Cards Notebook: Liberatore, our two Jordans, DeJong, and a Cardinals luchador mask
Time for a brief walking tour of several relevant Cardinals topics
Let us now don our feathered wings and swoop into and out of all manner of Cardinals-related matters …
Liberate Liberatore
I understand the Cardinals are in a bit of a thicket right now when it comes to managing the pitching staff. They’re in the midst of playing 19 games in 19 days, and the rotation as a whole isn’t providing length. Those two factors have conspired to leave Oli Marmol scrambling to cover relief innings. Those are treacherous shoals to have to navigate, especially in May, but let’s leave Matthew Liberatore out of this, shall we?
Given the largely miserable performance of the rotation to date, Liberatore – on the strength of the progress he showed in Triple-A this season and a very successful first MLB start of 2023 – should be a fixture in the rotation, not a pitcher with one foot dipped into each role. I understand that when Liberatore worked an inning of relief against the Dodgers on May 21 that it was his throw day. I also understand that pitching a game inning, even one of relatively modest leverage, isn’t the same as a side session. The former entails higher-stress pitches and less opportunity to direct pitch selection toward what needs work, refinement, and improved feel. It’s an interruption in prescribed routine, even if a “soft” one.
I also don’t like the noncommital approach to Liberatore’s spot in the rotation. First he was starting in Cleveland, then he was maybe not because the more entrenched starters had failed to work deeply into their games, and now he’s in line to do so again on Friday, nine days after his prior start. I recoil from the mere threat of toggling your best pitching prospect, who’s still just 23 years of age, between roles. The Cardinals haven’t done this to any kind of an egregious extent with Liberatore, but the recent waffling is concerning. He’s a developing young starting pitcher whom the organization badly needs to reach his performance ceiling. As a general rule, I believe prospects need certainty and consistency of role. If there’s real need for a swingman right now, then you have three struggling veterans – Steven Matz, Jack Flaherty, and (as much as it pains me to say it) Adam Wainwright – who merit the semi-demotion much more than Liberatore does. Leave your most essential young arm alone and let him take his regular turns.
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