By Rob Rains
For a team that basically made no changes to its roster over the winter, there still will be several new faces in camp when the Cardinals’ pitchers and catchers go through their first official workout on Wednesday.
Twelve pitchers, including seven non-roster selections, will begin their first major-league spring training camp with the Cardinals. Five have joined the organization since the end of last season.
Two who made their Cardinals debut in 2024, Erick Fedde and Chris Roycroft, will be in the camp in Jupiter, Fla., for the first time.
Here is a rundown of the 12 newcomers to the spring camp (The NR designation indicates a non-roster status):
Nick Anderson (NR) – The Cardinals signed the 34-year-old right-handed Anderson to a minor-league contract on Feb. 7. He has 165 games of major-league experience, all out of the bullpen, but also has been beset by injuries the last three seasons that limited him to a combined 71 innings the last two years.
Ian Bedell (NR) – Five years after the University of Missouri product was drafted by the Cardinals in 2020, the right-handed Bedell makes his first appearance in the major-league camp. Bedell, 25, missed almost all of the 2021 and 2022 seasons because of injuries. He split last season between Springfield and Memphis, striking out 110 batters in 107 innings.
Alex Cornwell (NR) – A lefthander, the 25-year-old pitched mostly at Springfield last year and also at Memphis before finishing the year in the Arizona Fall League. Drafted in the 15th round out of USC in 2021, Cornwell appeared both as a starter and reliever, averaging a strikeout per inning.
Erick Fedde – Acquired in a deadline trade from the White Sox, Fedde, 31, finished last year starting 10 games for the Cardinals, going 2-5 with a 3.72 ERA. Fedde has started 119 games for the Nationals, White Sox and Cardinals in his seven years in the major leagues.
Michael Gomez (NR) – Signed as a minor-league free agent in November, Gomez is a right-handed reliever who pitched last year in Triple A for the Rays. Originally signed by the Phillies in 2018, the 28-year-old Gomez was in Triple A with the Yankees in 2023.
Bailey Horn – The Cardinals claimed Horn, 27, off waivers from the Tigers in January. Detroit had claimed the left-handed reliever off waivers in November from Boston, where he made his MLB debut last year, appearing in 18 games. Horn was drafted by the White Sox in 2020 out of Auburn. They traded him to Boston last April.
Quinn Mathews (NR) – The 24-year-old lefthander will be one of the most watched players in camp after blazing through four levels of the farm system in 2024, his first pro season, earning Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors from Baseball America. A fourth-round pick out of Stanford in 2023, Mathews led the minors with 202 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings.
Oddanier Mosgado (NR) – Selected in the Triple A portion of the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees in December, Mosgado is a 25-year-old lefthander who spent the last two seasons in Triple A. He struck out 88 batters in 67 2/3 innings last season and has been pitching professionally since 2016.
Roddesny Munoz – A 24-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, Munoz was claimed by the Cardinals on waivers in November from the Marlins. He pitched in 18 games for the Marlins last season, 17 of them starts. He also started eight games in Triple A and has spent time in the Braves, Nationals and Pirates organizations.
Edwin Nunez (NR) – The Cardinals signed Nunez, a 23-year-old righthander, in 2020 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent the 2024 season at Springfield, going 0-9 as both a starter and reliever despite averaging more than a strikeout per inning. He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League after the 2023 season.
Chris Roycroft – Signed out of the independent Frontier League in 2022, the 27-year-old Roycroft was promoted from Memphis to the Cardinals last season and the righthander made 27 appearances out of the bullpen, logging a 4.17 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.
Matt Svanson – Acquired by the Cardinals in 2023 from Toronto for Paul DeJong, Svanson, 25, saved 27 games for Springfield last season. The righthander had been drafted by the Blue Jays in 2021 from Lehigh University and has averaged more than a strikeout per inning throughout his minor-league career.
Photo of Quinn Mathews courtesy of Springfield Cardinals
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