St. Louis Cardinals: 6 players with something to prove

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.