The St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation isn't the worst in baseball by any means, but they could certainly use an upgrade. The Cardinals invested heavily in this group two winters ago, but that hasn't worked out as planned. Stars like Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Steven Matz aren't the players they once were. Miles Mikolas wasn't worth a lengthy contract extension, though he has been better of late. The Cardinals could use some fresh blood, so why not Michael McGreevy?
St. Louis has the 28th-best team ERA in the sport. That's not remotely good enough, and I don't care if John Mozeliak has dubbed this season a retooling year. Chaim Bloom is in charge now, and surely he'd like to see some progress, especially with a few impressive arms at the minor-league level. McGreevy had an impressive debut stint with the Cardinals last season, pitching to the tune of a 1.96 ERA in three starts. Manager Oli Marmol was impressed with the 24-year-old during spring training, as well.
“He showed well and exactly as advertised by pounding the strike zone and living on the ground,” Marmol said of McGreevy. “He looks good [this Spring Training]. He put on some weight and had a really good offseason, and I’m excited to see what’s coming out of that arm.”
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It's about time the Cardinals committed to Michael McGreevy
Still, that was not enough to earn McGreevy an Opening Day roster spot, and he has instead been fine tuning his approach at Triple-A Memphis. The Cardinals tenth-ranked prospect, McGreevy has a 4.08 ERA so far in Triple-A. While he hasn't been perfect, McGreevy has some major-league success under his belt, and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets another chance in St. Louis. MLB Pipeline outlined McGreevy's sinker as his strength, but also noted the young right hander ought to earn a chance as a back-end starting pitcher:
"McGreevy still pumps strikes and was especially good at limiting walks in his brief MLB stint. His adjustments and arsenal diversity have him looking like a bona fide backend starter for the big league club, rather than just an up-and-down arm, entering his age-24 season."
McGreevy was in the mix for a rotation spot this spring, but ultimately was passed over. Given the Cards are, again, 28th in team ERA so far this season, they ought to consider bringing him into the fold. They have little to lose.