Before the 2023 MLB season kicked off, the St. Louis Cardinals were projected to win the NL Central by a mile. Some went as far as to say that the Cardinals have the depth to make a World Series push.
But, things started out on the complete opposite spectrum for the Redbirds.
Currently, the Cardinals have a record of 24-31 and sit in fourth place behind the Brewers, Pirates, and Reds. The starting pitching for St. Louis has struggled as only three starts have reached the seventh inning. As for the bullpen, it has been inconsistent. Some days are better than others, but there is a real issue when the most consistent reliever is Drew VerHagen.
While the team is starting to get back on the right track – 14-12 for the month of May – there are still holes that the Cardinals need to fill if they want to fully turn things around and make a playoff push.
Here is a list of the top 5 Cardinal pitching prospects that could help the big league club this season.
5. Ian Bedell – RHP
Bedell is a starting pitcher for the High-A Peoria Chiefs. The 23-year-old was drafted in the 4th round by the Cardinals in 2020 out of Mizzou. He is currently the 24th-ranked prospect in the Cardinals organization.
So far this season, Bedell has appeared in 11 games, starting four of them. The right-hander has a 2-1 record posting a 1.44 ERA in 31.1 innings. He has struck out 44 batters while walking 12.
In his last start on May 27, Bedell went four innings surrendering one run and a walk while striking out four.
Bedell has good strikeout numbers so far this season, posting a 12.64 K/9. He could be a decent long relief/spot starter for the big league club that struggles in two-strike counts.
4. Wilfredo Pereira – RHP
Pereira is a right-handed starting pitcher currently with Double-A Springfield. He has appeared in nine games – seven of which have been starts – and holds a 3-2 record with an ERA of 2.80 in 45 innings.
His last two starts prove how good of a pitcher Pereira can be. In his start on May 20 against NW Arkansas, he went eight innings allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two. In his last start on May 26 against Wichita, he pitched 5.1 innings allowing four hits and walking two, striking out 10.
The Double-A starter has an 8.20 K/9 while having a ground ball rate of 42.5%.
The Panama native is so far having a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2022 season in High-A ball.
Pereira could be a good end-of-the-rotation starter/long relief reliever in the bullpen. His ground ball rate would fit in nicely with the Cardinals’ defense along with his ability to strike batters out at a decent rate.
3. Ryan Loutos – RHP
The 24-year-old right-handed reliever is the 25th-ranked prospect in the Cardinals organization and was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.
Loutos started the season out with the Double-A team in Springfield before quickly being promoted to Triple-A. In Memphis, Loutos has appeared in 16 games posting a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings. He has racked up 26 strikeouts while walking nine batters. He also holds a record of 1-0 and has recorded one save.
He features a fastball, sinker, cutter, and a big breaking ball. In three minor league seasons, the right-hander has maintained a WHIP of 1.258 and a K/9 of 11.3.
Bringing up a guy like Loutos would allow the Cardinals to have another bullpen arm who can get strikeouts. Loutos would be a good middle-innings bullpen arm for the Redbirds.
2. Guillermo Zuniga
The 24-year-old right-handed reliever started out in the Braves organization in 2016, signed on with the Dodgers a year later, and then fell into the Cardinals’ hands this past offseason. Zuniga was a big piece in Colombia’s bullpen during the World Baseball Classic that occurred during Spring Training.
The hard-throwing right-hander has spent the majority of this season down in Triple-A Memphis but has made an appearance in the majors versus Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels. In 16 appearances in Memphis, Zuniga has a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 7.20 in 15 innings of work. While his stat line is disappointing to look at, things will turn around for the flamethrower. When he catches his stride, he will be very hard to hit.
For example, he struck out Arenado and Goldschmidt in the World Baseball Classic. In his major league debut, he struck out Mike Trout. These are big-name guys that this youngster competed and won against.
In his minor league career – spanning over eight seasons – Zuniga has an ERA of 4.27,a K/9 of 10.29, and a WHIP of 1.37.
When he gets back into form, Zuniga can easily be an end-of-the-bullpen kind of guy. He can touch 100 mph and has a nice slider that compliments his hard fastball.
1. Michael McGreevy
McGreevy was drafted in the first round of the 2021 draft by the Cardinals. He is currently the seventh-ranked prospect in the organization.
The 22-year-old started off this season in Double-A Springfield but only needed three starts to get promoted to Triple-A Memphis. The right-hander was drafted in the first round by the Cardinals in the 2021 draft.
In six starts for the Memphis Redbirds, McGreevy holds a 3-0 record with a 3.15 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched. He has 25 strikeouts while walking 11.
McGreevy is known to keep the ball on the ground, as he holds a ground ball rate of 57.1% this season. He has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.27.
In his last start on May 25 against Norfolk, the 24-year-old went five innings allowing two earned runs, six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
The Cardinals’ defense mixed with McGreevy’s ability to keep the ball on the ground, could be dangerous. The right-hander would be a good bottom-of-the-rotation arm this season. He has the potential to be a legitimate ace for the Cardinals in the future.