St. Louis Cardinals: Who should be in the playoff bullpen?

The St. Louis Cardinals are OFFICIALLY in the playoffs, but they need to figure out who will be in the bullpen when rosters revert back to 25. Who makes the cut?

After a glorious 4-game sweep over the division rival Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals have clinched a spot in the postseason. This will be the first Cardinals postseason appearance since 2015 when the Cubs knocked out the Cardinals in the National League Divisional Series.

Though the Cardinals are in the playoffs, there is still work to be done in St. Louis, as they are gunning for an NL Central title to avoid having to play in a 1-Game Wild Card battle and fly straight to the NLDS.

For the most part, the playoff roster seems to be pretty obvious, but there are still a few spots available for the taking in the bullpen. So, now might be the time to figure who’s in and who’s out.

There are a few relievers who are locks to be in the playoff bullpen, including Carlos Martinez, John Brebbia, Andrew Miller, and Giovanny Gallegos; who have all three been tanks in the Cardinals bullpen throughout the entire regular season.

Though Michael Wacha has been in the starting rotation for the majority of the season, Mike Shildt could very well revert to a 4-man rotation and send Wacha to the bullpen. Although Wacha had a horrific first half of the season, he is in the midst of bouncing back from that with a very solid second half. It’s been an under-the-radar performance, compiling a 3.33 ERA since the All-Star Break.

His performance during this stretch run could deem him worthy of a playoff spot this season.

Tyler Webb is also another pitcher who has done a solid job under-the-radar for St. Louis so far this season. He currently sports a 4.06 ERA and a 1.098 WHIP which aren’t horrible numbers, but they should be good enough to get him a spot in the bullpen.

Something else to keep in mind is that Webb generates among the lowest exit velocity rates in baseball when pitching. He does a very solid job of limiting hard contact and that will be key heading into the postseason.

John Gant will also be likely headed to the playoff bullpen as well, but he has been brutal since the All-Star Break, pitching to a 5.32 ERA. He had an amazing start to the season and even put himself in contention to be an All-Star this season.

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The problem with Gant is that he has completely lost his ability to find the strike zone in the second half. It’s even cost the Cardinals a crucial game against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers where he walked three consecutive batters and then they all eventually came in to score.

I do expect Gant to be in the postseason bullpen regardless of his struggles as of late though, mainly due to his ability to thrive in big situations.

There would be two additional spots left in the bullpen, and a pair of rookies could potentially claim these spots. (Dear Cardinals, PLEASE do not put Dominic Leone in the postseason bullpen).

The first rookie is one of my personal favorites, and that is lefty Genesis Cabrera. In my opinion, there isn’t a single pitcher in the Cardinals organization not named Jack Flaherty that has the upside that Genesis Cabrera possesses. The 23-year-old lefty is downright filthy and can even hurl it at 99 miles-per-hour.

Cabrera has made a few starts in the rotation earlier in the season but couldn’t seem to find himself as a starter. As a reliever though, he has done a very solid job. He currently sports a 3.28 ERA out of the bullpen and his K/9 almost doubles compared to himself as a starter. I would really like to see Cabrera get a shot at October baseball.

Another rookie is Junior Fernandez. For months, fans have clamored for the 21-year-old to be promoted to the major leagues after dominating the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Fernandez started the season out in High-A Palm Beach and found his way to the Majors in less than three months, showing that this kid could truly be something special for St. Louis.

It’s safe to say that Fernandez has made a pretty good impression so far in the Majors, putting up a 2.89 ERA to go with a 1.179 WHIP and 14.5 K/9 rate. He has a devastating slider that can knock out hitters with ease and his fastball can top out at about 98 miles-per-hour. He could definitely come in some high-pressure situations and get straight to work for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals bullpen has been stellar throughout the season, and if they can keep riding the wave; they could maybe even sneak into the World Series. It’s almost time to fly folks, let’s go!