Baseball is officially back.
The St. Louis Cardinals played their first Grapefruit League game of the season against the Washington Nationals on Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. The Cardinals lost to the Nationals 6-2.
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St. Louis is well into a rebuild and, as a result, a lot of young players will be getting extended looks in spring training and in the minor leagues this year who could have extended looks in the major leagues with the franchise in the future.
One of those players is left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
The 25-year-old southpaw was originally picked by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford.
Mathews saw the mound in St. Louis’ game against Washington. He had a mixed showing in his turn on the mound. He pitched 1.2 innings, struck out two, walked two and allowed two earned runs on two hits.
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Despite not having a clean showing, fans were quick to notice a noticeable development with the former Cardinal’s delivery.
Mathews threw five pitches that were 96 mph or higher, with an average of 96.7 mph. In 2025, his velocity topped out at 96 mph.
Mathews spent most of this past season with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds but had an up-and-down season that featured a month-and-a-half long stint on the injured list from April 13, 2025-May 31, 2025.
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With the Redbirds, Mathews had a 3.93 ERA and struck out 107 batters in 94 innings pitched across 22 starts.
Mathews was a quick riser in St. Louis’ minor league system. In his first professional season in 2024, he began the year with the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals and ended with Memphis. He concluded 2024 with a 2.76 ERA and fanned 202 hitters in 143.1 innings pitched across 26 starts across all levels.
Mathews ended last season as the organization’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the team’s No. 5 prospect according to Baseball America.
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Mathews is projected by several publications to make it to the team’s major league roster in the near future.
Matthews is one of several additional starting pitching prospects the Cardinals have outside of their major league roster. St. Louis acquired Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins in respective trades with the Boston Red Sox this offseason and top 100 pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje from the Seattle Mariners this offseason.
The Cardinals also have another top 100 pitching prospect, Liam Doyle, who they selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
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However, if Mathews is able to return to his 2024 form in 2026, he could find himself on top of the starting pitching depth and make his major league debut this season.
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