The St. Louis Cardinals certainly have a bright future.
The 2023 campaign may not have started exactly as the Cardinals as hoped as they sit at 2-4 through six games, but they should be one of the best teams in all of baseball this season. St. Louis finished atop the National League Central standings at 93-69 and returned much of the same roster this season.
St. Louis has depth across the roster and there should be some more high-end talent coming this season and one person to keep an eye out for is 23-year-old fireballer, Matthew Liberatore.
The tall lefty made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2022 but began the 2023 seasons with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Liberatore has made two appearances so far this season for the Redbirds and has been impressive so far. Through two starts Liberatore has yet to allow a run across 10 innings pitched to go along with 14 strikeouts and just four walks.
Liberatore features a blistering fastball that approaches 100 miles per hour to go along with a curveball, changeup, and slider. The 23-year-old likely will see time at the big league level at some point this season and should be a welcomed sight for the Cardinals. St. Louis' offense has been off and flying so far to open the 2023 campaign, but the pitching staff hasn't been as successful. The Cardinals' starting rotation has allowed 23 runs across 29 innings pitched.
The young lefty currently is the Cardinals' No. 6-ranked prospect. Liberatore was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft. St. Louis acquired the electric hurler in a 2020 trade that saw St. Louis send a package including Randy Arozarena to Tampa Bay.
St. Louis' pitching should improve in the near future with longtime hurler Adam Wainwright making his way back from injury. If Liberatore can continue his hot streak at Triple-A and Wainwright comes back sooner rather than later, the Cardinals' pitching could greatly improve very shortly.
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