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: Andrew Kittredge
Stats: 5-5, 1 SV, 74 G, 70.2 IP, 60 H, 10 HR, 20 BB, 67 K, 2.80 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 1.132 WHIP, 1.5 bWAR
Statcast: 8.5% barrel, 33.0% sweet spot, 111.1 max exit velocity, .289 wOBA, .314 xwOBA, 23.3 K%, 7.0 BB%
Grade: A
John Mozeliak hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to relievers, which is why most people were so excited to see how he put together the 2024 bullpen. A Rule 5 guy here. Some minor league arms there. Then, to cap it all off, he dealt 2023 bright spot Richie Palacios to the Rays for Kittredge. Reaction was mixed at the time, as it seemed Palacios could have a shot at regular playing time in the outfield. (Turns out that probably wouldn’t have happened anyway. Besides the folks that played out there, Palacios hit just .223 with Tampa Bay.)
However, Kittredge quickly proved that this wasn’t going to be another albatross around Mo’s neck, posting a 0.75 ERA in April. He finished strong as well with a 1.20 ERA in 15 September innings. In between, well, it could get a little shaky but for the most part he was a great set-up man for Ryan Helsley. While it didn’t pan out, it’s something to dream about how a Kittredge/Helsley combination would have worked in October. Having a reliable back end of the bullpen, which also included at times JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez, made for a lot less heart problems across Cardinal Nation.
What’s in store for 2025: Kittredge is a free agent and in most years the Cardinals would be actively working to bring him back for another season. With the team focusing more on development than the major league squad, though, it seems that Kittredge will get paid somewhere else and likely have a very good chance of seeing more October play.
