Cardinals Front Office Looks Great Because 1 Spring Training Decision

The Cardinals look like they made the right call...

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had a lot of questions about the starting rotation in Spring Training.

After not trading veterans this past offseason, there were fewer spots to go around. Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Miles Mikolas always were going to be in the rotation once they weren't traded. Steven Matz has begun the season in the bullpen but will be moving to the rotation soon.

These four were always expected to be in the rotation. The big questions came involving Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, and Andre Pallante. Liberatore earned a spot in the rotation after a strong spring. McGreevy was great as well, but the club opted to keep him in the minors to begin the season.

Pallante struggled in Spring Training. He had a 6.92 ERA in the small sample size of four starts. The club opted to roll with him after he impressed last season. Last year he appeared in 29 games -- including 20 starts -- in the majors for St. Louis and had a 3.78 ERA.

So far this season, he has been the team's best starter. Pallante has started three games and has a 2.20 ERA and 2-0 record. He has pitched 16 1/3 innings so far and has racked up 13 strikeouts over that stretch. No other Cardinals starter has an ERA below 4.20 at this point.

If you went strictly by Spring Training numbers, Pallante seemed like the odd man out. But, the front office rolled with him and it's paying off.

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