5 surprises on St. Louis Cardinals 2022 Opening Day roster

Oliver Marmol #37 of the St Louis Cardinals watches game action against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Nationals defeated the Cardinals 4-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Oliver Marmol #37 of the St Louis Cardinals watches game action against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Nationals defeated the Cardinals 4-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 19: Aaron Brooks #67 of the St. Louis Cardinals poses during Photo Day at Roger Dean Stadium on March 19, 2022 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Benjamin Rusnak/Getty Images)
JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 19: Aaron Brooks #67 of the St. Louis Cardinals poses during Photo Day at Roger Dean Stadium on March 19, 2022 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Benjamin Rusnak/Getty Images) /

Aaron Brooks

Brooks was signed by the Cardinals on Jan. 27 after the lockout ended. He was added to the 40-man roster on March 26 after Alex Reyes was placed on the 60-day injured list. He has spent time with the Kansas City Royals, Oakland A’s, and the Baltimore Orioles, but hasn’t pitched since 2019.

During his spring with the Cardinals, he’s pitched seven innings over three games. He gave up three earned runs, including one home run. He did strike out 10 in 27 batters faced. For his career, he is 9-13 in 47 games with 28 games started. He threw 170.2 innings and struck out 123 batters.

While there has been a two-year gap in playing time for Brooks, the 32-year-old right-hander has impressed the right people. Brooks will definitely fit into Marmol’s plans for match-ups. He will be another one to watch once the roster is reduced to 26 players. The Cardinals will definitely make use of him throwing strikes and see if it leads to an extended stay with St. Louis.