Like Andrew Kittredge’s sneaky velocity, my revelation about the reliever kind of snuck up on me.
We should be talking a lot more about this guy.
We’ll get into all the reasons, but let’s start with perhaps the biggest one.
We should be talking more about Kittredge because Kittredge has, at least so far, stopped anyone from talking about Richie Palacios.
Could it be that the Cardinals traded a young outfielder with unknown upside and it didn’t immediately turn into an absolute disaster?
Stay tuned, but early signs suggest perhaps so.
At the start of this Cardinals road trip, the new-to-the-Cards 34-year-old right-handed reliever had allowed one run in 11 relief appearances. His streak of seven consecutive scoreless appearances — all but one of his 11 have ended that way — had increased his strikeout total to 11. He’d walked only three and never more than one in any game. Seventy percent of his pitches have hammered the strike zone, yet hitters are averaging just .206 against him. The advanced data at Baseball Savant shows hitters’ expected slugging percentage against Kittredge is a meager .244. Their hard-hit percentage is a tame 26.1%. Both of those numbers are top-10% good.
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Sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth inning work? It doesn’t matter to the former (and perhaps future) All-Star. He’s ready when the bullpen phone calls. He’s been exactly what this Cardinals bullpen needed.
Nothing about Kittredge’s physical appearance screams mound dominance. He’s not chiseled like Aroldis Chapman or crazy long and lanky like Josh Hader, who has hair flying everywhere. The most attention-grabbing thing about Kittredge is a scruffy beard, one worn by probably half the people you work with. Kittredge may be your neighbor. If he is, maybe you didn’t even notice. Better check.
Even how Kittredge pitches can be described as unassuming, so much so that his seemingly low-stress delivery surprises hitters when his fastball averages nearly 95 mph. Eight major league seasons in, he knows what works and what doesn’t. He’s mastered efficiency, from his delivery to his pitch arsenal. It’s not often that a new Cardinals reliever becomes so trusted so fast, by both manager and fans. His veteran presence and immediate results have brought confidence and courage to the entire bullpen, and it shows.
Did I mention he’s crazy affordable? He’s making $2.63 million this season, which could wind up being his first and last season with the Cardinals before he departs as a free agent. So we should appreciate Kittredge. He’s been great.
Now, back to Palacios. Did you hear? He’s been pretty good.
If Kittredge was struggling, it would be something everybody is talking about. Because Palacios is trying to stir that pot of ex-Cardinals outfield angst through his performance with the Rays. While playing both left and right field for Tampa, Palacios is averaging .264 with a .381 on-base percentage and a .415 slugging percentage. His .796 on-base plus slugging percentage is third on his new team and far ahead (so far) of old friend Randy Arozarena’s .486 OPS.
That Palacios OPS, if held by a Cardinal, would be second on the team behind Willson Contreras and first among Cardinals outfielders.
The Cardinals are once again desperate for consistent offensive production. They once again have an outfield with more question marks than answers. Tommy Edman’s slower-than-planned return from an offseason wrist surgery scratched their planned starting center fielder. Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker already have been sent down for minor league resets.
During a 2023 season the Cardinals could not forget fast enough, Palacios did one of the few good things. He produced an OPS of .823 during his 32-game sample size. He brought life and sizzle to a brutal stretch of Cardinals baseball. He totaled only 93 at-bats with the Cardinals before they traded him. He’s already up to 53 at-bats with the Rays, and the 26-year-old won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2026.
Palacios has time on his side.
Kittredge is pitching his tail off.
Maybe this really is a trade that winds up working out for both teams. Those can and do happen, believe it or not. Then again, maybe the Cardinals should approach Kittredge with an early extension offer, just in case. After all, he’s pitching well enough to quiet premature hollering about yet another Cardinals outfielder who got away.