St. Louis Cardinals: Five potential break out players in 2016

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Sep 9, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

The St. Louis Cardinals may need some unforeseen stars to stay on top in 2016.

The 2016 St. Louis Cardinals are going to lean heavily on their internal options after having missed out on the likes of David Price and Jason Heyward in Free Agency. General Manager John Mozeliak seems content, if not comfortable, with the options he has in place.

In 2015, Carlos Martinez broke out in his first full season as a starting pitcher by winning 14 games and being selected to the National League All-Star team for the first time.

Stephen Piscotty stabilized a floundering offensive unit through August and September, and Randal Grichuk showed off his ability to be an elite offensive producer, when he was healthy.

The Cardinals are going to need repeat performances out of these guys in order to win the division next season. Additionally, a surprise or two may be what the team needs to propel them past the Pirates and Cubs next season.

So, the Cardinals will look for a new group of up-and-comers to have an impact on the 2016 club. Here are five players who I think could have an impact for the Cardinals this coming season and help propel the team beyond what is expected.

Next: Seung-hwan Oh

No, this is not Seung-Hwan Oh. It is actually Cardinals Bench Coach David Bell Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Seung-hwan Oh

What do you say we start off with the new guy? Seung-hwan Oh, a.k.a “The Final Boss” a.k.a “Stone Buddha” was officially signed on today to a one-year deal with a club option for 2017. The legendary 33-year-old Korean closer will be making his first venture into Major League Baseball.

Regarded as potentially the greatest Korean closer of all-time, Oh has 357 career saves playing in Korea and Japan. Over 646 1/3 innings, Oh recorded 772 strikeouts and sported a 1.81 ERA.

Oh’s repertoire is said to feature a mid-90’s fastball, a sharp slider, and a slow, rolling curveball. While it will certainly be an adjustment facing Major League hitters for the first time, Oh should be able to lean on his plus fastball, that would be made much better if he commands both of his secondary pitches.

Look for Oh to start out in a middle-relief role and work towards becoming a back-end of the bullpen arm for St. Louis. Depending on the health of Jordan Walden as well as the effectiveness of Jonathan Broxton and the rest of those power arms in the St. Louis pen, Oh could very easily find himself in an 8th inning role as a setup man for Trevor Rosenthal.

Next: Sam Tuivailala

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4. Sam Tuivailala

The tenth-ranked prospect in the St. Louis system, Sam Tuivailala has an electric fastball that sits in the 95-97 mph range and can reach triple digits. Tuilvailala also features a power curveball that he works off of his fastball very effectively.

The 2010 third round draft pick has appeared for the big club in stretches during both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Tuivailala appeared in 14 games in 2015, sporting a 3.07 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings pitched.

Issues with command have been the only thing keeping Tuivailala out of the Cardinal bullpen the past couple of seasons. When he works his fastball in the bottom half of the zone, and is able to locate his curveball on the outside half of the plate, he becomes virtually impossible to hit.

I look for Tuivailala to take a step forward this spring and compete for a middle innings role in the developing “super bullpen” that St. Louis figures to feature in 2016.

Again, depending on the effectiveness of Jonathan Broxton, newly signed Korean reliever Seung-hwan Oh and the health of Jordan Walden, Tuivailala could work himself into a late innings role, if he develops the command and presence to handle those pressure situations.

Next: Marco Gonzales

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Marco Gonzales

Marco Gonzales was poised to compete for a spot in the Cardinal rotation before arm troubles blew up his 2015 campaign. In the 2014 NLDS against the Dodgers, Gonzales picked up two of the three Cardinal wins in relief. After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Giants in 2014, Gonzales was named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

The third-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system according to MLB.com, Gonzales shows great polish on the mound. His best assets are his sinking changeup and his command. While Gonzales doesn’t light up the radar gun with his low 90’s fastball, his ability to mix speeds and locate keeps hitters off balance at the plate.

Gonzales can get right-handed hitters out with his changeup, and his sweeping curveball has enough depth to miss left-handed barrels. When he is effectively locating all three pitches, he has the ability to shut an opposing offense down.

We could see Gonzales in a couple of different roles with St. Louis in 2016. He could be a long inning reliever/spot starter, or he could fill in as a mid-to-late innings left-handed option to compliment Kevin Siegrist. Should any issues flare up in the Cardinals starting rotation, Gonzales figures to be the next man up to fill one of those spots.

Next: Tommy Pham

Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham started his break out down the stretch in 2015 and into the NLDS against the Cubs. After being recalled to the club in Mid-August last season, Pham slashed .311/.386/.539 with five triples and four home runs.

Pham did strike out 22 times in 59 September at-bats, so that could be a bit of a concern. Still, his offense, along with Piscotty’s production kept the Cardinals offense afloat. I think the home run he hit in Game 1 of the NLDS just landed a couple days ago… we’ll just say that he definitely shows power potential.

Pham figures to enter 2016 as the Cardinals fourth outfielder, but should see plenty of opportunities both in center field and at the corner outfield spots. Pham showed that he can provide a plus glove and plus range, and he has a strong enough arm to handle center or right field duties.

Pham is a candidate alongside Kolten Wong to potentially take over the leadoff spot, if Mike Matheny wants to experiment with shifting Matt Carpenter down in the order. If he can cut down on the strikeouts, we think that Pham may be the best option at that position.

There is no hiding the 27-year-old’s injury history, and thus, staying healthy will be Pham’s absolute top concern in 2016. If his body holds up, I see Tommy as a serious contender for playing time in the St. Louis outfield.

Next: Matt Adams

1. Matt Adams

Nobody around here is ever going to forget that 7th inning shot off of Kershaw in Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS. It was the defining moment thus far in Matt Adams’ Cardinal career, and as magical as it was, “Big City” is the Cardinal entering 2016 with the most to prove.