Several teams have called up a bunch of players to make their major league debuts in 2013. In the American League, the Astros, Mariners, Red Sox, Twins, and the Yankees have all had five players see their first major league action this year. In the National League, the Marlins have also had five.
But the Cardinals are in the league of their own. On Saturday, rookie #7 saw his first action in the bigs, and six of those seven have been pitchers. This for a team which has the best ERA in baseball.
24-year-old Keith Butler, who has worked as a closer in the minors was the latest to make his major league debut, pitching the 9th inning of an 8-0 win over San Francisco on Saturday.
Here are the five previous pitchers to debut for St. Louis this year:
Michael Wacha (Age 21), one of the top prospects in the St. Louis system, had posted a 1.71 ERA in 20 minor league games. He got the call this past Thursday, and picked up right where he left off. In 7 innings against the Royals he gave up 2 hits and 1 run. But the pen blew the lead so he failed to earn a decision in his debut.
Sunday's starter was Tyler Lyons (25) who made his 3rd major league start. He allowed four runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings, but in his two previous starts he was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.57 WHIP.
John Gast (24) didn't have the same success as Lyons, and was injured in his 3rd start. Now he's on the DL.
The other two both made their debut in the same game on May 3rd. Seth Maness (24) has been solid out of the pen, posting a 2.19 ERA in 12 appearances. His 1.54 WHIP is a concern, but with the trio of Joe Kelly/Marc Rzepcynski/Mitchell Boggs having a hard time getting anyone out, Maness's spot seems secure.
Carlos Martinez (21) was a short term option, and he was sent to AAA a week ago after posting a 4.50 ERA in 7 appearances. Martinez might have the highest ceiling of all the new pitchers, but the Cardinals want him starting games, not coming out of the pen. 55 of his 56 minor league games have been as a starter.
The number of young arms Mike Matheny has available is staggering, and all he needs to do is to figure out how all of these parts best fit together. The Cards are currently 37-19, which is two games better than the next best record in baseball.
