photo: Jordan Walker (Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals news from last week includes a 4-2 record in spring training games and 5-3 mark overall. Top prospect Jordan Walker has impressed in the early going. Our weekly history feature highlights the club’s five best relief pitchers ever, starting with Lindy McDaniel.
Spring Training game recaps
Monday, February 27 – Cardinals 12, Mets 7
The St. Louis Cardinals prevailed in a home slugfest with the New York Mets on Monday. Starter Connor Thomas threw two innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out three and walked one.
Following Thomas on the mound were Andre Pallante, Chris Stratton, Jake Walsh, Tink Hence, Anthony Misiewicz, Ryan Loutos, and Tommy Parsons. Stratton allowed two runs and Parsons relinquished three.
Brendon Donovan went 2-for-3 with three RBI which included a two-run home run. Luken Baker contributed a three-run long ball. Dylan Carlson added to the scoring total with a bases clearing double.
Paul Goldschmidt, Masyn Winn, and Taylor Motter each stole a base. Misiewicz made the only error, a throwing miscue.
Tuesday, February 28 – Cardinals 5 at Nationals 3
The Cardinals defeated the Nationals in a Tuesday afternoon contest at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Lefty Matthew Liberatore started and pitched two flawless no-hit, no-run innings.
The relief corps consisted of Gordon Graceffo, Giovanny Gallegos, Packy Naughton, Genesis Cabrera, Zack Thompson, and Andrew Suarez. Gallegos and Naughton gave up the three Nationals runs.
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado hit their first Grapefruit League home runs, both solo shots. Goldschmidt was 2-for-3 and Arenado was 3-for-3. Brendan Donovan, Juan Yepez, and Dylan Carlson each had an RBI.
Oscar Mercado stole a base.
Wednesday, March 1 – Off day
Thursday, March 2 – Cardinals 0, Astros 6
The Cardinals were blanked by the Astros on Thursday in Palm Beach. Adam Wainwright made his second Grapefruit League start, pitching three innings. In his last outing before the World Baseball Classic, he gave up three runs on five hits and struck out two.
Jake Woodford, Jordan Hicks, JoJo Romero and Wilking Rodriguez followed Wainwright. Woodford, Hicks and Rodriguez each gave up a run.
The offense managed only three hits, singles from Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Masyn Winn.
Winn stole a base and Brendan Donovan made a fielding error.
Friday, March 3 – Cardinals 8, Marlins 3
The Cardinals beat the Marlins by a five-run margin on Friday afternoon. Miles Mikolas made his second start of spring training. He threw three scoreless innings, with two hits, three punchouts and one walk.
Following Mikolas were Dakota Hudson, Andre Pallante, Chris Stratton, Tink Hence and James Naile. Hudson gave up one run and Hence allowed two.
Nolan Arenado thumped his second solo home run of spring training. Taylor Motter blasted a two-run shot, and Masyn Winn hit a solo homer, his first spring training long ball.
Jordan Walker was 2-for-4. Arenado was 2-for-2. Alec Burleson went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Juan Yepez drove in a run.
Moises Gomez and Luken Baker each made a fielding error. Jeremy Rivas has a throwing miscue.
Saturday, March 4 – Cardinals 9 at Nationals 6
The Cardinals outlasted the Nationals with a 9-6 win on Saturday in Palm Beach. Connor Thomas took the mound for the second time in Grapefruit League play. Thomas pitched three innings, gave up two runs on five hits and struck out three.
In relief was Giovanny Gallegos, Andrew Suarez, Genesis Cabrera, Packy Naughton, Jake Walsh, and Anthony Misiewicz. Cabrera and Walsh each gave up two runs.
Jordan Walker shined with a 4-for-4 day that included two home runs, a double and an infield single. Nolan Gorman hit his first spring training home run, a two-run shot. Paul DeJong also hit a two-run shot, his first of the spring. Matt Koperniak contributed a solo shot.
Gorman was 2-for-4. Luken Baker drove in a run.
Moises Gomez made a fielding error. Mike Antico had an outfield assist at second base.
Sunday, March 5 – Cardinals 1, Mets 7
The Cardinals lost to the Mets on Sunday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium. Jordan Montgomery made his first Grapefruit League start. The left hander pitched threw three innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits with two strikeouts.
The relief corps was Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Jordan Hicks, Zack Thompson, Wilking Rodriguez, and Ryan Loutos. Helsley gave up two runs and Romero relinquished one run.
The Cardinals’ only run scored on a solo home run by Tres Barrera. Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, and Masyn Winn each singled.
Montgomery made a throwing error.
News and Notes from the Offseason and Spring Training
- Tickets for Cardinals 2023 Spring Training games are on sale. There are 15 games on the home schedule, with the final game to be played on March 25 against the Marlins
Fans can buy tickets online at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/spring-training
- Single game tickets for the 2023 season are now on sale. Opening Day is March 30 at Busch Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/single-game-tickets
- The Grapefruit League games now feature new rules that include a pitch clock, larger bases, and a ban on the shift. Several players have already been tagged with pitch clock violations across both the Grapefruit League and Cactus League. In Sunday’s game, Ryan Helsley was a victim of the clock.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors.
Transactions
- 3/4 The Cardinals optioned RHP Guillermo Zuniga and RHP Freddy Pacheco to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/4 The Cardinals reassigned five non-roster players to minor league camp – Cs Aaron Antonini and Jimmy Crooks and right-handed pitchers James Naile, Tommy Parsons and Kodi Whitley.
Injury Report
- RHP Jack Flaherty’s first appearance was pushed back a day due to flu-like symptoms and calf discomfort.
Looking Ahead
The first full week of Grapefruit League play has concluded. The second full week begins on Monday with a game at Roger Dean Stadium against the Astros. Steven Matz is scheduled to start his first spring game of 2023.
Following Monday’s contest, the Cardinals travel west to Lakeland, FL to take on the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals remain on the west side of Florida on Wednesday to face the Yankees in Tampa.
On Thursday, the Cardinals take on the Nicaraguan World Baseball Classic team in Jupiter. The final three games of the week will be with the Mets on Friday in Jupiter, the Astros in Palm Beach on Saturday, and on Sunday the Cardinals return to Jupiter to play the Nationals.
Grapefruit League play will conclude on March 27 with a game against the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.
The regular season begins on March 30 with the Cardinals taking on the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium.
The World Baseball Classic will begin on March 8. 17 Cardinals are set to play in the WBC from both the major league and minor league rosters.
Four players from the major league roster will play for the USA team. They are Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Adam Wainwright, and Miles Mikolas.
Six additional major league roster players will play for other teams. They are Tyler O’Neill (Canada), Tommy Edman (Korea), Lars Nootbaar (Japan), Giovanny Gallegos (Mexico), JoJo Romero (Mexico) and Andre Pallante (Italy).
All will be absent from spring training for the period of time their team is in the tournament. The Championship game is scheduled to be played on March 21.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past is the ninth installment in a series looking back on the best Cardinals players in history by position. There isn’t enough time and space to go in depth on such a long list of great Cardinals, so this series focuses on five of the best players by position in the history of the franchise. The term “best” is subjective and can encompass an endless number of factors that one would choose to determine who is indeed the best.
This week we look at the five best relief pitchers in franchise history based on statistical factors. For this installment, WAR is the primary factor. The following list is not a ranking but a chronological list.
The following are the top five relief pitchers in franchise history.
Lindy McDaniel – McDaniel was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals in 1955. McDaniel pitched eight seasons with St. Louis.
McDaniel led baseball in saves in 1959 (16) and 1960 (22). He finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 1960 and was fifth in the MVP voting that season. He was selected for the 1960 All-Star Game.
McDaniel had a career record with St. Louis of 66-54 with a 3.88 ERA. His career WAR as a Cardinal was 8.5, most in franchise history by a reliever. The Cardinals traded McDaniel to the Cubs in 1962.
Al Hrabosky – Known as “The Mad Hungarian”, Hrabosky was the first-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 1969. He pitched eight seasons in St. Louis.
Hrabosky finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting in 1974 and third in 1975. He led the NL in saves (22) in 1975.
Hrabosky’s career record with the Cardinals was 40-20 with a 2.93 ERA. His career WAR in St. Louis was 6.0, fourth in franchise history among relievers.
The Cardinals traded Hrabosky to the Royals in 1977. Hrabosky returned to St. Louis as a broadcaster for the Cardinals and continues to the present as a pre-game and post-game analyst.
Ken Dayley – The Cardinals acquired Dayley in a 1984 trade with the Braves. He pitched for seven seasons with St. Louis.
Dayley’s career record with the Cardinals was 23-28 with a 3.18 ERA. He recorded the most saves of his career in 1989 with 12 and his total Saves in St. Louis was 39 in 374 innings pitched.
Dayley’s WAR in St. Louis was 6.1, third among relievers in franchise history. He finished his major league career with the Blue Jays and the Dodgers.
Trevor Rosenthal – Rosenthal was the 21st round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2009. He pitched six seasons in St. Louis.
Rosenthal remains the Cardinals’ single season saves leader with 48 in 2015. He was selected to pitch in the 2015 All-Star Game and finished 17th in the MVP voting that season.
Rosenthal’s career record with the Cardinals was 11-24 with an ERA of 2.99. His career WAR in St. Louis was 7.3, second for a relief pitcher in franchise history. The Cardinals released him in 2017. He has since bounced around with multiple teams and just signed a minor league contract for the 2023 season with the Detroit Tigers.
Giovanny Gallegos – The Cardinals acquired Gallegos in a trade with the Yankees for Luke Voit in 2018. Gallegos is currently on the Cardinals as a pitcher in the bullpen in his fifth season in St. Louis.
Gallegos has a record of 14-15 with the Cardinals and an ERA of 2.82. He has recorded 14 saves in both 2021 and 2022.
Gallegos’ WAR to date St. Louis is 5.8, fifth in franchise history among relievers.
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