The steady, innings-eating Whiting is a pitcher out of his time. Less than a decade ago, before the invasion of power prospects, the righthanded Whiting would have ranked among the best in the Cardinals organization, alongside pitchers like P.J. Walters and others called upon for spot starts. Whiting made 27 starts total last season, logged a team-high 21 starts at Triple-A Memphis, and averaged five innings per start. He had nine quality starts in 2013, seven of them in Class AAA. The workload helped answer questions of shoulder durability. Whiting creates size and deception with a high arm slot. He’s a detail-oriented pitcher, maximizing his ability and command with precise delivery. Whiting throws a fastball that between 89-91 mph, and builds off a quality sinker and a solid changeup. He’s able to exploit the mix against both lefties (.681 OPS) and righties (.723) and for telling swings and misses. His career K-rate is better than 9.0 per nine innings and he continues to average four strikeouts for every walk. The Cardinals left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft despite four open spots on the roster. That speaks to their depth. He was not taken and returns to the Class AAA rotation with spring to show he can offer quality innings in a crowded area of the roster.