The 2019 Cardinals have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young, exciting pitching talent.
However, since the moment he was drafted, Alex Reyes has always been at the top of the pecking order.
We sat down with Alex in Jupiter to get his thoughts on coming back from injury, what his role might be this year and what kind of pitcher he sees himself as.
Reyes wowed during his first trip to the big leagues in 2016, striking out 52 batters in 46 innings with the Cardinals.
It's never been a question of talent for the 24-year-old flamethrower, just health.
Reyes missed all of 2017 after opting for Tommy John Surgery in spring training and again fell victim to injury in 2018, with a lat injury knocking him out during his first start back in the big leagues in May.
"I felt like 'damn this moment sucks', this isn't what I wanted it to be," Reyes said. "But I never felt sorry for myself."
2019 should be a pivotal year for the impressive right-hander.
The Cardinals front office has been coy on the possibility of Reyes working as a starting pitcher in 2019, as they'd like to keep his innings down.
If Reyes doesn't start a single game for the 2019 Cardinals though, that won't necessarily be a bad thing.
Barring an injury, the club should have enough depth to not push Reyes into a role his body might not be ready for yet.
This should allow the club to turn him into a nightmare option for opposing batters out of the bullpen.
In the bullpen, Reyes could keep his innings down, unleash his ferocious fastball at its full might and help stabilize a Cardinals bullpen that had one of the worst ERA's in baseball last season.
Whatever his role, Reyes has the opportunity to be one of the most captivating members of the 2019 Cardinals.
Now he just has to stay on the field.
In his first in-game appearance of the spring against the Phillies, it was a mixed bag for Reyes.
He had a nasty strikeout, but also walked two and gave up a run.