JUPITER, Fla. • The Cardinals have a vision of where they want their season to end and who will sear the pitches that decide it, but on the way they’ll use a modern, hyper-analytic relief approach to groom a traditional closer, one unlike any in the game.
Undone often last season by a hodgepodge bullpen, the Cardinals will not name a closer, per se, to open the 2019 season. Instead, they’ll use key matchups to free themselves from the shackles of the save statistic and join baseball’s post-closer culture. An official said their late innings “could have many faces,” leaning on versatile veteran Andrew Miller from the left and ascendant reliever Jordan Hicks on the right to share the ninth, based on the opponent.