Among Cardinals' camp surprises, none has been greater than Jaime Garcia
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals still don't know what left-hander Jaime Garcia might give them in 2015.
But he already has surprised them by reporting to camp cleared to start and looking stronger every time he pitches. Garcia threw a reported 80 pitches -- the most by anyone on the staff so far -- in a simulated game on the Cardinals' off day Tuesday and the reports were just short of glowing.
"In those 80 pitches, he might have recorded 48 outs," manager Mike Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He got a little tired at the end (but) the movement, the life, all of that was right there. Our thought process was to push it where he needs to be as a starting pitcher in this league and see how his body responds. He responded well."
That's a long way from early December, when general manager John Mozeliak said of Garcia's recovery from surgery to correct thoracic-outlet syndrome: "The surgery he went through is not a traditional surgery where you can look at history and say the likelihood of him coming back is X (percent). From what I hear, he's having an OK offseason. My hope is when we see him end of January, early February, we're going to get some positive news. If he could go, that would be helpful."
Well, here we are 10 days from Opening Day and Garcia indeed looks ready to go. After touting Carlos Martinez as the likely fifth starter all winter, the Cardinals have to seriously consider disappointing the young right-hander for the second straight spring. Even when Martinez does well, Garcia seems to throw a wrench in the team's plans.
Yes, this is a wrench that should not cause despair. Having too many starters is never a bad thing. While Matheny seems in no hurry to announce his fifth starter, many signs are pointing to Garcia. Unlike Martinez and Marco Gonzales, who have versatility and youth on their side, there's not much else the club can do with Garcia except put him in the rotation. It would be difficult to put him on the DL or send him on a rehab assignment if he has shown he is healthy.
This isn't to say Garcia will stay in the rotation for long. His health will remain a question after spring training ends and if he pitches well in April, you can be sure Mozeliak's phone will start buzzing with interested inquisitors (if it isn't already). If Garcia were traded by Memorial Day -- granted, that's a big, speculative if -- Martinez still would have time to make 20 to 25 starts. He would be unlikely to make many more even if he starts the season in the rotation.
No matter how you look at Garcia's future, his present has provided the Cardinals with the biggest surprise of a spring training that has pretty much followed the script they had hoped it would. Here are five more:
• Pete Kozma. After spending just about all of last season at Triple-A Memphis, Kozma entered camp as one of half a dozen candidates for a utility job. But the exhibition season wasn't a week old and Kozma already seemed to have secured a job. Matheny has played him at five positions, with an appearance in center field still in the plans, and has praised the 26-year-old's versatility and athleticism at every turn. Kozma just might have figured something out with the bat, too. He has a team-high 13 hits and a .464 batting average in spring.
• Mitch Harris. When Matheny summoned the former Navy lieutenant for a spring training appearance two years ago, he admitted it was a salute to his service. This spring, Harris has earned his stripes with his pitching. His fastball has touched 95 mph, he has made as many appearances as the team's established relievers and he remains in big-league camp. It will not be a surprise if Harris pitches in St. Louis this season.
• Jacob Wilson. When the club sent Greg Garcia to minor league camp and Wilson remained with the big leaguers, you knew Wilson had made an impression. The 24-year-old infielder has done it with what Matheny has called a cerebral batting approach that has produced four doubles and a homer among his 10 hits. Wilson also has impressed with his defense at third base; he has played mostly second in the minors. He doesn't figure to start the season in the majors, but he could arrive sometime in 2015.
FOX Sports Midwest is televising 15 Cardinals spring training games this season. For a full schedule, click here.
• Ty Kelly. The 26-year-old, switch-hitting utilityman has been a surprise mainly because not much was known about him after being obtained from the Mariners. He has shown the disciplined batting approach that the club talked about, with a team-high seven walks -- a total Matheny has said would likely be higher if Kelly, No. 68, were wearing more of a major leaguer's jersey number -- that has helped him to a .371 on-base percentage. Kelly stumbled in the outfield early but has played well enough lately that he remains in the running for a bench job.
• Stephen Piscotty. We already knew he could hit, and he has, but who would have thought he would emerge as a contender to unseat Peter Bourjos as the club's table-tennis champ? Randal Grichuk nominated Piscotty the other day and, in front of a sizable audience in the Jupiter clubhouse, he took on Bourjos. Alas, it did not end well for the Stanford grad. But as Grichuk later pointed out, Piscotty probably was nervous. Considering Matt Holliday was sitting five feet away and leading the charge for Bourjos, that would not be a surprise.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
