Cardinals: Jack Flaherty's frustration with reporters unravels after recent struggles

Josh Jacobs

Los Angeles Angels v St. Louis Cardinals / Dilip Vishwanat/GettyImages

Cardinals' starter Jack Flaherty voiced his frustration with reporters after the game on Tuesday

It's no secret that there is a portion of St. Louis Cardinals' fans that have been frustrated with Jack Flaherty's "attitude" in recent years, oftentimes in ways that are unfair to Flaherty.

But his interactions with reporters after his start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday cannot be defended.

You can listen to his comments here, courtesy of Bally Sports Midwest. Jim Hayes began to ask Flaherty about his fastball velocity, and then Flaherty cut him off and provided this statement, which you can read from Jeff Jones tweet below.

Jack Flaherty told the assembled media this evening that he would not answer any questions about his fastball velocity. Here's that dialogue: pic.twitter.com/5555uFTRxj
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) May 10, 2023

Derrick Goold is the one who chimed in and told Flaherty that, although he says they "don't understand the art of pitching", that is why they ask him to explain it. Look, I get why Flaherty would be frustrated by the questions. He's not happy with his performance either. But to talk down to reporters like that, who are giving him a chance to "explain the art of pitching", is not a good look for the right-hander.

There are legitimate reasons to be concerned about the underlying numbers with Flaherty. Look at his fastball velocity from year to year.

2017: 56th
2018: 50th
2019: 63rd
2020: 60th
2021: 52nd
2022: 39th
2023: 22nd

So far this season, he ranks in the 13th percentile in barrel% allowed, 9th in walk percentage, 30th in xSLG, 39th in HardHit%, and 10th in chase rate. This all seems to match the 6.18 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 5.68 FIP he's posted this season. Oh, and he leads the National League in walks so far.

There is still plenty of time for Flaherty to figure things out on the mound. Some of his starts this season have reminded me of his old self, so he's still got the potential to be a very valuable member of this rotation. But for now, he really needs to figure some things out, on the mound and in his interactions with the media.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs has been the Site Expert for Redbird Rants since October 2022. Josh began writing for FanSided in December 2021 and has also held roles as a Contributor for Redbird Rants and was formerly the Site Expert for Rays Colored Glasses. Josh is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan and is passionate about providing thoughtful coverage and for Cardinals Nation. Josh’s experience includes covering Cardinals’ events like Winter Warm-Up, building relationships with Cardinals players, prospects, and employees, and guest appearances on local radio and podcasts. Josh is also the host of the Dealin’ the Cards podcast and co-host of “Philosophical Differences” with KMOV’s Brenden Schaeffer. You can find Josh on Twitter @joshjaco98 for even more opinions and coverage of the team.