Cardinals top pitching prospects waiting for chance in big leagues
The St. Louis Cardinals rotation is expected to include Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Jaime Garcia and Mike Leake. With the injury history of the players, and potential other problems, the rotation isn't exactly set permanently.
With the potential of needing extra arms, young prospects such as Tim Cooney and Marco Gonzales have a hope of returning to the mound in the big leagues, as their own injury problems have stunned their time in the majors.
Gonzales was expected to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation in 2015 for the Cardinals, but lost out to Martinez in spring training with him starting Triple-A. Shoulder and pectoral muscle problems damped what could have been a comeback to the St. Louis.
"Everyone has speed bumps and hurdles in their career, and hopefully that was mine," Gonzales told the Lincoln Courier. "The adversity I went through physically and mentally was tough… But I learned a lot from it, and I've had a productive offseason. I threw my first bullpen session last week, the first time since last season was over, and it felt great. I feel 100 percent and ready to go."
Cooney is considered the No. 2 Cardinals pitching prospect by Baseball America, and got his chance to make his mark in the majors after Garcia went on the disabled list in July. He made six starts, winning one game while maintaining a 3.16 ERA before being optioned by to Triple-A. After, his season was cut short after he required an emergency appendectomy.
"It wasn't the end of the world," Cooney said. "There were a lot of good things I took out of last year. I got to make my (major league) debut, and I got my first win. It was kind of disappointing the way it ended, but we decided trying to push it and coming back (last year) wasn't worth it."
While the Cardinals are seemingly set with the rotation, Cooney and Gonzales are ready to showcase their talents should they even get another brief chance in the majors.
I'll be prepared for anything this year," Cooney said.
