This is one of my favorite trends of this year, and it's one that's been building up for a while. This season, Jordan Hicks and Josh Hader, two tough-as-nails setup men, have become among the highest commodity in the league- the necessity of an eighth-inning fireballer.
This isn't exactly a new development, as people like Andrew Miller, Chad Green and Archie Bradley have been proving their worth for the last few years. But since the devaluation of the save, and the conversion to the 'hold' as a more prevalent statistic, the closer has become less important, and the eighth-inning reliever's price is growing.
When you look at Jordan Hicks, you immediately see promise. He's 21 years old, he's playing for one of the most promising rosters in the bigs, and he throws absolute smoke, bringing back memories of 2011-era Aroldis Chapman. But the Cardinals are doing something wise in keeping Hicks as a late-innings reliever, because it gives less work to the closer, a role that has become more fickle in nearly every major league team. Instead of putting everything on the ninth inning man, Hicks stymies an offense first, strips them of hope with some strikes, and finishes the offensive before someone else can finish them off. Or, in a losing game, Hicks can strike out 3 guys and stop the blood flow. He's crafty, and useful, solely because of how good he is.
The Cardinals, as good as they are, will need bit players like Hicks if they want to establish dominance in this division. The Brewers, Pirates and Cubs want it just as bad as they do, and Jordan Hicks may be the secret weapon that pushes them over the edge.
Coming Tomorrow- One of the numerous INSANELY AWESOME PITCHERS in Houston right now.
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