Evaluating the last 10 hyped prospect debuts for the St. Louis Cardinals

Jack Flaherty

Jack Flaherty had a high floor as a prospect. He reached #80 overall in 2016 for the Cardinals, and he was a pitcher that had high upside but was projected primarily as a mid-rotation starter. His strikeout potential made him an interesting candidate to possibly be an ace. The Cardinals held Flaherty in AAA all season until September 1st against the San Francisco Giants.

In his debut, Jack Flaherty pitched 4 innings. He struggled mightily, giving up 5 runs and 8 hits along with a walk. He did, however, strike out 6 batters. He would go on to pitch in 21.1 innings to an ERA of 6.33, a FIP of 5.27, and struck out 20 batters. He made 6 appearances during the 2017 season, 5 of which were starts.

Flaherty was recently traded to the Baltimore Orioles during the 2023 trade deadline. Throughout his career in St. Louis, Flaherty had a 3.41 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.108 WHIP, an ERA+ of 119, and even had Cy Young votes in his dominant 2019 season. While fans got tired of Flaherty not necessarily living up to expectations, he provided many memorable starts and moments for Cardinals fans throughout his career in St. Louis.