Redbird Rants
FanSided

St. Louis Cardinals: MLB player comparisons for top prospects

By Reed Zahradnik

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 07: Dylan Carlson #8 of the National League Futures Team looks on during batting practice prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 07: Dylan Carlson #8 of the National League Futures Team looks on during batting practice prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Port Charlotte, FL – JUL 06: 2018 Tampa Bay Rays first round pick 18-year-old left-hander Matthew Liberatore makes his professional debut as the starting pitcher for the GCL Rays during the Gulf Coast League (GCL) game between the GCL Orioles and the GCL Rays on July 06, 2018, at the Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Port Charlotte, FL – JUL 06: 2018 Tampa Bay Rays first round pick 18-year-old left-hander Matthew Liberatore makes his professional debut as the starting pitcher for the GCL Rays during the Gulf Coast League (GCL) game between the GCL Orioles and the GCL Rays on July 06, 2018, at the Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The newest addition to the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm, Matthew Liberatore was one of the top lefties in the 2018 draft. He adds a much-needed pitching presence to the top prospect list.

Ceiling: Mike Minor – TEX

Minor has looked ace-like at times in his career, so this is not a slight towards Liberatore at all.

Tall, left-handed starting pitchers are always in high demand in Major League Baseball. Players who are able to throw a lot of high-quality innings are a very desirable asset.

With a wide arsenal of pitches, Liberatore probably isn’t going to strike out 300 batters in a season, but he will be able to use his pitches effectively to outsmart hitters. A good curveball and a fastball that sits in the low to mid 90’s are his go-to pitches with a developing slider and changeup, almost identical to what Minor throws.

Minor posted his best year back in 2013, where he had a 3.21 ERA with a 3.93 K/BB, but didn’t pitch in the majors in either 2015 or 2016 due to injuries. He’s bounced back very nicely in the last three years between the Royals and Rangers to post a 3.62 ERA with a 3.26 K/BB ratio.

Floor: Mike Montgomery – KCR

Mike Montgomery has been a good but unattractive piece in the majors for five years now.

He is good enough at everything but not elite at anything. In some ways, that has hurt him. He’s never gotten the opportunity to pitch a full season as a starter but has still made a positive impact on the club he’s playing for.

His peak came in 2016 when he was traded from the Mariners to the Cubs during the season. In 100 innings, he posted a 2.52 ERA with a 2.42 K/BB ratio. Since then he has posted a 4.01 ERA while averaging 115 innings per season.

Liberatore has a similar repertoire, and he had similar results. While he hasn’t struck out that many batters, he also hasn’t been great at limiting walks in his short (and admittedly young) career. Hopefully he can develop enough to try and get those stats moving in opposite directions in the coming season.

Numbers can be misleading, especially at the lower levels of the minors. Comparing young players to well-known names can be a very productive exercise when projecting a player, and maybe, tampering expectations.

Next. Don’t lunge for too far for Nolan Arenado. dark

These will be the three most anticipated prospects in the organization this season and I can’t wait to see how this season turns out for them.

Home/St Louis Cardinals News