St. Louis Cardinals: Anthony Shew's journey has been about growth

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ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 19: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been shot in black and white. Color version not available.) A general view of Busch Stadium during Game One of the MLB World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals on October 19, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won the World Series in seven games after being down three games to two games, and down to their last strike twice in game six. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Before getting hit by a liner on May 12, Anthony Shew was making his emergence and stating his case to get his shot on the St. Louis Cardinals. His journey from undrafted free agent to potential MLB promotion has been one of growth.

As an undrafted free agent signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016, Anthony Shew hasn’t been exactly the most touted of prospects, not even receiving scouting grades on sites like Fangraphs and Baseball Savant. These are the types of players that are many times drafted as long shots, and are more used for minor league depth.

However, Shew has been quietly making his way up the minor league ladder, playing solid at each level along the way. This has culminated in a pretty solid start to 2019. He started the year in AA, making 5 starts and putting up a 1.93 ERA. He also allowed just 6 walks and a single homer, and this prompted a bump up to AAA.

This may seem like a move made a bit fast. After all, five starts isn’t exactly a sample size to be confident with, but I think the St. Louis Cardinals organization has liked the way Shew has grown quickly as he has climbed up the minor league ladder.

That might seem confusing, but the picture becomes more clear when you see the growth that Shew has gone through. While many people haven’t heard about it, it is a surprising story worth keeping an eye on if you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MAY 10: Relief pitcher Ian Kennedy #31 of the Kansas City Royals throws in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Kauffman Stadium on May 10, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

As mentioned earlier, Shew wasn’t exactly touted at the major league level, but it wasn’t always that way. As with many players gunning for the big leagues, Shew had a lot going for him.

Shew is the cousin of MLB pitcher Ian Kennedy, and was instrumental in leading his Mission Viejo (in California, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles) High School baseball team to the CIF Championship in his junior year, winning the title game at Dodger Stadium. He continued to lead the rotation in his senior season with a 2.47 ERA and earned All-League second team honors.

He moved on to Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo in 2013 and won a Scholar Baller award for success as both a student and an athlete. In his first year, Shew went 20 innings allowing no runs and just eight hits while picking up 17 Ks. He followed that up with a stellar sophomore year in which he threw 95.1 innings of 1.51 ERA ball and earned All-Conference first team honors.

He then transferred to UC San Francisco, where he became the top starter in the rotation. He started 13 games for the Dons, and finished his 90.1 innings of work with a 3.64 ERA and was named to the All-Conference second team. In 2016, Shew’s senior season, he struggled a bit to the tune of a 4.71 ERA, but his talent was enough to catch the eyes of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Despite going undrafted, getting a change with an organization wasn’t something Shew had to worry about for long. He was signed soon after the draft, just over a month after making his final collegiate start.

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 11: A woman walks to cover during a rain shower prior to a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 11, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images) /

As expected with a minor leaguer, Shew had a very inconsistent start to his career. But in this case, it wasn’t entirely his fault.

Shew was assigned to Johnson City for the 2016 season, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride out of the gate. He played 15 games, but was a starter in only 1 of those games. Shew did not adjust very well to being a full time reliever, and he finished that season off with some abysmal numbers: a 6.66 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, and a scary 15.1 H/9.

Fortunately (and somewhat obviously), this is the lowest point of Shew’s minor league journey so far. He had a stellar rebound in 2017, in part due to his return to starting games as opposed to relieving them. The other interesting thing is that despite how much Shew struggled over a pretty significant sample size, he was promoted all the way up to Palm Beach to start the season.

Unfortunately, he gave up 6 hits and 5 runs in 3 innings in his first game there, prompting a demotion to the State College Spikes, the short season Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. He made just 4 starts there, but for a more positive reason. He pitched to the tune of a 3.36 ERA, and although he allowed 6 runs in his final start, he made it deep into games and showed some encouraging signs.

He was then promoted to Peoria in mid July, where he spent the rest of 2017. Shew found success with the Chiefs, putting up a 2.95 ERA over 58 innings that included a 1.42 ERA over his final 5 starts of the season, capping off a surprisingly successful 2017.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 08: A detailed view of officials Major League Baseballs in the dugout prior to the start of the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on July 8, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Shew continued to make drastic improvements to his game heading into 2018 and beyond, handling himself well as he moved into the higher ends of the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system.

He was promoted to Palm Beach to start 2018, and this is where he really showed how much he improved over the past season. Unlike his previous game in Palm Beach to start the previous season, Shew dominated hitters in High-A. He put up an impressive 2.11 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 8 starts before being promoted the St. Louis Cardinals Double-A affiliate in Springfield.

He hit a bit of a wall there, but he was still unquestionably a serviceable player. He started 19 games and put up a 4.50 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, over 114 innings. Those numbers certainly leave something to be desired, but it’s also not something that proves Shew didn’t have the ability to be successful at that level at the time.

Once again though, an offseason of growth was all Shew needed to shift the narrative and take the next step as a ballplayer. He came into 2019 with 5 starts at Springfield, where he allowed just 6 runs and once again showed drastic improvements from the previous season.

Shew was promoted to Memphis on April 29, and was doing well there before being hit by a liner on May 12, which put him on the 7-day IL, where he currently is today. Before the injury, he was showing signs that he would be able to hang in Triple-A, currently having allowed just 2 runs over 14 innings. He brought his K/9 up to 9.6, his highest mark in a stint since his time with the State College Spikes in 2017, where he registered 10.1 K/9 over just 4 games.

ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 28: A general view Busch Stadium prior to Game Five of the 2013 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St Louis Cardinals on October 28, 2013 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Shew’s growth has been exceptional, and it’s not a longshot to say that he has a chance to make the majors. However, the step to the majors is so much more difficult than other jumps, and part of it has to do with the roster outside of Shew.

There isn’t very much information on Shew’s injury besides his presence on the 7-day, so I am thinking it is something that will keep him out for a few starts, but not much longer than that. The way he comes back from this injury, his first stint on the IL.

There is one thing I can say with confidence though: Shew will probably not see the majors in 2019, no matter how well he pitches. It isn’t a slight on his abilities, as he has proven time and time again he can evolve and adapt. No, it is more because of the way the St. Louis Cardinals and the first few men up from the minors are currently set up.

St. Louis Cardinals: Anthony Shew’s journey has been about growth

Before getting hit by a liner on May 12, Anthony Shew was making his emergence and stating his case to get his shot on the St. Louis Cardinals. His journey from undrafted free agent to potential MLB promotion has been one of growth.

As mentioned earlier, Shew wasn’t exactly touted at the major league level, but it wasn’t always that way. As with many players gunning for the big leagues, Shew had a lot going for him.

As expected with a minor leaguer, Shew had a very inconsistent start to his career. But in this case, it wasn’t entirely his fault.

Shew continued to make drastic improvements to his game heading into 2018 and beyond, handling himself well as he moved into the higher ends of the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system.

Shew’s growth has been exceptional, and it’s not a longshot to say that he has a chance to make the majors. However, the step to the majors is so much more difficult than other jumps, and part of it has to do with the roster outside of Shew.

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