MONTREAL • A start Jordan Hicks wasn’t supposed to make ignited an internal debate the Cardinals didn’t expect to have as opening day neared.
With four scoreless innings Sunday and a fastball clocked at 102 mph, with bite, Hicks forced the Cardinals to reconsider the look of their bullpen and how he could electrify it. In an 11th-hour shift the Cardinals will finalize Wednesday, one of the first prospects trimmed from camp will be the last added to the opening day roster. The 21-year-old righthander’s velocity and sharp offspeed pitches were too tempting to ignore for a team still in need of a closer.