Cardinals rookie's journey to MLB is one of the most unique you’ll ever hear

Nick Raquet made his MLB debut on Sept. 8 against the Seattle Mariners, pitching a clean seventh inning in a tight, two-run game.

He pitched the next night in the same spot in a similar situation and fired off another scoreless inning while also securing his first MLB strikeout.

By all accounts, it's been a nice debut for Raquet, a 29-year-old left-handed reliever. Given how many bullpen arms the Cardinals dumped at the trade deadline, getting any sort of consistency out of a newcomer in the bullpen is a welcome sign.

Dig deeper, though, and you'll begin to learn of one of the wildest "journey to The Show" stories you'll ever see. Originally drafted in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals, Raquet stalled in his development in High-A, retiring from professional baseball in 2019 at just 23 years old.

Now, six years later, he's dealing out of the Cardinals' bullpen.

Nick Raquet shines in MLB debut for Cardinals six years after quitting baseball

Raquet was a highly touted prospect coming out of the College of William & Mary, and he mostly lived up to the hype in his first full pro season in 2018, pitching to a 3.74 ERA in in 122 2/3 innings for a few Nationals affiliates.

The wheels fell off in 2019, and after recording an 8.49 ERA in the Arizona Fall League that offseason, he called it quits during the Covid-19 pandemic, instead parlaying his finance degree into a job with "Big Four" accounting firm Ernst & Young.

It wasn't until 2023 that Raquet rediscovered his passion for baseball, and after impressing in the independent Atlantic League, the Cardinals gave him a chance in 2024, signing the southpaw to a minor league contract.

It took a while for him to make the full conversion to the bullpen, but the results have been off the charts this season. In 36 games (48 1/3 innings) between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Raquet pitched to a 1.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, locking down eight saves while authoring a 57:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

With rosters expanding in September and the Cardinals shifting their attention to 2026 and beyond, they gave Raquet his chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. The sample is incredibly small thus far, but it's safe to say the moment hasn't been too big for the rookie.

It's hard to say if Raquet will end up folding into St. Louis's longer-term plans, but as one of just two lefties currently in the bullpen (JoJo Romero being the other), he could make a case to stick around with a few more strong performances before the season is over.