St. Louis Cardinals’ pitchers arrive at spring training. What questions await them?
Yes, Kwang-hyun Kim has seen “Parasite.”
The Cardinals’ new Korean pitcher laughed on Monday morning when asked about the first-ever Korean Academy Award-winning film, and mimed some of the violence which takes place at the film’s climax. He also reiterated both his desire to earn a place in the rotation and his willingness to take on whatever role is asked of him by the team.
Kim agreed to answer questions from the assembled American media after holding an extended press availability in his native language for the approximately 15 reporters who traveled to South Florida from Korea to cover his first structured exposure to American baseball. Kim’s translator, Craig Choi, shared tales of his first and only trip to St. Louis; a 24-hour journey via Greyhound bus from Rochester, NY.
Choi was reassured that travel on the team’s charter is significantly more comfortable.
Kim’s presence caused the biggest stir at the team’s facility in Jupiter, Florida on Monday morning. Though pitchers and catchers aren’t set to officially report until Tuesday morning, most of the Cardinal hurlers are already in town and working out.
Three of the projected members of the opening day starting rotation — Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas — threw bullpen sessions on Monday, while Kim, Carlos Martínez, and Adam Wainwright were also present on campus.
Many of those who didn’t throw full bullpen sessions still spent time tossing balls in the outfield of the closest diamond to the Cardinals clubhouse. Lefties Rob Kaminsky and Evan Kruczynski compared grips of their sliders as they threw them back and forth. Brett Cecil, who missed all of the 2019 season and much of the 2018 season with a variety of ailments, was paired with Tyler Webb. Alex Reyes was back in Jupiter after yet another rehabilitory winter, this one spent in the Dominican Republic.
One of the more interesting sights of the morning involved reliever John Brebbia, who threw from a mound while utilizing some of the technological innovations which the Cardinals have moved to integrate into their preparation in recent years. Stationed behind Brebbia on a golf cart was an elevated Edgertronic camera, which captures images at an extremely high frame rate in order to maximize clarity and minimize speed.
The data from those cameras was synced with the data from a sensor which Brebbia wore taped to the inside of his right elbow, designed to measure torque and force of various pitches. In concert, the system allows the team to evaluate the efficacy of each individual pitch while simultaneously scanning for red flags which might threaten a player’s health.
On the golf cart with the camera sat two separate tablet computers, one of which was consistently read by Flaherty, who was overseeing the technology session with a close eye. Brebbia frequently called out guesses of his velocity to Flaherty, who relished at least some in providing lower numbers than predicted.
Flaherty’s arrival, in both a shirt and shorts which honored the late Kobe Bryant, marks the start of one of the more intriguing individual seasons for a Cardinals player in a number of years. His historic performance in the second half of the 2019 season leaves the Cardinals eager to pursue a contract extension with a pitcher who, last season, was willing to accept a $10,000 deduction in his annual pay rather than affix his signature to a deal which he felt was unfair.
Whether Flaherty is able to duplicate those results will, in part, determine whether negotiations between team and player will be fruitful.
Yadier Molina arrives in final year of contract
Also seeking a new contract — and also at the facility on Monday morning — is Yadier Molina.
The venerable backstop is heading into the last season of a three-year, $60 million deal which, upon signing, he claimed to be his last. He’s now made it clear that he hopes to play at least two more seasons past this one, leaving the Cardinals searching for the right balance between honoring a franchise icon and hedging bets against the health and production of a catcher who turns 38 in the midst of this coming season.
Kim may have one of the only new faces seen in spring training, but already story lines to track are beginning to take shape.
Tyler O’Neill and Lane Thomas, competing for an opening in left field, have both been in Jupiter for a number of days. Cecil, whose time with the organization has undoubtedly been extended by the guarantees of his contract, is seeking to prove reliability or, indeed, viability as a Major League option.
Early arrivals at Spring Training provide opportunities for players to settle into a new environment, develop fresh routines, and establish the foundation for a successful spring. Some players are getting comfortable in new places to live (Thomas, Tommy Edman, and Kramer Robertson are roommates). Some are securing rental cars. Some, like Kim and Choi, are simply figuring out the best way to get to the ballpark.
Adjustments must happen on their own time. Once reporting is mandatory, there’s no time to distract from the work.
Unless, of course, there’s golf. Not everything about spring training has changed.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
