JUPITER, Fla (KMOX) - Well Cardinals Nation, we've made it.
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Goldschmidt’s impact
The Cardinals have made perhaps the biggest move of the offseason that has been especially quiet around MLB, acquiring six-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt is one of the best all-around players in baseball and will immediately impact the Cardinals lineup, defense and baserunning. For a team that’s been looking for a “splash” move, the ripples will be felt well into the season. And who knows how much further. Right field
Right field is perhaps the most intriguing position for a competition and personnel standpoint this spring. A healthy Dexter Fowler, Jose Martinez and Tyler O’Neill should all factor into the RF mix, each offering their own potential advantages. And after an offseason in which Fowler and Martinez were both connected to potential moves – albeit for different reasons – could they both remain on the club as significant contributors throughout the entire season (or beyond)?Pitching, pitching, pitching
The organization is deep in pitching, in both quantity and quality, and the number of candidates to contribute immediately at the MLB level is impressive. If you figure Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty has cemented their spots in the rotation, you’re still left with an incredible number of pitching options for a variety of different roles.
Could Carlos Martinez return to the bullpen? Will Michael Wacha bounce back to first-half of 2018 form? What does this season hold for Adam Wainwright? Will Alex Reyes find a defined role, and how soon?
And that’s not even mentioning the bullpen, or the handful of other young arms that contributed in massive ways in 2018.
It’s a simple question. With the incredible stockpile of talent within the Cardinals organization, who will turn heads this spring, and perhaps unexpectedly? The club appears as deep as it’s been in quite some time not just in pitching talent, but also young, talented position players. There will be plenty of opportunities for those farmhands to make an impression. And more often than not, it seems a springtime impression can turn into a big league opportunity.