4 pitching options available for St. Louis Cardinals as lockout begins

Ryan Tepera

Ryan Tepera was getting some attention from the Cardinals prior to the lockdown. And after a 2021 season in which he was 0-2 in 65 games played with 21 holds and two saves, it is easy to see the potential for success in later innings he could bring.

In 61.1 innings pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Tepera had 74 strikeouts with a swinging strike rate of 30.6%. While he left 74.4% of runners on base, he also induced 44% ground ball outs. Tepera could see greater success with the Cardinals, as they have one of the best defenses in baseball and five Gold Glovers on defense. He mostly relies on a sinker pitch along with a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a change-up, and a curveball.

Tepera’s slider averages 86.5 mph with a 35% active spin.  That’s an incredibly filthy pitch. His sinker averages 93.3 mph with a 98% active spin. The four-seamer averages 93.3 mph with a 95% active spin. The change-up averages 86.5 mph with a 91% active spin.

Tepera will be 35 next season and still appears to have good stuff to help a team needing help in the later innings of games. While the Cardinals and Tepera appeared to have some connection prior to the lockout, it will be interesting to see if the two sides do come together.