Swingman Pitcher Tim Cooney Is St. Louis Cardinals' Key To Success In 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals enter 2016 spring training as the favorite to host the National League wild card game at the end of the season. After starting six games for the Cardinals last year, starting pitching prospect Tim Cooney needs to be ready to start or relieve from day one. For the Cardinals to truly challenge the Chicago Cubs they need Cooney to flourish as a swingman, not just eat innings.

The focus on the Cardinals this offseason has been the loss of starting right fielder Jason Heyward to the Cubs and the trade of centerfielder Jon Jay to bring in backup infielder Jedd Gyorko. That loss of talent will be more than made up for with the return to health of Matt Holliday and a full season in St. Louis for Brandon Moss. Besides those two, the upgrade from Jay and Heyward to Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk should be a net positive in run differential.

The starting rotation is a different matter. Since the beginning of last year the Cardinals have lost John Lackey and Carlos Villanueva to free agency, and Lance Lynn to injury. Mike Leake was signed to replace Lackey, but no one was signed to replace Villanueva and Lynn. The most immediate impact will be that Carlos Martinez will be asked to start 30 games this year for a second year in a row.

That’s where Cooney comes into the picture. The Cardinals have depth in the outfield, infield, and behind the plate. They lack that depth both in the rotation and the bullpen. Cooney will be the stopgap. He will be the next man up in the rotation, the middle reliever and the lefty specialist all rolled into one player.

If Cooney does not step up, the Cardinals do not have an in house option to cover for him. He is the ninth ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ system, but is the only one in the top ten ready to produce in the big leagues. For the Cardinals to be successful in 2016, Cooney needs to produce in a variety of ways.