COLUMN: Youth can still play a role in Cardinals' pitching plans

Back when the St. Louis Cardinals gave up and traded two of their top starting pitchers during last year's trade deadline, they gave their young starters, both incoming and in-house, every chance to succeed and fail through the season's final two months.

Knowing that starting pitching was an area that needed to be addressed above all else in the offseason, the front office wasted no time and brought in a trio of free agents to fill out the 2024 rotation.

Sonny Gray is the new ace, coming off a 2.79 ERA and leading the Minnesota Twins pitching staff in a season that ended with their first playoff win since 2002. Kyle Gibson was on the Philadelphia Phillies' 2022 World Series rotation and on a 101-win Baltimore Orioles team that won the AL East for the first time since 2014. Lance Lynn is a blast from the past who will give up over five runs per game but can still collect innings and strikeouts.

Those three, grouped with Miles Mikolas, another veteran innings eater, make up four of the five rotation spots. Steven Matz is another veteran who started last year in the rotation but was sent to the bullpen but came back to finish with a 3.86 ERA in over 100 innings. He is expected to fill out the fifth spot in the revamped rotation.

However, in today's MLB, it would be foolhardy to expect all five veteran starters to spend the entire season healthy and making all 30+ starts. Lynn and Gray made over 30 starts last season for the first time since 2019, and Gibson and Mikolas have also been consistent in that category.

But injuries happen, and the young starters who finished the previous season with experience are battling through camp looking to either break through into the veteran-laden rotation or provide much-needed depth that will likely prove pivotal later in the year, should the Cardinals remain in contention.

Sem Robberse started Monday's 1-1 draw with the Miami Marlins with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings. The native of the Netherlands is the No. 8 prospect who arrived from last year's deadline trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Jordan Hicks. He and Drew Rom are two young hurlers who came to St. Louis by way of mid-season trades last year and could prove dividends this year.

Rom pitched two hitless innings to begin a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday, Feb. 25, in Palm Beach, Fla. He was acquired in a four-player trade with the Baltimore Orioles, who needed Jack Flaherty to boost their run toward the AL East crown. Rom was inserted in the Cardinals rotation on Aug. 21 and made eight starts, posting an 8.02 ERA and 2.08 WHIP but also struck out 32 batters in 33.2 innings pitched.

Rom said during the Cardinals Caravan in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 15, that he saw each start as a learning opportunity to be a big league pitcher this year.

"I learned that from both my experience on the mound and learning from the veterans around me," Rom said.

Rom, along with Zack Thompson and Matthew Liberatore, who also made plenty of starts last year, enjoyed the rare perk of learning from Adam Wainwright, who retired after notching his 200th career win for St. Louis.

"Everything he did was 100 percent the Cardinal way," Rom said. "I felt an immediate connection as soon as I got there."

Tink Hence also appeared in that game with four strikeouts and three walks through the 7th and 8th innings, when much of the opposing lineup has been turned over to reserves and prospects. Hence finished last year ranked as the Cardinals' top pitching prospect and is expected to make his MLB debut in 2024 according to MLB Pipeline. Hence said on Jan. 15 that being the 2nd-ranked prospect brought pressure and expectation to shoot up the organizational ladder. Controlling that pressure is a strength he brought to Jupiter, Fla., this spring.

“When I was younger, I was always putting pressure on myself like it was game 7 of the World Series,” Hence said. “I just try to control the pressure and use it to my advantage. It can be good if you really know how to control it.”

Rom said the goal for him is to be more consistent, as it is the quality that "separates Triple-A and the big leagues." The same is likely true for the other young pitchers in Cardinals camp.

"Honestly, from Triple-A to the big leagues, I've been told that the talent gap isn't much different," Rom said. "It's just who's gonna be more consistent day in and day out."

The attention will surely be on the five veterans, as it should be, but don't be surprised to see Rom, Thompson, and even Hence, make an impact on the upcoming season.