St. Louis Cardinals: Five Pitchers That Can Fill The Reyes Sized Hole

Luke Weaver-High

Weaver started eight games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 with an ERA of 5.70. Despite the high number, he is the number two prospect in the organization, right behind Reyes.  He will certainly be a big part of the conversation for the Opening Day rotation.

Again, I would project Wacha to take the job, but Weaver will be right there behind him.  Along with Rosenthal, Weaver will be a front runner to take the job if Wacha doesn’t.  In fact Weaver is much more likely to take the spot than Rosy.

What Weaver shows is the depth of young pitching the Cardinals have.  To have the top prospect go down, only to have the number two prospect waiting to possibly take his place is not a bad backup plan.  In fact, Weaver cracked MLB Pipline’s Top 100 prospects as well at number 81.

An ERA above five shows that Weaver still needs to settle in.  But he will.  His career ERA in the Minor Leagues is 1.30 and he has blazed quite a path on his way to St. Louis.  All he really needs is the opportunity and now he has it.  This injury could be how the 23 year old becomes a mainstay in the rotation.

His ceiling is projected as a number three starter but might be able to surpass that. Regardless, as it stands, he will become a solid starter for years to come.  With Adam Wainwright aging, a future rotation could feature Carlos Martinez and Alex Reyes at the top, with Weaver holding down the middle.

The closing of Reyes’ door for the 2017 season opens up a door for Weaver.  It changes the conversation from Wacha or Reyes, to Wacha or Weaver.  There is a very real possibility Weaver will see the rotation this season, even if it isn’t set that way for Opening Day.