St. Louis Cardinals: 6 players with something to prove

Several St. Louis Cardinals players have something to prove the remainder of 2021.

The 2021 season has been a doozy for the St. Louis Cardinals. So many ups and too many downs to feel comfortable.

The injury bug bit the Cardinals early and never quit. Jack Flaherty spent two months on the injured list with an oblique injury. He came back to the relief of fans hoping he would help them make a run into the playoffs. Those hopes hit a speed bump when he returned to the injured list with a shoulder issue. It’s unclear when, or if, Flaherty will return.

Wade LeBlanc landed on the injured list after starting to really pitch well in his rotation slot. Carlos Martinez never really seemed to have his stuff going this season and landed on the injured list.

The Cardinals outfield had a range of issues as well. Harrison Bader started the season on the injured list and headed back after cracking a rib. Tyler O’Neill has had a range of arm issues that have sidelined him. Dylan Carlson even spent some time on the injured list with a wrist issue.

Yadier Molina had a few injuries that required him to take a seat on the injured list and rest up.

Paul DeJong had an assortment of injuries as well, mostly involving his back and ribs. While he is considered healthy, Eduardo Sosa has taken a majority of the recent playing time at short.

The bullpen, too, has had its struggles. Jordan Hicks landed back on the injured list early in the season with an arm issue. Andrew Miller has had issues including a blister on his foot. Ryan Helsley was starting to come into his own as a reliever when he landed on the injured list in August.

As we start thinking about the offseason and the 2022 season, several players should use this time remaining to make an impression going into an offseason that could prove to be one of the more active in the club’s recent history.

Andrew Knizner

With Yadier Molina signed, sealed, and delivered for 2022, it leaves one to wonder what that means for Andrew Knizner.

He is unsigned for 2022 and becomes arbitration-eligible in 2023. It seems pretty reasonable to assume the Cardinals hope for the future behind home plate does not lie with Knizner. It seems the Cardinals have their hopes for future catching duties with prospect Ivan Herrera.

Knizner, however, has been biding his time the last couple of seasons on the St. Louis bench or getting playing time in Memphis. He has basically had to wait for Molina to either need a day off or  be injured to get any playing time.

That has to be frustrating for a once-promising option to take over Molina’s duties permanently. He was the No. 226 pick in the 2016 draft by the Cardinals.

This season, he has played in 51 games hitting .177/.291/.246 with a +55 wRC. He’s hit one homer. He is no Molina behind the plate, but he is a good athlete and does seem to have the trust of Molina and the pitching staff.

It will be curious to see what happens with Knizner over the next year. He could continue to hone his skills as Molina’s backup, have a couple of years to secure the starting catcher role for himself, and ultimately pass it off to Herrera. Or is Herrera closer than we think? Could Molina complete his last hurrah as Cardinals catcher and pass the baton off to Herrera?

Knizner more than likely needs to continue to hone his skills as a catcher because who knows what could happen next. If the Cardinals think Herrera is closer to being ready than we think, Knizner could end up as a trade chip. It would be to his and the Cardinals’ advantage for Knizner to take his time to improve as a catcher and, more importantly, as a hitter.

He and the team will want him at this best to land in a prime location in exchange for prime talent.

Edmundo Sosa

At the beginning of the season, Edmundo Sosa was thought of as just a guy who would back up Paul DeJong. He may play every once in a while, to give DeJong some rest. Well, Sosa has ended up with a much bigger role than anticipated this summer. Thank goodness he was ready.

As DeJong went down with an injury, Sosa stepped up and became the shortstop the Cardinals needed. With superb defense and some timely hits, he has become a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals.

Sosa has played in 98 games hitting .282/357/.403 with a +110 wRC. He’s launched five home runs, six doubles, and four triples. He’s generated 14 walks and four stolen bases.

All of this from a guy who was just supposed to be a bench player and backup shortstop.

He is certainly impressive and appears to have fans in manager Mike Shildt and bench coach Oliver Marmol.

He is on a one-year contract with the Cardinals this season and remains unsigned for 2022. With the Cardinals apparently hitting the free-agent market this offseason in search of an everyday shortstop and DeJong possible on the trade market, it will be interesting to see what happens with Sosa.

He isn’t just a shortstop as he has had time playing second base and third base. With his impressive defense and pop on offense, the Cardinals could, and should, very well keep Sosa as a backup.

Sosa should use the remainder of this season to help out where needed on the field and with an oft-times sluggish offense. Here’s hoping he does continue to impress and earn a role with the Cardinals in 2022.

Genesis Cabrera

Lefty reliever Genesis Cabrera has had quite the year in 2021. From the game where a pitch went out of control hitting Bryce Harper in the face to becoming one of the most effective pitchers on staff and everywhere in between, Cabrera has done it all.

Cabrera is 3-5 with a 4.12 ERA on the season in 62 games and 61 innings, he has 23 holds and three blown saves. He has 32 walks, two intentional walks, and has given up 27 earned runs. He’s struck five hitters by a pitch and thrown eight wild pitches. That said he does have 68 strikeouts and has a 25.8 CSW%.

He’s not exactly what you want out of your reliever, but Shildt and pitching coach Mike Maddux love the guy and want to give him all the chances. With all the struggles the bullpen has had this season, it’s understandable.

So with the obvious trust there for Cabrera, what role will he have in 2022?

It would appear that what he does the remainder of this season, and if he decides to play in a winter league, will certainly play a part in how the team plans to use him moving forward. Cabrera will certainly leave St. Louis with a plan.

Working on concentrating and being in the moment as well as maintaining control will be at the top of the list. He has one year before he becomes arbitration-eligible in 2023. The remainder of this season, the off-season, and 2022 will be very important for Cabrera.

Here’s hoping he gets it together and becomes the reliever the Cardinals need.

Giovanny Gallegos

As with most of the bullpen, Giovanny Gallegos has had his issues with control, but over time he has earned the respect of Shildt and Maddux and has entered in the game during some high leverage situations.

After the closer role went back up for grabs, Gallegos seems to have taken the reins.

In 62 games and 69.1 innings pitched, Gallegos is 5-5 on the season with six saves. He has a 3.38 ERA. He also has 24 holds but seven blown saves. He’s given up 45 hits and 26 earned runs. He has 16 walks, one intentional walk, He’s thrown four wild pitches and has hit six batters by pitch. He has 80 strikeouts and an impressive 30.1 CSW%.

Gallegos will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason. He will certainly use the remainder of this season to keep a hold on a trusted closer role. He, too, will leave St. Louis with an obvious plan for work this offseason. Gallegos has had his moments as has most of the bullpen, but he has demonstrated an ability to regain composure and be ready for what is asked of him.

While it does depend on how the team plans to move forward with Jordan Hicks and Alex Reyes, Gallegos has certainly slid into the conversation as closer for 2022. Gallegos should be fun to watch the remainder of this season and it will be interesting to see how he works this offseason.

Gallegos has an interesting few months ahead of him. Here’s hoping he earns a significant role in the Cardinals bullpen.

Alex Reyes

If any player has something to prove, it is Alex Reyes.

After starting the season under strict conditions with an innings cap and an impression that he would be used sparingly in hopes to have him ready for a significant role next season, it was great to see what Reyes actually did.

With an injury to Jordan Hicks, Reyes slid into that closing role and shined. He earned an All-Star Game appearance. He was riding high and etching himself a significant role with the team. And then he hit an apparent wall.

He’s played in 62 games with 64 innings pitched. He is 7-8 with 29 saves for the Cardinals. He’s struck out 81 batters. He’s given up 40 hits and 21 earned runs, including seven home runs.  He has 44 walks and 10 wild pitches. He also has a balk on the season. He does have an average 28.8 CSW%.

But, he also has five very ugly blown saves including a two-week streak of giving up walk-off grand slams to opponents.

During this streak, his body language has not been good. He appears defeated as he’s lost his closer role and is trying to find his place on this team again. Shildt and Maddux do not appear willing to let him take any time off. They are instead opting to get him back on the mound again.

And maybe that’s what he needs.

He will enter his second arbitration-eligible offseason. He will undoubtedly be given a plan this offseason unlike any he’s had before. He’s spent many recent offseason’s healing from injuries. He’s not injured, but will be trying to figure out his role with this team. He could be asked to consult with a sports psychologist or even Rick Ankiel, who similarly was a promising pitcher that hit some adversity, to work through his recent struggles.

There had been a discussion of stretching him out to be a starter. After the past few weeks, it seems a ridiculous thought. It will be interesting to see what exactly he does, though.

How Reyes handles this adversity will be huge in how the team uses him in the future. He should spend the next few weeks helping the team see they can count on him no matter the role he slides into in the future.

Reyes’s promise makes it worth the risk.