Offseason efforts by pitcher Gordon Graceffo significantly boosting Cardinals' pitching success
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With the St. Louis Cardinals' roster shaping up, Gordon Graceffo eyes a prominent spot, eager to prove his mettle. This Villanova alum boasts a career 3.97 ERA and a 25-17 record, with 364 strikeouts in 381.1 minor-league innings. Though he's bounced around the organization's top prospect list, Graceffo often hovers around the #10 spot. With a youthful wave hitting the Cardinals, Graceffo sees this as a golden chance to leave his mark on the team.
In a recent interview with Katie Woo and Trevor Rosenthal on Cardinal Territory, Graceffo expressed his readiness to embrace any role thrown his way. So far, this season, he's struck out nine batters through just four games and 6.2 innings in spring training. Although he's given up five runs, his enhanced strikeout rate is encouraging.
However, control issues have reared their head in his past two outings, with three walks in just 2.2 innings pitched. He's also allowed five runs in his last two appearances. To solidify his place on the roster, Graceffo must work on minimizing his walks, especially if he transitions to a relief role. While his walk rate peaked at 11.6% in 2023, he brought it down to 8.6% in Triple-A last year, and just 6.5% in seven major-league innings last year.
Velocity has been a recurring hurdle for Graceffo throughout his minor-league career. He typically sat around 91-93 MPH on his fastball. This year, his four-seamer has shown significant improvement, averaging 94.8 MPH through four spring outings.
Moreover, the velocity on his curveball has seen a remarkable upgrade. Last year, it averaged 79.9 MPH. However, it's jumped to 83.3 MPH this spring. Additionally, it has -15.8" of induced vertical break and 1.9" of glove-side movement. Graceffo's mid-80s slider was one of his most-used pitches last year, and he spent the offseason refining that offering.
Over the offseason, Graceffo honed his skills at Tread Athletics, with ambitions to make great strides. The 24-year-old could contribute to the Cardinals bullpen at some point this year. With Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, John King, Ryan Fernandez, and likely Matthew Liberatore securing five spots, the remaining three slots might go to players like Riley O'Brien, Chris Roycroft, Kyle Leahy, Nick Anderson, and Graceffo himself later in the year. Currently, a starting spot at Memphis bares his name.
By sharpening his curveball, speeding up his slider, and boosting his four-seam fastball, the right-handed Graceffo should be able to contribute to the major league squad in 2025. Keep an eye on this versatile pitcher as the season unfolds.
- Gordon Graceffo, with his impressive minor-league statistics and ongoing improvements, likely aims to secure a spot in the St. Louis Cardinals' major league squad.
- Given his recent performances in spring training, Graceffo has shown an enhanced strikeout rate, suggesting potential success in either a starting or relief role for the Cardinals.
- Despite his control issues in recent outings, Graceffo has a history of bringing his walk rate down from high levels to more manageable figures, offering reason for optimism.
- With improvements in both his four-seam fastball and curveball velocities, as well as his slider refinement over the offseason, Graceffo seems poised to make an impact on the Cardinals' baseball roster in the near future.
