But the established closer the Cardinals later signed — remember Greg Holland? — flopped. Meanwhile, Hicks became the spring training sensation who skipped Class AAA entirely to become the hardest-throwing reliever in the majors. And Helsley was on Hicks’ heels before soreness stalled his season at Memphis.
“I haven’t seen him (Helsley) throw much, but the times I have, he has an explosive fastball,” said Alex Reyes, who knows a thing or two about explosiveness. “He’s able to use that down and up in the zone. His arm is huge. His delivery is also very compact and, like, smooth.