![]() He also tied with the Yankees’ Jonathan Loáisiga, as MLB’s slowest-working pitcher last year, averaging 25.8 seconds in between pitches, per Baseball Savant. Gallegos has been one of the Cardinals’ most-trusted late-inning relievers over the last two seasons. They’re very analytically driven here, and I just want to be the best player I can be.” Giovanny Gallegos’ pitch-timer adjustments “I’m not trying to boot anybody out of that position, either. “I’d love to play center field,” O’Neill said. The position each of them plays is what is up for grabs this spring (and is likely to vary throughout the season anyway). O’Neill, Carlson and Nootbaar can all play all three outfield positions. ![]() The versatility of their projected outfielder is a strong advantage for the Cardinals. ![]() O’Neill seeing time in center field does not mean the organization values Carlson less. It’s just a matter of getting the reps out there and being ready.” They believe in my ability, and I know I can track it down there and I know I have good range. The front office and management, they believe in me. “I want to understand where I stood this year. It’s just a different feel out there,” O’Neill said. “There’s a lot more ground to cover, the look throwing to bases is different, the backdrop is different. While he spent the offseason revamping his training routine to help combat that, there is obviously significantly more territory in center than in left. However, they must also consider O’Neill’s injury history. The Cardinals looked at an array of factors - such as sprint speed, route direction, first-step quickness and closing speed - when considering O’Neill for center field, and those are all areas he profiles well in. He, Carlson and Nootbaar are the frontrunners to be the team’s starting outfielders, with Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker competing for the corner outfield/reserve spots. O’Neill - who will play center field for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic - filled in sporadically in center last season when he was healthy and had extensive experiments at the position in the minors. It’s something that he wants, and he’s going to compete for it and have an opportunity to do so.” “He came up through our minor-league system and actually profiled as a pretty good center fielder. “He came into camp wanting that,” Marmol revealed. The two-time Gold Glove winner in left field is competing for the starting center-field job this spring, alongside Dylan Carlson. ![]() It was no mistake when Tyler O’Neill gathered with the center fielders during the Cardinals’ first official full-squad workout Monday morning. Let’s identify six changes made by six different players that could help dictate the final roster construction. With the Cardinals set for their most competitive spring in years, Marmol will have plenty to consider as spring games begin and as he starts to construct his Opening Day roster. This is a relatively common practice - starting pitchers sometimes prefer to spend the first few weeks of the spring ramping up in controlled environments where they can fine-tune their pitches and become better acclimated. Jack Flaherty, Steven Matz and Jordan Montgomery all elected to “skip” their first spring start and pitch in simulated games in the back fields instead. And Matthew Liberatore gets the nod for Tuesday, with 2022 minor-league pitcher of the year Gordon Graceffo penciled in for after. Connor Thomas will start Monday with the second pitcher to be determined. Mikolas will start Sunday with Dakota Hudson to follow. Jake Woodford is set to follow Wainwright (who is slated for two innings or about 35 pitches) on Saturday. Manager Oli Marmol has already slotted Grapefruit League pitching assignments through the first turn of the rotation. Thirteen players from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster will play in the tournament, including Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman, who depart at the end of February, and Wainwright, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Miles Mikolas, who will leave by the second week of March to represent Team USA. While this is the first “normal” spring training since 2020, it will still be a bit unorthodox due to the array of players participating in the World Baseball Classic.
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