What To Expect: Luke Weaver
The Cardinals are just one game off of the second wild card, but they are nonetheless getting a glimpse of their future. No. 2 overall prospect Alex Reyes made his big league debut Tuesday by firing 101 mph fastballs and a big breaking curveball.
And this weekend the Cardinals will insert their No. 2 prospect at midseason, righthander Luke Weaver, into the starting rotation.
Weaver is filling the spot opened up by Michael Wacha’s trip to the disabled list with a shoulder injury. It’s not clear that Wacha will be able to return anytime soon, so it’s possible Weaver’s stay could be an extended one.
Weaver made just one start at Triple-A Memphis, but St. Louis felt he was ready to compete.
“Candidly, he only had one start in Triple-A but I still feel he’ll give us a good opportunity to win that game (in Chicago),” general manager John Mozeliak told reporters.
SCOUTING REPORT
The 27th overall pick in 2014, Weaver developed into Florida State’s ace as a sophomore. His fastball backed up a bit as a junior, but he still pitched his way into the first round.
A broken wrist shagging balls in spring training set back Weaver’s 2016 season—he didn’t make his first start since June 5—but he’s more than made up for it. After dominating at high Class A last season, he’s done the same at Double-A and Triple-A. In fact, if not for his late start Weaver would be in the middle of the competition for Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year award. The 22-year-old righthander was 6-3, 1.40 at Double-A Springfield with 88 strikeouts and 10 walks in 77 innings and his one start at Memphis was a six-inning, two-hit gem.
Weaver’s fastball velocity ticked up this season to 93-94 mph, perhaps because his arm was fresher, and he’s touched as high as 98 mph. His changeup is his best secondary pitch and his newfound cutter has helped him neutralize lefthanded hitters, who batted .310 against him last season, but are hitting just .220 this season. He combines excellent stuff with plus control, as he’s walked just 1.6 batters per nine as a pro.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Because both Reyes and Weaver have had abbreviated seasons, they don’t face the innings limits that would normally be placed on young pitchers. Weaver has made just one start at Triple-A, but his advanced control makes him more ready to contribute at the big league level than many young pitchers with much more Triple-A experience. Rookie starting pitchers are often erratic from start to start, but the combination of a solid team and solid control gives Weaver a chance to make a significant impact both in real life and fantasy terms over the final third of the season.
Comments are closed.