3 unexpected presents from the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2021 season

Jul 2, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera (92) on the mound in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 2, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera (92) on the mound in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – AUGUST 14: Genesis Cabrera #92 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws in the ninth inning against Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on August 14, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – AUGUST 14: Genesis Cabrera #92 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws in the ninth inning against Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on August 14, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

The rise of Genesis Cabrera

Genesis Cabrera was the most intriguing piece the Cardinals got in return for Tommy Pham back in 2018. While the 25-year-old lefty debuted in 2019, this was the first year that Cabrera carved out a consistent (and important) role with the big club.

After combining for just 32 appearances in 2019 and 2020, Cabrera pitched in 71 games with most of his outings occurring in the 7th inning. The control issues that Cabrera has dealt with for the entirety of his career were still evident, but his 3.73 ERA in 70.0 innings pitched is a lot to ask any reliever to handle.

Sure, Cabrera made fans ride the rollercoaster of emotions when he was on the mound, but in a year where the Cardinals suffered from a lot of injuries on the pitching side, he was solid. Mike Shildt deserves credit for going back to Cabrera after the occasional bad outing, but so does Cabrera for having a short memory.

Looking ahead to 2022, Cabrera, who was primarily a starter in the minors, may get looked at for that role, but he offers the Cardinals another solid arm to deploy.