Aug 30, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Cardinals Insider Shares Legend's Advice For Michael McGreevy

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 9:06 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have a piece to be really excited about in the starting rotation right now.

As the 2025 season sprints to an end, the focus for the organization is going to equally as quickly shift to the 2026 campaign. Who will still be with the organization when the 2026 campaign gets here? That's a topic that is especially important for the rotation. There are questions for the Cardinals, but they at least know they have something in Michael McGreevy.

McGreevy has appeared in 12 games for the Cardinals -- including 11 starts -- and has a 4.17 ERA and 40-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 innings pitched. Early on, McGreevy's role wasn't consistent. The Cardinals brought him up every now and then for a spot start. What should excite Cardinals fans is that seven of his 12 outings have featured fewer than four earned runs. He only has two outings with over four earned runs overall.

The 25-year-old righty has sky-high potential and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shared that he even has gotten some advice from Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals have an exciting piece for the future in Michael McGreevy

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"When he got a chance recently to thank Adam Wainwright in person for the supportive text message earlier this season, Cardinals rookie starter Michael McGreevy pocketed some advice, too," Goold said. "'Simplify,' the 200-game winner said. 'Get down in the zone.' 'I’m trying, Waino. I’m trying,' McGreevy said late Saturday night in the clubhouse as he recreated the conversation. 'Easy for him to say. It’s a great rule of thumb. Try to stay down.'

"It’s a proven way to tame Great American Ball Park...While he leans on the sinker, he also throws a sweeping slider low in the zone that can cause grounders, and he use his curveball and four-seamer to adjust eye levels that eventually lead to teasing the hitter back into a ground ball. 'He knows all of it gets back to beating it into the ground,' (Oliver Marmol) said. Which harmonizes with Wainwright’s tip. Stay low. Grow from there. 'If I was in Triple-A and didn’t get a strikeout, I would be a little pissed,' McGreevy said. 'But here, it’s like, you’ve got to get outs. If you can go six innings, one run, no strikeouts — I’ll take that any day of the week.'"

With all of the question marks for the Cardinals, at least McGreevy doesn't have a lot of question marks around him.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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