Every year, or at least every year since 2012, we’ve taken some time after the season was over to look at the past 162 games through the lens of the players that played them (and the management that was in charge of them). Last year, the Exit Interview series spent less time digging into splits and finding numerical oddities and more time reflecting on the player and their season. It was a style that seemed to work so we’re going to bring it back again this year. The legendary cardinalsgifs is back to bring us excellent series art, so it’s all downhill after you see that!
Player: Jacob Bosiokovic
Grade: N/A
I don’t usually write about players that didn’t make an appearance during the season, but I changed that policy this year in large part because of Bosiokovic. Here’s a guy that started his career in 2019 with the Rockies and then moved to St. Louis in 2021. He was let go by Memphis in 2022 and played independent ball in 2023 before getting re-signed by the Cardinals. Then, after this entire journey, he gets called up to the big leagues.
And never gets into a game.
He was here for a 2-0 win against the Reds. Not where you want to put in a guy that hadn’t necessarily been a force at Memphis. Then there was an off day before three games with the Pirates, the last two being one run games. Probably his best chance for an appearance was in the first game, when the Cards had a three run lead after the seventh. Coming after a day off, though, there were other arms available. It would have been nice to find a way to get him to make at least one appearance as a big leaguer, but it just didn’t happen.
By that time, Chris Roycroft was eligible to return to the big leagues and the club trusted him much more than Bosiokovic, which was totally understandable. Bosiokovic went back down and, by the end of the month, he’d been designated for assignment. He unsurprisingly cleared, stayed with Memphis, and didn’t do anything that warranted another call-up. The chance of a lifetime had brushed by him like a stranger in the crowd. At least Moonlight Graham got into a game.
What’s in store for 2025: If they need an arm at Memphis, Bosiokovic might stay as other arms develop lower in the system. It’s probably more likely he’s released in the offseason and finds his way either back to independent ball or to a new phase in his life. He was so close.
