Even before the end of March, cracks were starting to show in the pitching depth under the Arch. St. Louis finally made a move to bring in a free agent to aid the bullpen although adding Matthew Liberatore to the rotation weakened the left side. Announcing a six-man turn further depleted the resources which made it inevitable that the Memphis turn would be another key story this summer.
The Cardinals have wasted no time playing revolving relievers so that’s not news to anyone paying attention. The biggest problem facing the Birds on the Bat as well as just about every other team happens to be health. Or to be more blunt, arms and shoulders that are intact.
Zack Thompson happened to be the answer to the question no one wants, as he was the first to hit the injury list. Memphis opened the current campaign with enviable rotation options but quickly saw Tink Hence join Thompson on the shelf. As we now know, that was only the beginning of the misfortune.
Fast forward to this week and somehow the Redbirds are holding their own with a 9-7 record. Quinn Mathews, the reigning MILB pitcher of the year and possible next man up from the left side, struggled after reaching Triple-A during his cameo appearance last year. It was understandable given his historic rise thru the entire system but not a cause for concern.
Well, you probably already know what is about to be typed so maybe look the other way. Mathews posted a 2.52 WHIP thru 10 innings across three starts before Memphis shut him down. And if that wasn’t the worst part, hearing a drop in fastball velocity coupled with rise in walks never equals anything positive. The Cardinals have only used soreness to describe the cause currently but another teammates’ diagnosis surely adds to the disappointment.
Cooper Hjerpe, another lefty with promising upside, recently had Tommy John surgery and may have already thrown his final pitch for St. Louis. The first round pick back in 2022, Hjerpe was often injured and never made it to Memphis. Now the organization will have to protect him from the Rule 5 draft in order to keep him. It is just one more decision Chaim Bloom and company will need to make once this season winds down but does add intrigue to the upcoming draft decisions.
Before that deep dive happens, however, let’s not completely end this on a sour note. There are a pair of arms currently anchoring the Memphis rotation plus a wild card in Springfield that deserve plenty more print. Tekoah Roby by process of having the most to prove is also the least likely to be called upon unless a break glass sort of situation. He is on the 40-man but have to think they are going to want him to have the Hence treatment first and prove it above Springfield.
Staying healthy honestly is the biggest key for Roby, although his stuff is electric by any metrics. The same can be said for the next name who also just tossed a gem in an important early start. Sem Robberse might not be a household name yet but give the Netherlands native a little time to put himself back on the map. The right hander came over in the Jordan Hicks trade from the Blue Jays and promptly put himself on the cusp of a call-up last May.
Robberse completely shredded Triple-A hitters in April of 2024 before running into his own injury troubles that stalled the momentum. He was able to make it back though and now holds even more importance given the early struggles and lack of innings by the other Memphis starters. His most recent start against a potent Jacksonville team showed exactly what the Cardinals hope continues.
The five innings is a continuation of his build up but only throwing 67 pitches with zero walks and three hits given up only leads in the right direction. Everyone who pays attention to St. Louis surely knows the final name so hearing Michael McGreevy going strong doesn’t come as a shock. It was disappointing that he didn’t stick in the big league rotation over a certain big contract arm but his future spot will be earned soon enough.
Plenty of positives at each level so far on offense, and their time in the sun (or this site) will be coming so stop by anytime!
