6 Cardinals pitchers who dominated Spring Training but faded away in the regular season

Jake Woodford

Spring Training (2017-2023): 57 innings, 2.05 ERA, 47 K's, 20 walks

Cardinals Regular Season Career: 184.2 innings, 4.29 ERA, 119 K's, 63 walks

The Cardinals selected Jake Woodford 39th overall in the 2015 draft, and he put together solid seasons during his first three years of professional baseball. Heading into the 2019 season, the team started to push Woodford up the ladder, and he had a decent transition, jumping up to Triple-A Memphis, where he threw 151.2 innings of 4.15 ERA ball. He had a mid-90s fastball and decent secondary offerings but never really showed the ability to punch out batters, which limited his value to the organization's 12th-best prospect going into 2020.

The 2020 season was strange for everyone, but the Cardinals had one of the more interesting years, where anyone had a chance to play for the team who had to deal with multiple COVID outbreaks. Woodford was one of the arms who benefited from the continued roster turnover and made his Major League debut in August. His first appearance was during a doubleheader against the Cubs, and he went the first three innings and only gave up one run.

Even with his good debut, Woodford was moved to the bullpen to create spots in the rotation, and he had up-and-down results while going between St. Louis and the team's alternate site. He ended up making 12 total appearances that covered 21 innings. The righty finished the season with a 5.57 ERA thanks in part to the seven home runs he gave up during the year. Going into the offseason, Woodford was expected to be in contention for a reliever role for 2021.

He embraced his new role during the next exhibition season. The 6'4 righty threw 11.1 innings and only gave up one run and punched out 12 hitters, which was good enough for him to make the opening day roster as a middle reliever. His prior experience allowed Woodford to fill in as a starter in eight of his 26 appearances and he filled that same role again in 2022, where he looked like the team was getting the Woodford from Spring Training for good. That season saw Woodford go 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in 27 games, and he dropped his home run rate to a minuscule (and unsustainable) 0.19 allowed per nine innings.

Woodford's Spring Training success and underwhelming regular seasons continued in 2023. Multiple injured list stints along with double-digit Memphis shuttle rides limited Woodford's major league opportunities, as he only totaled 47.2 innings and struggled to a miserable 6.23 ERA in eight starts and 15 relief appearances. His Cardinal tenure ended when he signed with the White Sox after that season. All told, Woodford only threw 184.2 innings during his four seasons with the Cardinals and never found a consistent role with the team.