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

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.

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In particular, the presence of Daniel Ponce De Leon, Austin Gomber, and Alex Reyes will make it difficult for the St. Louis Cardinals to justify calling Shew up. Both have been pitching well in Memphis as well, and they both have already shown the ability to be successful at the major league level.

There is a slight chance that if he keeps putting up elite numbers into September, we may see him on the expanded roster towards the end of the season. However, 2020 seems like a more likely time for us to see Shew in the majors.

But with the fast rate at which he is improving his game, I wouldn’t put it past him to surprise the world once again. They say you can never have too many pitchers in baseball, and Shew might be testing the St. Louis Cardinals belief in that theory very soon.

Anthony Shew certainly has a chance to put his talent together enough to survive in the majors. He’s already gone incredibly far for a undrafted free agent in a short amount of time, and until he proves me wrong, I will continue to have faith in the growth of Anthony Shew.