JUPITER, Fla. -- Right-handed pitcher Jonathan Broxton could be referred to as the grizzled veteran in the Cardinals' bullpen. Twelve years in the Major Leagues will attest to that. He's also a leader, and a key figure that the younger pitchers look up to.
The two-time All-Star threw an inning on Wednesday against the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Broxton allowed two hits and walked a batter, but coaxed a double play to stay out of trouble.
The 32-year-old still has a lot of baseball ahead of him, but even with a ton of experience under his belt, Broxton isn't completely comfortable with the role as the veteran leader.
"I don't know, I'm just trying to go out there and trying to lead by example. Doing all the right stuff, going out there and giving it everything you have," Broxton said. "That's all you can do."
What he can also do is eat up innings and record outs. Broxton appeared in 66 games last season out of the Cards' bullpen, matching his 2015 total, which was the most in a season for Broxton since his '09 All-Star campaign with the Dodgers, in which he appeared in 73 games, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.61 ERA.
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That was surpassed only by the 2007 season where he appeared in a career-high 83 games, also for the Dodgers, who chose him in the second round of the 2002 Draft. He spent his first seven seasons in the big leagues with Los Angeles, making stops in Kansas City, Cincinnati and Milwaukee before signing as a free agent with St. Louis on Dec. 10, 2015.
"I've put my time in," Broxton said. "I've had some great years. So I'm just trying to pass it on down and go out there and have fun with it, because you're not guaranteed [playing] this game forever."
Broxton said he likes what he's seen from the Cards' 'pen so far this spring.
"We've got a good 'pen," he said. "We've got some good arms down there. We've got some guys that have some experience, not just here but some other places, so it should be a lot of fun down there this year."