Cardinals' young starter has a unique talent that could help aid struggling catcher

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of MLB’s most obscure talents in starting pitcher Michael McGreevy. Be it his poor analytical data matched against in-game performance, the veteran poise he possesses at such a young age, or the old-school style he pitches with, he’s an odd one for sure–and he just got a little weirder. 

Recently, on an episode of the Just Baseball Media podcast, host Peter Appel had Paul Hembekides on as a guest. 

Hembekides covers baseball for ESPN and works with the Pat McAfee show. He’s one of the modern game's best analysts and provides fans with very entertaining content, jam-packed with numbers, personality, and interesting information. 

This time around, Hembekides spoke about McGreevy and his strange talent. 

“Michael McGreevy has a superpower,” Appel said with a sly grin, as he teed up Hembekides. “What is that superpower, Hembo?” 

“No one in baseball, at any level, does anything better than Michael McGreevy controls the running game,” Hembekides responded with a shocked look on his face. 

He couldn’t even stomach the numbers that he was about to relay.  

“Michael McGreevy is a perfect illustration of someone who can accumulate extraordinary value in non-traditional ways. One of you guys on this show, at one point, noted just how hard it was to run on Michael McGreevy. So I made a mental note of it. …

“When I finally got around to looking it up, I just could not believe these numbers. It’s incredible. In 44 big league games, he’s allowed three steals on six attempts. In 104 minor league games, he allowed 12 steals in 26 attempts. And in 49 college games, he allowed four steals on nine attempts! Peter, he’s thrown 197 games since High School. He’s allowed 19 stolen bases in 41 attempts! I’ve never heard of, or seen anything like that, at least from a right-handed pitcher.” 

McGreevy’s abnormal career continues to snowball. For better or for worse, he’s continuously one of baseball’s most abstract young studs. 

Although, besides a fun anecdote, Hembekides’ discovery could have just unlocked exactly what the Cardinals need to fix one of their biggest holes.

Could the Cardinals use Michael McGreevy’s interesting talents to aid Ivan Herrera? 

Ivan Herrera caught game one against the Chicago Cubs tonight. The Cubs attempted to steal second base multiple times. Herrera remains victimless in the caught-stealing category. 

Stolen bases have been a mystery all year long for the young backstop. At this rate, someone might need to call The Hardy Boys. 

Maybe the solution has nothing to do with Herrera at the moment, and everything to do with McGreevy. The Odyssey to throw out a runner for Herrera is on track to end on an island–not back at home. 

McGreevy might have a chance to change the implications with his lockdown on the run game. 

The only way the Cardinals can assure the best possible results for their young project is to put him in a position to succeed. The verdict? For a majority of his defensive appearances, Herrera should only catch games that McGreevy starts. 

McGreevy’s innate ability to limit stolen bases should help deaden the overly aggressive tactics opposing teams have deployed against Herrera. 

Outside of that, McGreevy’s newly discovered talent is simply another chapter in his autobiography of hidden gimmicks. He throws an absurd amount of pitches, does it like he’s ten years older than he is, and for some reason, it leaves the opposition glued to first base. 

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