The save statistic and the closing pitcher have been around for a while, and while many teams have a dedicated ninth-inning man, the St. Louis Cardinals would do best to avoid this formula.
The team’s original closer for 2019, Jordan Hicks, blew out his elbow and is gone for the season and possibly all of 2020 as well. Carlos Martinez picked up the closer’s role and has fared decently. But because of the bullpen’s strength, the fact that the team is primarily relying on one closer could be preventing the bullpen from soaring to even greater heights.