JUPITER, Fla. -- Miguel Socolovich has the lowest ERA and stingiest batting average against of any Cardinals reliever (minimum 18 innings) from 2015-16, and yet he is heading into the final week of Spring Training unsure whether he'll even be in the organization next month.
Socolovich appears a frontrunner for the Cardinals' final bullpen spot, though nothing is assured. The Cardinals have 17 pitchers remaining in big league camp, and manager Mike Matheny hasn't officially settled on an Opening Day roster that features seven relievers.
Yet Socolovich's case for inclusion is strong.
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It helps that Socolovich is out of options, meaning that if he doesn't begin the season with the Cardinals, he could be plucked off waivers by another club. It's a risk the Cardinals may not want to take.
But Socolovich's resume is not merely situational. Since debuting with the Cardinals in 2015, Socolovich has a 1.89 ERA, .175 opponents' batting average, 0.944 WHIP and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
"I have pitched well the last two years in the big leagues, and I'm confident right now that I can get big league hitters out," Socolovich said. "That's the most important thing. If you're confident that you can get the hitters out, it makes it easier. I'm working hard at trying to locate my fastball, and let's see what happens."
That fastball is a now a purpose pitch for Socolovich, who heard the Cardinals' insistence that he throw it more often. Socolovich started that process this past year, and his fastball usage jumped from 40 percent in 2015 to 52 percent in '16, according to FanGraphs.
That fastball has continued to be an effective pitch for Socolovich this spring.
"If I throw more fastballs for strikes, it's going to make my changeup and my slider better," Socolovich said. "They're not going to be able to be ready for just one pitch. They're going to have to be ready for three. I want to prove that I can throw my fastball for a strike and locate it, too."
That fastball helped Socolovich to some early success in Grapefruit League play. Over his first five spring outings, Socolovich allowed one run on one hit, while striking out five. He did hit a bump recently, allowing five hits and three runs over his past three spring innings. That hasn't, however, drastically affected his standing.
"He's been terrific," Matheny said. "He's got a good enough fastball to come at anybody, and that will make his secondary pitches better. He was a hard thrower even before we got him. [We're] just making sure he knows he can trust the fact that that should be a good pitch."