St. Louis Cardinals: Meet Austin Gomber

St. Louis Cardinals’ prospect Austin Gomber shared pitcher of the years honors with Alex Reyes in 2015.

Austin Gomber went 15-3 in 22 starts with Peoria in 2016, sharing pitcher of the year honors with another St. Louis Cardinals phenom called Alex Reyes. He didn’t lose a game for a few months and turned a fresh glimpse at young talent into a legit claim for future ownership of a rotation spot. In speaking to the media at the Winter Warmup, Gomber was humble while being confident.

“When I went into camp, my first goal was to make the Peoria team. We have a lot of young talent you guys will be seeing over the next few years.”

Gomber doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but stood out due to his ability to hit his spots, have good control and put together a wicked kind of consistency.

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On his win streak, “It helped me. Confidence wise. Most I ever had, especially in the playoffs. Knowing other teams knew I had the streak. It helped me in the long run.”

I asked Gomber about John Mozeliak priding himself on offering young pitchers an opportunity to contribute and the 22 year old liked that goal. “There were a lot of guys who made a case to be on the postseason roster. All these guys coming up from Springfield and Memphis and not only play but have a chance to play in the playoffs. For me, it’s inspiring. When I get to that point, I will get that opportunity.”

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Gomber noted that throwing strikes was his main goal. “I want to go back to what I was in high school. I don’t have that 100 mph fastball. I need to get ahead of hitters to be effective.”

You may not take Gomber’s 2015 minor league dominance seriously, but you should consider this kid. He compares himself to a Tyler Lyons or Tim Cooney, but could become much more. He knows his identity as a pitcher and looks to make a strong case at Springfield and possibly Memphis in 2016. Remember Austin Gomber, ladies and gents.