St. Louis Cardinals to Promote Jack Flaherty
By David Hill
The St. Louis Cardinals have an opening in the rotation after trading Mike Leake to the Seattle Mariners. To fill in that spot, they will promote prospect Jack Flaherty to make his debut on Friday.
On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals sent starting pitcher Mike Leake to the Seattle Mariners for minor leaguer Rayder Ascanio. The early morning move was quite the surprise, as Leake was expected to remain a part of the Cardinals rotation heading into the offseason.
With that trade, there was an open spot amongst the Cardinals starters. That opening is slated to be filled by prospect Jack Flaherty, who will be promoted to the majors on Friday to make his debut. The hope is that he will join Luke Weaver and Alex Reyes to give St. Louis an excellent trio of young starters for years to come.
After being listed as the 80th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com prior to the 2016 season, Flaherty exploded on the scene as a prospect this year. He dominated at AA with the Springfield Cardinals, posting a 7-2 record with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.916 WHiP, striking out 62 batters with 11 walks in 63,1 innings. That production resulted in a promotion to the AAA Memphis Redbirds, where Flaherty continued to perform well. He had an identical 7-2 record, with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.137 WHiP, striking out 85 batters against 24 walks in 85.1 innings.
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Understandably, Flaherty rocketed up the prospect rankings. He was listed as the 53rd best prospect in baseball in the MLB.com midseason rankings, with talk of a potential promotion. That major league debut will be a reality on Friday.
Obviously, there is a good deal to like about the Cardinals prospect. He has four pitches that are considered to be useful, with his fastball/changeup combination considered to be potential plus pitches. Flaherty has also demonstrated an excellent feel for the strike zone, walking just 2.6 batters per nine, with an 8.6 K/9 rate.
If he is able to replicate that minor league success, Flaherty could well be that next young star in the Cardinals rotation. His ability to pitch, as well as his solid arsenal, could lead to a successful final month in the majors. If so, he could be a key part of the rotation in 2018.
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Jack Flaherty will make his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. Based on his minor league production, he may stay in the rotation for a long time.