MLB player comparisons for 6 Cardinals' prospects

Tekoah Roby: Freddy Peralta

Since coming over in the Jordan Montgomery trade, Tekoah Roby has been a player that I am very excited about. He's got the stuff and makeup of a true difference-maker for the Cardinals rotation, and time will tell regarding just how high that ceiling is. While I see Roby as a guy who could be a top-of-the-rotation talent, I aimed for just below that with this comparison and found Freddy Peralta to be a very interesting comparison.

Roby is still very early on in his development. He's pitching at the Double-A level now and has only thrown 185 innings over his first three minor league seasons. But when he's on the mound, he's a strikeout machine, and he his a whole new level in Springfield with a 14.3 SO/9 in his 12 innings of work.

Most Cardinals fans are very familiar with Peralta as the third head of the Milwaukee Brewers dynamic trio, with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff leading the way. While Burnes and Woodruff are the clear 1-2 punch in that trio, Peralta is more of a true number two starter cast in the role of a number three.

2021 was a true breakout season for Peralta, as he was named an All-Star and posted a 2.81 ERA in 144.1 innings of work. He has a career 3.83 ERA and has struggled with injuries, but has incredible stuff, evidenced by his 11.6 SO/9 and his consistently low WHIP.

At just 27 years old, we very well may see Peralta take another step forward and become a true front-line starter in today's game. In a lot of ways, I see Roby having that kind of trajectory that Peralta has had. He may not quite be a true ace, but he has the stuff to compete with anyone on any given day and will be an excellent number two starter, and potentially grow into something more.