of this was due to the return to health of the team’s “ace” in Chris Carpenter and the evolution of Adam Wainwright to “ace” form himself. While Tim Lincecum would eventually win the Cy Young award, Carpenter and Wainwright would finish second and third in the voting, respectively and had many Cardinal fans hoping for a tie between the two for the award. Carpenter would finish 2009 with a 17-4 record and a 2.24 ERA while Wainwright would finish off 2009 at 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA. Should these two stay healthy and continue that form, the Cardinals team will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010. In addition to the “two-headed ace” of the staff, Kyle Lohse will take the hill wearing the Birds-On-The-Bat for the third season. Lohse will look to rebound from a tough 2009 campaign that had him sidelined and battling through injuries most of the season. If Lohse can turn last season’s 6-10, 4.74 campaign back towards his 2008 numbers of 15-6, 3.78, he will surely solidify a starting rotation that needs a solid number three pitcher. In addition to the incumbent three for the team, much-traveled Brad Penny joins the team looking forward to working with mentor Dave Duncan to rediscover the success he had early in his career. Brad showed at times last season that his effectiveness and ability was still there, at least while pitching in the National League. After struggling through his campaign in Boston, Penny landed in San Fransisco and showed that he could still produce at a highly effective level. The Cardinals will look to Penny to put up 12+ wins and solidify the back end of the rotation.

The Candidates for the 5th starter position: Rich Hill and Kyle McClellan
Sure, there are technically more candidates to become the team’s fifth starter than just these two, but quite honestly, I see one of these two being in that role come April 5th. Rich Hill is a non roster invitee to camp looking to catch on with the club as it comes north. A once highly-touted prospect for the Chicago Cubs, Hill had a solid 2007 campaign for the baby bears winning 11 games and posting an ERA of 3.92. Sadly, that form has never returned and Hill eventually lost the faith of management on the North Side of Chicago, and found himself in Baltimore in 2009. A less than mediocre season in 2009 has led to a minor league deal and an invite to Spring Training by the Redbirds. Should Hill be able to produce under the tutelage of Dave Duncan and come to the majors with the ability to win 10-12 games, the Cardinals will get what they need from the young left-hander. The other side of the last spot in the rotation comes from homegrown talent Kyle McClellan. McClellan was drafted in 2002 by the Cardinals and has worked his way through the system as a starting pitcher. The Cardinals, realizing they needed solid relief talent in 2008 and 2009, turned to Kyle out of the bullpen on a regular basis. Through workouts last season and again this Spring, it appears the Cardinals are in the process of getting Kyle ready for the workload of starting for the team. I believe McClellan will be with the team when it comes North for the season, but whether it is as the 5th starter or not has yet to be seen. He may end up a part of…

The Bullpen: Ryan Franklin, Trever Miller, Dennys Reyes, Jason Motte, Blake Hawksworth
fWhen it comes to the end of games, the Cardinals will return the bullpen largely in tact from last season. Ryan Franklin comes fresh off an All-Star campaign in 2009 that seen him close 38 games with a save. Franklin, however, seemed to lose effectiveness down the stretch and was possibly tired from the long 162 game campaign in that role. Ryan needs to discovery the effectiveness that led to the All-Star selection and apply it for the entire season in 2010 or the Cardinals need to be looking for a closer that can dominate the 9th inning. When discussing the possible search for a closer, we turn to another home grown talent in Jason Motte. A young man that has converted from Catcher to Pitcher a few years ago, Motte has a lively fastball that needs a complimentary pitch. Should the young man find more for his repertoire, he could become the dominate arm the Cardinals prematurely thought he already was at the beginning of 2009. Dennys Reyes will return to the Cardinals as a lefty specialist in 2010. Possibly the most disturbing thing about Reyes is his nickname, The Big Sweat. Trever Miller will join Reyes on the left side of the ‘pen and provide some assurance with longer appearances, experience closing games, and against lefty-heavy teams. Blake Hawksworth looks to inherit much of the workload from swing man Brad Thompson’s departure.

Baby Birds: Fransisco Samuel, Jaime Garcia, Mitchell Boggs, Ben Jukich
The Cardinals have some talented arms coming through the system. The questions that come up when discussing these arms tend to be whether or not they are major league ready, and then, if they are, how much of an impact will they make? Samuel is being groomed to inherit the closing role for the Cardinals eventually, but his control problems are well documented and it is often wondered when he comes into a game which pitcher we are going to see. At moments, he is lights out and untouchable. At others, he is wild and ineffective. Jaime Garcia is the odds on favorite to crack to rotation soon. If not for the two options available to the Cardinals right now, Garcia would be firmly in place as the 5th starter in 2010. It may be a good problem to have as Garcia will more than likely start his season at AAA Memphis and hone his skills a bit more. Mitchell Boggs may end up on the major league roster as a long relief or starting option. He has shown that he has the ability to do both at the major league level, but may get squeezed to Memphis for the time being. Ben Jukich was selected from Cincinnati in this year’s Rule 5 draft, meaning he has to remain in the majors or be offered back to his club. While Jukich is a fine talent, he is a left handed reliever on a staff that already features two. I simply do not see him remaining with the team this season.

Topics: 2010 Season Preview, Ace, Adam Wainwright, bench, Birds On The Bat, brad penny, Cardinal Fans, Cardinals Team, Chris Carpenter, Cy Young, Cy Young Award, Dave Duncan, Evolution, Jason Motte, Kyle Lohse, Mentor, Minor League Players, Periods, Pitchers, Ryan Franklin, Starters, Third Season, Tim Lincecum

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March 8, 2010 at 1:46 pm

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