Cardinals Pitching Phenom Joins Elite Company After Achieving Incredible Feat

The St. Louis hurler has a bright future ahead of him

Jul 28, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird sprays water on a fan during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are a young team that has struggled through growing pains over the last few seasons with a fanbase that holds high expectations.

After finishing with 91 losses in 2023, Cardinals fans were hoping for something different this season. Sadly, not much changed, with St. Louis eliminated from the playoffs for a second year in a row.

Luckily, the Cardinals front office has this offseason to return to the drawing boards. Not only that but St. Louis also has one of the most efficient starting pitchers storming his way through the minors, breaking records and making a name for himself.

"Major League Baseball's No. 80 overall prospect (Quinn Matthews) reached the 200-strikeout plateau with his third punchout and finished with five over six innings for Triple-A Memphis on Thursday night," MLB.com's Michael Avallone reported shortly after the young southpaw accomplished the feat. "Mathews -- who has fanned 202 in 143 1/3 innings across four levels this year -- joined Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt as the only minor leaguers to reach the milestone since 2011."

Matthews has logged an 8-5 record with a 2.76 ERA, 202-to-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .179 batting average against and a 0.98 WHIP in 143 1/3 innings pitched between his time playing for Single-A Palm Beach, High-A Peoria, Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this season.

In just his first year as a professional pitcher, Matthews has climbed from the bottom of the Cardinals' farm system all the way to the top with Triple-A Memphis -- an impressive feat in itself.

Unfortunately, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has struggled since his latest promotion -- posting an 0-2 record with a 6.48 ERA, 22-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .281 batting average against and a 1.92 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings pitched for Triple-A Memphis.

Regardless, Matthews is a talented young starter who still needs time to develop. Give him another year or two in the minors, and he could emerge as a mid-to-front-line starting pitcher.

More MLB: Insider Predicts Cardinals Gold Glover Could Reunite With Former Club This Winter