Boone Whiting

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #26 prospect in 2014
  The steady, innings-eating Whiting is a pitcher out of his time. Less than a decade ago, before teams favored power to the exclusion of pitchability, the righthander would have ranked among the best in the Cardinals organization. Whiting made 27 starts in 2013, logged a team-high 21 at Triple-A Memphis, and averaged five innings per start. He had nine quality starts, seven at Triple-A. The workload helped answer questions of shoulder durability. Whiting pitches taller than his 6-foot-1 height and creates deception with a high arm slot. He's a detail-oriented pitcher, maximizing his ability and command with precise delivery. Whiting throws a fringe-average fastball that sits between 89-91 mph, and he builds off a quality sinker and a solid changeup. He's able to exploit the mix against both lefties and righties and for telling swings and misses. He misses bats despite fringy stuff and continues to average more than four strikeouts for every walk thanks to solid command. The Cardinals left Whiting unprotected in the Rule 5 draft despite four open spots on the 40-man roster, and he's ticketed to return to the Triple-A rotation.
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  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #27 prospect in 2012
  Before he emerged as the most reliable member of the rotation that pitched Quad Cities to the 2011 Midwest League title, Whiting had to begin where few aces do--in the bullpen. Pegged as a long reliever after signing for $30,000 as an 18th-round pick in 2010, he seized a June opening in the River Bandits' six-man rotation. He wound up leading the minors in WHIP (0.89) and the MWL in opponent average (.191). A heady pitcher with meticulous pregame prep and notes on opponents, Whiting is a typical Cardinals small-college find. He changes hitters' eye level by mixing 86-91 mph fastballs at the top of the strike zone with swing-and-miss sliders. He also has a changeup with good deception and splitter action. Whiting has the best command in the system, spotting his pitches to all four corners of the strike zone. He also throws batters off with his over-the-top delivery. He'll advance to High Class A, where a spot in the rotation is waiting for him with no early-season bullpen work necessary.