Photo/ PJ Maigi, Springfield Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have selected pitching prospects Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews to represent the organization in this years Futures All-Star Game. All-Star weekend will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Rangers.
Hence was an obvious choice, being the top prospect in the organization. He has electric stuff that should play well at the major league level. The selection of Mathews shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who follows the minor leagues. The lefty’s performance has been outstanding this season.
Cardinals Have an Electric Arm in Hence
The young righty Hence has performed well at Double-A Springfield this season. However, he still needs to work on his consistency and stamina. So far, the young flamethrower has posted a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA, a .221 batting average against and a 1.13 WHIP in 54.2 innings pitched.
This will be Hence’s second consecutive appearance at the Future’s All-Star Game as he was selected to represent St. Louis last season as well. The 21 year-old has shown he has the the stuff to make it at the big league level with excellent command, a top-notch fastball, with plenty of movement, and change of speeds.
Mathews Continues to Impress
Mathews made plenty of headlines in 2023 when he threw 156 pitches for Stanford in a Super Regionals matchup against Texas. His usage at Stanford spawned many debates. However, there’s no way he will ever have 150-pitch outings in the pros. Furthermore, the experience is important, and it should help him move quickly through the minor league system.
The 6’4″ Mathews got off to a strong start being named the minor league pitcher of the month for April. He posted a 2-0 record with a 0.50 ERA, giving up only one run over 18 innings pitched. Additionally, he posted a miniscule 0.89 WHIP with 38 strikeouts, and only allowed seven hits across his first four professional starts. The lefty had two outings with eleven or more strikeouts with no walks allowed, including a 13-strikeout game at Fort Myers on April 26.
The young hurler has built on his strong start putting up a 6-2 record with a 2.03 ERA, a .143 batting average against and a 0.78 WHIP in 79.2 innings pitched in 2024. The young lefty gained plenty of valuable big game experience pitching for Stanford, pitching in the College World Series twice. Furthermore, he has shown the ability to go deep in games. The future is bright for the young lefty, and he has a good chance to make the big leagues by 2025.
Strong Pitching Prospects On the Horizon
The Cardinals have several intriguing pitching prospects nearing their chance to make the big league roster. If only a couple of them pan out, it will be huge for an organization that has struggled to develop pitching. Randy Flores has done an excellent job drafting. All the fans can do is hope the coaching staff doesn’t fail them in the final stages of their development.
