It’s no secret that the pitching of the St. Louis Cardinals has not performed up to par this season.
The starting rotation lacks strikeout stuff and is full of ground ball pitchers, most of which are off to rough starts this year.
It’s a big reason why the Cardinals find themselves at the bottom of the National League.
As it turns out, however, there may be a deeper issue that doesn’t appear on the surface.
On Twitter, Paul Schwendel, who pitched in the Cardinals farm system, pointed out that when he was with the organization, there was no set philosophy on pitching and that different people told him different things.
A coach pulled us aside afterwards and told us that the analysts didn't see it that way and we should be trying to punch people out. Incoherent strategy in that org on the pitching front. They had pitching coaches with no idea how to use trackman (not Peoria PC, he was great)
— Paul Schwendel (@pschwendel10) May 3, 2023
Schwendel revealed that the team’s director of player development approached him while he was pitching with the Peoria Chiefs, a Low-A affiliate, and told him and his teammates that they should stop trying to strike hitters out.
His recommendation was to essentially pitch to contact and trust the defense to do the rest so as to be efficient.
However, Schwendel also pointed out that after this meeting, his coach pulled him aside and said that the analytics department wasn’t sold on this and that they should continue trying to strike hitters out.
If anything, this proves that there is a fundamental disconnect in the Cardinals organization when it comes to pitching.
It could also stand to reason why the Cardinals have struggled on the pitching front over the past three seasons and are in the position they’re in now.
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