Reviewing the Pen

    Every team in baseball needs to rely on its bullpen and the Cardinals are no exception. The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen consists of one of the best relievers in baseball, Ryan Helsley, and one of their most consistent arms, Giovanny Gallegos, whom I would say are tier 1 guys. They also have guys like Jake Woodford, Jordan Hicks, and Andre Pallante, who have proven to be reliable, and can get outs when needed, but are not as solid as Helsley or Gallegos, so for that reason, they belong in tier 2. There are also guys like Jojo Romero, Zack Thompson, James Naile, and Chris Stratton, who have good potential, but still have a lot to prove to get to that next level, which makes them tier 3. 

    These are the guys who make up their bullpen as of September 4th, 2022, and most of these guys will be the arms in their bullpen come the postseason. With that being said, based on each of their performances so far this season, I'd say I am confident in these guys, and I think everyone else should be too. 

    As previously stated, Ryan Helsley is arguably one of the best relievers in baseball, posting a .99 ERA in 54.1 innings up to this point, while also collecting 13 saves. Giovanny Gallegos has a 2.88 ERA in 50 innings, while also collecting 13 saves. With these two in the bullpen, the Cardinals can definitely have some confidence in any late-inning games down the stretch, which would require 2-3 innings out of their bullpen. 

    If the Cardinals must utilize their bullpen for more than 2-3 innings of work, then they will have to go to the next tier of guys. This being Jake Woodford, Jordan Hicks, and Andre Pallante, who I believe are guys who they can also be rather confident in. Woodford and Pallante both have ERAs below 3.00, with Woodford having an ERA of 2.10, and Pallante at 2.84. Hicks is a bit less trustworthy, but his fastball that can hit upwards of 105 MPH, and his swing-and-miss stuff, make me believe that he belongs in this group of arms. 

    Finally, if the Cardinals are put in a situation in which they need to go to guys to either eat innings, or give their other arms some rest, they will have to look towards Jojo Romero, Zack Thompson, James Naile, and Chris Stratton. I wouldn't consider any of these guys to be bad, but they are definitely not as proven as the other arms and would not be my first choice if I were the Cardinals manager, Oliver Marmol, and I was trying to win a tight ballgame. Since being traded to the Cardinals, Romero has an ERA of 0.00. However, this is taken from such a small sample size of only 6 innings and could change, but for now, I like what I see. Thompson has looked great in his 24 innings, with a 2.25 ERA, and 18 strikeouts, but he still needs to get more opportunities before too much more can be said. Naile is in a situation that is very similar to Romero's, as he too has an ERA of 0.00, but also has only 6 innings of work, and needs more looks before anything more can be said about him. Stratton is the most intriguing arm from this group, as he is a veteran, and he looks to be getting a lot better as of late. His 3.14 ERA in 14.1 innings with the Cardinals makes me believe that he could be an asset. While he has gotten into some trouble in a few of his appearances, I still think he has something to offer the team. 

    Overall, I do not think the Cardinals bullpen has anyone who can be pointed at and called a "weak link", but like all things, they have guys who are better than others. With that being said, I think every member of this group has something to offer. Therefore, I am not all too nervous to see any of these guys have their numbers called. 

Information/statistics retrieved from https://www.mlb.com/cardinals and https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2022.shtml