The Cardinals have designated righty Rowan Wick for assignment, the team announced and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported (via Twitter). His 40-man spot will go to righty Bud Norris, whose previously reported signing is now official.
Wick has yet to pitch at the game’s highest level. The converted catcher/outfielder was added to the 40-man in advance of the Rule 5 draft in the winter of 2016, following his first full competitive season on the mound. He was also tabbed to participate in the World Baseball Classic with Team Canada.
Last season, Wick ended up spending most of his time in the upper minors as he worked to refine his new craft. While the hard-throwing righty was able to tamp down on the walk issues that plagued him in his first attempt at Double-A in 2016, he evidently did not show quite enough for the Cards to ensure they’d retain him entering camp. Wick ended the 2017 campaign with 42 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with 8.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Lively arm, I wonder if someone will grab him.
Can you guys do an update on each teams 40 man roster space?
Roster resource has the 40 man rosters
( •_•) I guess the Wick….
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■) … has burned out.
Well done!
cardinals must have decided to go in reverse order of alphabet to decide who got kicked off the 40 nan roster
Mozeliak makes me wonder about him more and more over the past 4 years. Metrics do not show everything about a player. Brett Cecil was a good example last season. This season I believe he is relying on metrics of his own players the either improve or stay the same. Thus resulting in not getting that extra pure hitter with power. Not picking up a solid, innings eater starter. Letting Lance Lynn walk. Plus, going to the low hanging fruit basket in hopes of finding a closer. The MLB Network, without stating his name has been roasting Mozeliak and his lack of moves and dumpster diving over the past 3 weeks. They did almost a full day of Roasting Mozeliak moves and non moves Monday. All winter the MLB Network has tried to defend Mozeliak because he got Ozuna and made broad comments as strengthening with another big bat to compliment and protect Ozuna. Plus a dominant closer. Now they aren’t hiding anything. The Network is in disbelief that the Cardinals haven’t signed Holland, or Hosmer or even trading for Abreau from the White Sox. Their criticism lately, has a lot of investigating truth.
It’s better to do nothing than to do something stupid (like giving big money to Holland and his 6.00+ second half ERA last year). I was hoping they’d get an established closer, but perhaps that will be Reyes’ role in 2018 once he’s back.
give patrick wisdom a chance. i wouldn’t want an innings eater. i want a winner.
GM already said Reyes likely won’t be the closer, because they’re trying to control his innings coming back from Tommy John surgery, and that’s hard to do when you’re the designated closer.
The closer likely would be one of Lyons, Leone, Tuivailala (who’s actually a closer prospect), Norris, and Gregerson. Ever since Jason Isinghuasen, the Cardinals’ closers have come out of their system (Rosenthal, Motte, Salas) or veterans capable of high-leverage innings filling Oh, Franklin, Mujica).
Last year’s bullpen didn’t have that for most of the season. They had Oh as their closer, after he saved 19 after Rosenthal imploded. Rosenthal was setup, they signed Cecil, but they still had the likes of Broxton, Scoolovich, and the remains of Kevin Siegrist filling out the bullpen. After Oh and Cecil faltered, there just wasn’t a lot to back them up (specially with Tyler Lyons stuck in emergency pitcher mode).
I never bought the whole “established closer” idea, because there are very very few closers who last long enough to be established in the first place, and even if they last a few years, they’re normally on the verge of collapse like Holland.
I wish the Cardinals had signed somebody like Reed or Nicario, but then they went out and got Dominic Leone, who’s pretty much the same thing–a possible closer in waiting and a good high-leverage situation reliever regardless.
Man they must see something in Breyvic Valera and Mike Meyers because I was positive one of them was who they would get rid of not Wick. That’s to bad because I liked Wick!! hope he stays in the organization and makes it this year to MLB or goes somewhere else and shows Mo what he missed out on.
Yeah, Mayers seemed like the one to go. I remember his debut when he gave up a grand slam before ever recording an out.
Guessing they thInk he’ll pass thru. Interesting based off 1 year ago they protected and sent him to AFL. Mayer’s has been better as a reliever though… not so much as a starter
Yeah Mayers is trash. I was hoping they’d dfa him with his career 19.80 era. (That’s 22 earned runes in 10 IP)
That’s his metric ERA
Great points! Surprised as well!
Al Avelia?
I live in Pennsylvania when I’m not at college, and I got to see him hit when he was with State College a few years ago. He had an insane year at the plate, but I kinda lost track of him and I never knew he became a pitcher. Crazy.
I saw him that year as well, and he was the best hitter in the game that I saw him.
I went to city college with him. He had the heaviest ball I’ve ever caught. Had one hell of a bat too. Best of luck to my buddy moving forward
I hope he’s not John Wick’s brother. You don’t want to make John Wick mad. You don’t steal his car, and you don’t DFA his brother. (From the Keanu Reeves film…)
I was going to make this reference, well done.
Well it seems I’m third in line. Although I was going with cousin.
See this is the type of guy I would want the orioles to sign to a minor league deal. Someone with years ahead of them not behind them. But good luck to the young lad wherever he ends up.
Who the f*** is Rowan Wick???
He is the answer to all of the Orioles woes. Or so I am told.
Doesn’t really matter if you drop any of those 3 listed. All were or are on borrowed time with this organization.
He’ll likely clear waivers due to inexperience and middling numbers to this point.
Good god — right fielder, pitcher AND catcher? Suck it, Ohtani…the Wick is coming for you!
Wick hit a lot of home runs in a ball