Jose Fermin

Fermin was acquired from Cleveland last winter, but his bid to win an Opening Day bench spot with the Cardinals ended before it began when he suffered a severe quad strain early in spring training which wound up sidelining him for nearly four months. He saw some spot duty with the Cards down the stretch and showed a solid glove, but his bat lagged well behind. That's been the case with Fermin throughout his days in pro ball, as he's never even had an .800 OPS in a season and sports a .709 OPS during his time at Triple-A. The power is basically non-existent and he hasn't displayed any stolen base chops since A-ball. Fermin will be in the mix for a reserve role in St. Louis, but they figure to be in trouble if he has to play very much. Read Past Outlooks