The St. Louis Cardinals swung a handful of trades at the deadline this year. One deal that they struck sent Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for infielder Cesar Prieto, left-handed pitcher Drew Rom, and right-handed pitcher Zack Showalter. Of this group southpaw Drew Rom is getting called up to the big leagues and will make his MLB debut on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Drew Rom will make his MLB debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Drew Rom was a fourth round pick in the 2018 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The 23 year old is not ranked inside the Cardinals top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline, but Baseball America has him at 15th. Regardless this big league start will be an opportunity for him to showcase his skills and show that he deserves to compete for a 2024 starting rotation spot.
On the mound he has a fastball that sits in the low 90s. He throws a splitter and a slider to keep hitters off balance but can struggle with command of those pitches at times. In Triple-A this season he has more strikeouts (118) than innings pitched (97) but an elevated WHIP (1.57).
With starting pitching being a need for the Cardinals this offseason getting a look at Drew Rom right now makes some sense. Hopefully he can make the most of this opportunity and earn a few more looks at the big league level this season.
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