amag
02-12-2002, 07:23 PM
2001 Season
With the possible exception of Darryl Kile and Matt Morris, probably no Cardinals pitcher was more valuable than lefthander Steve Kline last season. Kline had arrived via trade with Montreal, and ended up being St. Louis' most reliable releiver. For the third straigh year, he lead all National League pitchers in appearances (89). He also compiled a career-best 1.80 ERA and converted nine of 10 saves opportunities when used as a closer late in the season.
Pitching
Kline keeps virtually everything down in the strike zone with his heavy sinker and hard slider. His consistency down in the zone extends even to those rare occasions when he's wild, because when he does miss, he almost always misses low. That makes him tough against both lefthanded and righthanded batters. It also means alot of groundballs and few extra base hits. He allowed just three home runs last year and was scored on in only 11 of his 89 appearances. If he's not asked to get more than three or four outs, Kline has proven he can handle a heavy workload, averaging over 80 appearances the past four seasons.
Defense & Hitting
Kline holds runners well, employing a slide step in running situations. He is also quick coming home with his delivery. He fields his position well and has good instincts coming off the mound. He's made only 10 plate appearances in his big league career, but earned his first big league hit last season.
2002 Outlook
St. Louis could not have expected any more than it got from Kline. He fit in on a staff full of gamers and picked up the slack when Dave Veres was injured. The Cardinals ideally would like to keep the durable lefty in a specialist role, and that seemed more likley after they signed Oakland closer Jason Isringhausen to a four-year deal.
With the possible exception of Darryl Kile and Matt Morris, probably no Cardinals pitcher was more valuable than lefthander Steve Kline last season. Kline had arrived via trade with Montreal, and ended up being St. Louis' most reliable releiver. For the third straigh year, he lead all National League pitchers in appearances (89). He also compiled a career-best 1.80 ERA and converted nine of 10 saves opportunities when used as a closer late in the season.
Pitching
Kline keeps virtually everything down in the strike zone with his heavy sinker and hard slider. His consistency down in the zone extends even to those rare occasions when he's wild, because when he does miss, he almost always misses low. That makes him tough against both lefthanded and righthanded batters. It also means alot of groundballs and few extra base hits. He allowed just three home runs last year and was scored on in only 11 of his 89 appearances. If he's not asked to get more than three or four outs, Kline has proven he can handle a heavy workload, averaging over 80 appearances the past four seasons.
Defense & Hitting
Kline holds runners well, employing a slide step in running situations. He is also quick coming home with his delivery. He fields his position well and has good instincts coming off the mound. He's made only 10 plate appearances in his big league career, but earned his first big league hit last season.
2002 Outlook
St. Louis could not have expected any more than it got from Kline. He fit in on a staff full of gamers and picked up the slack when Dave Veres was injured. The Cardinals ideally would like to keep the durable lefty in a specialist role, and that seemed more likley after they signed Oakland closer Jason Isringhausen to a four-year deal.