I personally have been hyped about Mikolas after doing more research on him. Mikolas has been vastly underappreciated by the fan base simply because the fans believe the Cardinals could have spent money elsewhere. But for the money, Mikolas is a smart move. Even if he struggles, the Cardinals have arms in waiting that can take over a rotation spot (Reyes, Hudson, Gant). Even Flaherty could step back in assuming he will be sent back down once Waineright returns. And if Mikolas is moved to the bullpen, it hurts way less when he is making only $7.75M as opposed to $20M or more.
But that’s IF, he struggles. Fans were too eager to jump in the hate train after a couple tough starts in Spring Training. But isn’t Spring Training supposed to be used as training? I’d rather see improvement over the course of the spring and Mikolas along with a number of players did just that.
Marcell Ozuna appeared in 22 Spring Training games for the Cardinals. Through the first 10 he had a .162/.250/.375 slash line. Not ideal to say the least, but he was working on his game and over the final 12 games his slash had improved to a .356/.379/.695. Not a bad finish, and a drastic change to how he underperformed starting out.
Now Marcell has the track record that Mikolas currently lacks. He pitched extremely well in Japan, but to fans and scouts alike, it’s nothing compared to the Major Leagues, so when Miles struggled in his first two starts, fans were outraged that Mikolas was even on the team.
Now his first two starts weren’t good. In fact it was pretty bad. Over 4.2 innings he had given up 10 ERs while only striking out 2. As I mentioned in a previous article… It’s Just Spring Training…
It's a time to hone in your skills whether it be pitch location, movement, or velocity. Mikolas showed improvement. His next four appearances show that. Over 18 IP, he gave up just 2 ERs for an ERA of 1.00 during that run. He struck out 16 opposed to just 4 walks and had a 0.89 WHIP. Check out what he says on the air with FSMIDWEST.
FOX Sports Midwest on Twitter
Miles Mikolas on what he's doing differently since he first pitched in the major leagues: "Being a little bit more of a pitcher and less of a thrower." #STLCards https://t.co/duvg56zk18
It shows that Mikolas wanted to improve from the get go. He had tasted the Major Leagues but wasn't quite ready. He had been used primarily as a bullpen arm but he yearned to be a starter. He was a good pitcher in the Minor Leagues (3.23 ERA over 123 innings in AAA) but couldn't quite transition.
But during this spring Miles has begun to show how good he can be.
Most projections put Mikolas at a 8-8 record with a 4.10 ERA over 135 IP.
But I don't. I think he could a very under the radar type season. So how do I see Mikolas performing?
15-9, 3.40 ERA, 185 IP.
Write it down and call me out later if it doesnt happen. But I have faith in Mikolas and his ability.
Thanks for reading!
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