St. Louis Cardinals: Sleepers to watch in Spring Training

Barring a late addition to the St. Louis Cardinals’ camp, their opening day roster is set to have few surprises, if any. Who has the ability to shake things up with a strong showing in Spring Training?

When you’re a team who — ostensibly — is in the mix for a playoff spot, Spring Training games are typically not intended to be open competitions for starting roles. If the front office has done their job, only injury can open the door for an up-and-comer to usurp a presumptive favorite. Thus, the battles are often limited to those for the last spots on the bench and in the bullpen, and this year is no different for the St. Louis Cardinals.

However, every time we think we know who gets to ride in a red convertible, parade around with the clydesdales, and gladhand with Gibby and The Wizard, someone like Jeremy Hazelbaker comes along and sets Roger Dean Stadium on fire, stirring manager Mike Matheny from his own-personality-induced slumber and forcing him to take notice.

So, who has a chance to force their way onto this year’s club and make Mike all misty-eyed?

Let’s start with players currently on the 40-man roster. In short, these players all have an advantage because adding a “non-roster invitee” to the 40-man roster means removing someone else and potentially exposing them to be claimed by another team (see: Rowan Wick this past week). However, only 25 players get to make the opening day roster, so therein lies the competition.

With the starting rotation set and Alex Reyes most likely being held back until May 1st as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, the best way for someone to pitch their way onto the St. Louis Cardinals is through the wide open bullpen. The only locks are the guys with big contracts (Luke Gregerson and Brett Cecil) and the guy with no options (Sam Tuivailala). This leaves 4-5 spots for the rest.

Matheny has a reputation for going with what he knows, meaning Tyler Lyons (no-brainer), Matthew Bowman, and John Brebbia have a leg up. Plus, the Cards traded Randal Grichuk for Dominic Leone, so the front office is going to give him every chance to succeed. That leaves 1-2 spots up for grabs, and since swingman Bud Norris received a major league contract, he’s a safe bet to fill one of those.

For that final bullpen spot, though, it might come down to role. With question marks in the rotation, you could argue that having more than one long-reliever/swingman is a good idea. Advantage: John Gant. However, with Tyler Lyons’ ability to get big outs and Brett Cecil expected to do the same, you might want a lefty specialist. Advantage: Ryan Sherriff.

The sleepers, though, are Austin Gomber, a lefty who is consistent, if not overpowering, and who possesses an excellent hook that has the potential to bedevil the Kyle Schwarbers of the world. There’s also the intriguing Conner Greene, a total long-shot, but a guy who possesses triple-digit ability can’t be ignored if he can find the strike zone. Greene is doubtful, but I’m sure heads will perk up when he takes the hill in Jupiter.