The St. Louis Cardinals are slated to promote Quinn Mathews to Double-A Springfield, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Mathews is one of the biggest risers among pitching prospects this season. He dominated at both Single-A Palm Beach and High-A Peroria, collecting a 2.18 ERA, 0.782 WHIP and 110:20 K:BB over 74 1/3 innings in 13 starts. His 110 strikeouts lead all minor leaguers. Mathews was a fourth-round pick in last the 2023 MLB Draft but didn’t pitch in pro ball that year after throwing 124 2/3 innings as a senior at Stanford.
Quinn Mathews Promoted to Double-A Springfield
Mathews was quite strong since his promotion to High-A. In 37 2/3 innings, he struck out 57 batters with a 2.87 ERA and 0.743 WHIP. He was brilliant yet again on Sunday. After allowing a lead-off triple and a sac fly, Mathews quickly dialed in. Mathews allowed just one hit the rest of the way and, at one point, dispatched nine straight Cedar Rapids hitters. He punched out seven batters and recorded his fifth consecutive quality start, improving to 6-2.
The Cardinals gave Mathews $600,000 as a senior sign last year. He has come out of the gates this season looking as sharp as any pitcher in the lower levels of the minor. He has elevated his standing this season by showing a velocity spike in his fastball. It sat in the low 90s as a senior but has been sitting 92-96 mph, and the offering has consistently shown above-average carry in the zone. It’s been effective enough for him to generate whiffs. Mathews reliably throws his fastball for strikes, but it’s currently a control-over-command approach. His changeup plays very well off his fastball, which has a legit bat-missing offering. He also has two breaking balls; the slider is the shart of the two, while the curveball projects to be more of a strike stealer.
Cardinals LHP Quinn Mathews is the second prospect I’m sounding the alarm on in ’24. He was a quintessential crafty lefty in college but his stuff has taken a significant jump as a pro.
Sat 90-92 at Stanford, comfortably 94-96 now. Masterful on Friday w/ 13Ks in 6 scoreless IP. pic.twitter.com/shqnpZ2aQ1
— Beck (@Upper_Beck) April 28, 2024
Maintaining his recent velocity spike will be crucial for Mathews in achieving his projection of a good no. 4/5 starter.
Main Photo: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
