Cardinals' John Gant: Impressive first session against hitters

Gant, acquired in the Dec. 1 trade that sent Jaime Garcia to the Braves, impressed in his first session against hitters Sunday, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "Gant has a little sneakier stuff than was advertised," said pitching coach Derek Lilliquist.

Analysis:

The 24-year-old right-hander brings a quirky pitching motion, and apparently, a repertoire impressive enough to catch the eye of his new pitching coach in his first up-close look at Gant against hitters. The 6-foot-5 hurler, who has a fastball, curve and changeup at his disposal, acquitted himself decently over his first 20 major league appearances in 2016, a stint that included seven starts. Gant was only 1-4, but did whiff 49 over 50 innings for the Braves, enduring a near two-month absence due to an oblique injury that knocked him out of the starting rotation. His best chance of breaking camp with the major league club could well be in the bullpen, given the Cardinals' solid starting rotation.