Cardinals' Fireballer Seen As Dark Horse Candidate To Make Big League Club
Who will be in the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen in 2024?
St. Louis has made a specific effort to improve the bullpen after a tough 2023 season. The Cardinals had an underwhelming 2023 campaign and inconsistent play from the bullpen and starting rotation is a massive reason why.
The Cardinals have made a handful of additions to the bullpen and one "dark horse" candidate to possibly make the big league club is fireballer Riley O'Brien, according to MLB.com's John Denton.
"After recording the third-fewest strikeouts in all of baseball among their relievers in 2023, the Cardinals aggressively sought out swing-and-miss while fortifying their bullpen," Denton said. "The marquee additions were 2021 (American League) All-Star Andrew Kittredge and 2023 (New York Yankees) standout Keynan Middleton. O’Brien, who was acquired in a November trade with the (Seattle Mariners) for cash considerations, was the first addition, and he mostly flew below the radar because of his limited (Major League Baseball) experience (15 games).
"The 29-year-old struck out 13 batters in 8 1/3 MLB innings with the Mariners in 2023 and fanned 86 batters in 55 innings in Triple-A. O’Brien flashed a sweeper with 21 inches of horizontal break and a fastball that has touched 98 mph this spring. He could make the Cards roster with his ability to get strikeouts out of the bullpen."
O'Brien doesn't have much big-league experience but has been solid throughout his professional career in the minors. He had a 2.29 ERA in 51 appearances last season with the Triple-A Tacoma Trainiers.
More MLB: Cardinals Loosely Linked To Trio Of Shortstops As They Seek Middle Infield Help
