Derrick Goold, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reports St. Louis Cardinals SP Jaime Garcia spent the offseason rebuilding his stamina, refining his delivery and learning a new fastball. Garcia has also been working on steadying his mechanics. “I came back from rehab and I was a totally different pitcher,” Garcia said. “I wasn’t feeling the same (soreness) in my elbow, and that’s part of it — being strong is definitely part of it — but the mental part… I felt like a different pitcher. I had more of an idea what to do when I was back on the mound. I wasn’t out there just throwing.” Garcia is slimmer and stronger entering the 2010 season, and is confident he can win a spot in the team’s rotation.
Our Instinct: This would certainly be good news for fantasy purposes. He has the most upside of any of the Cardinals 5th starter candidates. This situation is worth watching. Consider tossing a couple bucks at him on auction day.
