St. Louis Cardinals: Creating a 2021 All Ex-Cardinals Team

Starting Rotation

No. 1 Starter:  Lance Lynn

Since he left St. Louis in free agency, Lance Lynn has become one of the most reliable and consistent pitchers in all of baseball.  Lynn who has always been a fastball-heavy pitcher has widely increased his strikeout percentage since leaving the Cardinals.

His last year with the Cardinals was 2017 where he sported a K/9 of 7.39 and since leaving the Cardinals it has never been under 9.25, with his best strikeout year coming in 2019 with a K/9 of 10.63 where he was 7th in the entire league in total strikeouts.  Having Lance Lynn at the head of your rotation is a great place to start.

Reason for departure:  Signed with the Minnesota Twins for 1 year/12 million.

Lance Lynn 2021:  58.2 IP, 1.38 ERA

No. 2 Starter:  Zac Gallen

This is one of the guys, along with Adolis Garcia, that just stings a little bit as he was not the centerpiece of his trade and most said it was just a “throw-in.”  Looking now as if Zac Gallen was the most key part of the trade.  Zac Gallen never did play a game in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform but was always just a solid starter for the Cardinals in their minor league system.

Gallen only made it to AAA Memphis while with the Cardinals before being shipped to Miami and eventually traded again to Arizona.  Gallen was one of the biggest breakout pitchers in all of baseball when he broke into the league in 2019 and sported an above-average K/9 while managing to keep his ERA under 3.

Gallen is currently recovering from an elbow injury but should be back in no time.  Gallen would provide any team as an extremely solid number 2 starter.

Reason for departure:  Traded to Miami for Marcell Ozuna

Zac Gallen 2021:  26.2 IP, 3.04 ERA

No. 3 Starter:  Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara was one of the ones also in the same Marcell Ozuna trade but unlike Gallen, Sandy did happen to break onto the scene in the big leagues for the Cardinals.  He never started a game but did provide for us as a decent reliever for St. Louis over 8.1 IP.

Since becoming a Miami Marlin, Alcantara has really impressed a lot of people in the organization and since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, he has never sported an ERA over 3.88.  Alcantara has run into a bit of bad luck this year as he currently has a 3.68 ERA but has an expected ERA (xERA) of 2.92.

Reason for departure:  Traded to Miami for Marcell Ozuna

Sandy Alcantara 2021:  71 IP, 3.68 ERA

No. 4 Starter:  Marco Gonzales

It seems like forever ago that Marco Gonzales played in a Cardinals uniform as he last played for the Cardinals in 2017 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Gonzales debuted for the Cardinals in 2014.  He actually spent some time on the MLB.com Top 100 prospects list as well.

Gonzales never really found his form with the Cardinals and was eventually shipped to Seattle where he has turned into a really quality left-handed starting pitcher.  Gonzales put out his best season last year in the shortened season as he pitched to a 3.10 ERA over 70 IP.

Reason for departure:  Traded to Seattle for Tyler O’Neill

Marco Gonzales 2021:  32.1 IP, 5.01 ERA

No. 5 Starter:  Austin Gomber

There is nobody I feel worse for on this list than Austin Gomber.  He was always a really reliable guy and would take on any situation that was thrown his way.  He succeeded as a reliever and a starter and just always seemed to be sent back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis.

Gomber has a really good breaking ball and always seems to keep his teams in the game.  How do the Cardinals repay him for all his hard work?  By sending him to pitch a mile up in the air for the Colorado Rockies.  While I would think that not a single pitcher would want to pitch in those conditions, Gomber has held his own.  He holds an xERA of 3.52 and is second on the team in IP.

Reason for departure:  Traded to Colorado for Nolan Arenado (and 50 MILLION DOLLARS)