St. Louis Cardinals: Minor League Spotlight on Ryan Sherriff

As the players of the St. Louis Cardinals are forced to, unfortunately, watch the playoffs on television, the management is tasked with doing what they can to revamp for next season.  Some of that can be done internally through the farm system.  Guys like Ryan Sherriff could be just what the doctor ordered.

Ryan Sherriff has never seen MLB action but he found his way to Triple-A Redbirds in 2016.  Drafted in the 28th round by the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2011, this exceeds what most people would have expected.  He is 26 years old, and is just starting to find his potential as a pitcher.

He is a left-handed pitcher who stands at 6’1″ tall, and is effective.  He was a starter at every level of the minors until he reached Memphis where he took on a role as a reliever.  Sherriff logged 66.2 innings during the 2016 campaign.

Sherriff, a reliever, could potentially be the internal help the Cardinals are seeking in the bullpen.  In 2016, Sherriff appeared in 49 games, posting an ERA of 2.84.  He showed that he can throw regardless of a lefty-righty matchup as he was used in middle relief over multiple innings.

Strikeouts are always a good stat by which to gauge the ability of a pitcher who inherits runners on base and who gets out of these scenarios without allowing runs.  Sherriff fanned 55 batters in these scenarios last year while walking 23.

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All of this praise aside, the one concern from this past season is that he averages a hit an inning, allowing 66 hits in just over 66 innings.  That said, his low ERA shows poise from this major-league hopeful.  This leaves only the question of when he will hear his phone ring with news of his call-up.

Sherriff holds a career era of 3.01 in the minors, which is impressive, considering he has appeared in 169 games, including 45 starts.  Through six minor league seasons, he has been a consistent arm that has shown talent and, I believe, has a bright future.  It would appear his time to get the call to the big club will come soon.

Next: Adressing the Loss of Duke

Considering the most recent injury to Zach Duke, questions exist of what the pitching staff in St. Louis will look like in 2017.  Sherriff has been working to prove he can be a viable option to help the ailing pitching staff ever since he was drafted out of West Los Angeles Community College in the late rounds.  Only time will tell what revamping this off-season brings and whether this name plays a role.