Quinn Mathews was seen more as a safe pick as opposed to someone with actual upside. A Stanford college senior, Mathews jumped on the national scene after throwing a 156-pitch, 16-strikeout, complete game against Texas in the Super Regionals. He signed for slightly above slot value after the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Mathews didn’t have an overpowering fastball, but he had a plus change-up, curveball, and slider, all coming from a lower arm slot. Along with his control, he had a knack for pitching deep and had all the makings of a reliable innings-eater at the next level, even if it was a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Quinn Mathews Reaches Top 100 Prospects List
Few players have been as big a surprise in the minors as Mathews. He’s now entered the Baseball America top 100, ranking at No .98 and third overall in the Cardinals organization. They mention him as one of the top breakout players of the year so and how he has translated from being a ‘pitch ability’ left-hander to a power pitcher with ‘legit stuff.’ It’s time to start talking about Mathews a little bit more. He’s performing well in High-A through nine starts this season. The biggest surprise has been his fastball. Early reports mentioned his fastball sitting between 90-92 during his Stanford days. However, while he was with Single-A Palm Beach, his fastball averaged 94 mph.
Cardinals LHP Quinn Mathews is the second prospect I’m sounding the alarm on in ’24. He was a quintessential crafty lefty in college but his stuff has taken a significant jump as a pro.
Sat 90-92 at Stanford, comfortably 94-96 now. Masterful on Friday w/ 13Ks in 6 scoreless IP. pic.twitter.com/shqnpZ2aQ1
— Beck (@Upper_Beck) April 28, 2024
His lower arm slot and high-induced Vertical Break (17.9″). That allowed him to get a 31.3 percent whiff rate with his fastball. It was a big reason behind him striking out 44.4 percent of the overall batters he faced in Single-A. The change-up was dominant as expected, picking up a 57.9 percent whiff rate and holding opponents to a .107 xBA against.
With Single-A Palm Beach, Mathews struck out 52 batters in 30 2/3 innings pitched while posting a 1.47 ERA. Those are incredible numbers that caught the attention of many evaluators. Still, he was a senior college signing pitching in Single-A, so there was a certain expectation when it came to success, but the boost he showed was enough to intrigue people and make them want to see how he did at a higher level.
Promotion to High-A
After six games in Single-A, Mathews was promoted to High-A Peoria. Mathews struck out 11 across seven innings in his first start. He picked up 22 whiffs in that start, the most he has posted this season.
Quinn Mathews’ final line (High-A debut):
7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Mathews continues his incredible start to the season with 7 strong innings. He recorded a season-high 22 whiffs. There isn’t a Cardinals prospect who has boosted his stock more this year than Mathews. pic.twitter.com/wpfntgOAee
— Kareem (@KareemSSN) May 19, 2024
At 23 years old, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Mathews gets another promotion soon. He’s certainly making his way into a different prospect class, now recognized nationally.
Main Photo: © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
