Matthew Liberatore Throws Five Scoreless Innings For Memphis
Matthew Liberatore threw five scoreless innings in Triple-A. The southpaw struck out seven and generated 17 whiffs in a 9-1 win over the Charlotte Knights. The 2018 first-round pick has struggled to develop anything from his five-pitch arsenal in years past, but his curveball generated a 77% whiff rate on Friday. After a disastrous 2022 season where he had a 5.00+ ERA at both the Triple-A and major-league levels, the Cardinals' sixth-ranked prospect needs to sustain this level of play to get another chance in their major-league rotation.
Source: MLB Pipeline on Twitter
In his first start of the 2023 season, St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Source: MLB Pipeline on Twitter
Matthew Liberatore Blanks Phillies On Sunday Afternoon
Matthew Liberatore shut down the Phillies' potent lineup on Sunday afternoon, spinning six shutout innings while giving up just three singles and one walk and striking out seven. Liberatore improved his ERA to 3.93 and has an even better 1.91 FIP after his first three starts of the season. He has racked up 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings and gone at least six innings in each of his three starts. The 25-year-old lefty is off to a strong start to the season and makes sense as a streaming play or NL-only addition after his strong start to the season. His next turn in the rotation is scheduled for Friday night against the Mets in New York.
Source: ESPN.com
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Source: ESPN.com
Matthew Liberatore Named Cardinals Fifth Starter
Matthew Liberatore has been named the team's fifth starter. The Arizona native was decent in spurts a season ago but could never put it all together consistently. He spent most of his 86 innings out of the bullpen (six starts) in 2024, but the Cardinals will give him another go in the rotation. Liberatore has been solid this spring, compiling a 1.62 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings of work (one start). It's unclear whether or not the former first-round pick will impact fantasy this season, but it's certainly intriguing that the Cardinals continue to give him chances in the rotation. He's nothing more than a late-round lottery ticket at this point and can be found by fantasy managers on waiver wires until he proves he's worth a roster spot.
Source: Katie Woo
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Source: Katie Woo
Cardinals More Likely To Use Matthew Liberatore In Relief Role
Matthew Liberatore as a multi-inning reliever (a role he excelled in last year) instead as starting-pitching depth. Liberatore has been dominant in spring games so far, retiring 21 of the 22 batters he's faced without allowing a hit. Manager Oliver Marmol said that the 25-year-old southpaw looks to be on a mission this year, but a path to fantasy relevance is unlikely unless he is given a starting-rotation spot. Based on results alone, Liberatore has been much more effective as a reliever -- 3.89 career ERA in relief as opposed to a 5.86 ERA as a starter -- which is why it makes the most sense for him to open the 2025 season out of the bullpen. After moving to relief last August, he had a 25% strikeout rate and 2.67 ERA out of the 'pen.
Source: The Athletic - Katie Woo
The Athletic's Katie Woo writes that all inclinations are that the St. Louis Cardinals are leaning towards using left-hander Source: The Athletic - Katie Woo
Matthew Liberatore Preparing To Be A Starter In 2025
Matthew Liberatore, who served as a dependable reliever for the team in 2024, said that he's preparing to be a starter in spring training and for the 2025 regular season. "It's easier to go from five innings to one than one to five," Liberatore said. MLB's John Denton writes that the key for Liberatore will be getting better against right-handed hitters, and that could ultimately determine if the Cardinals are comfortable giving him a starting-rotation spot to begin the regular season. The 25-year-old southpaw and former first-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 held a 4.40 ERA and 1.23 WHIP overall with a career-high 76 strikeouts and 28 walks in 86 innings over 60 outings (six starts) for St. Louis last year, but he had an ERA under 4.00 in relief. In his career as a starter, Liberatore holds an ERA just south of 6.00.
Source: MLB.com - John Denton
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Source: MLB.com - John Denton
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