ST. LOUIS — You'd probably be lying if you said you knew Tommy Edman would become one of the Cardinals' most important players down the stretch in 2019.
Edman's breakout was one of the most interesting stories for the Cardinals last season. So, now comes the question: Who could do that this year?
On the latest episode of KSDK's Sports Plus Podcast, which was entirely devoted to Cardinals spring training, Corey Miller, Frank Cusumano and STL Sports Page's Rob Rains threw out some ideas for guys who could end up breaking onto the scene in 2020 in a bigger way than expected.
"I'm going to cheat a little bit. People know who Ryan Helsley is, but I think they're really going to know who he is this year," Miller said. "I think he's going to get that closer job to start, and I won't say he's not going to give it up, because we know what Jordan Hicks can do and when he comes back they'll ease him back into that role. But I think Helsley is going to be one of the most dominant relievers in all of baseball this season because he has that skill set."
Cusumano went with the newest addition to the team for his pick.
"I'll just throw out a name, I don't know if he'll make the team, but he hit eight home runs in September, he had a 30 home run season, he's Brad Miller," Cusumano said. "Who at one time this guy was a shortstop with 30 home runs at age 26. He had hip surgery, which really knocked him out for a while. But I'd love to see him make that team and that's a pretty scary pair of extra infielders with Tommy Edman and Brad Miller."
Rains went with a more obscure name for most fans, but he's one people should know if problems arise in the bullpen.
"I thought one name out there that nobody knows is Kodi Whitley, who's a relief pitcher who came up the last half of the season at Memphis last year and is another one of those small college kids," Rains said. "They got him out of Mount Olive, North Carolina, in like the 27th round a few years ago. Did really well in the fall league a few years ago. So, if they need a new reliever, I think they may give him a crack at it."
Be sure to download and subscribe to KSDK's Sports Plus Podcast for the latest Cardinals talk throughout the season.
