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.