Photo: Blake Parker (Andrew Villa/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals Press Release
JUPITER, Fla., March 26, 2022 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced this morning that they have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with veteran right-handed pitcher Blake Parker and invited him to join the team’s Major League Spring Training Camp.
Parker, 36, has spent nine years in the majors since debuting in 2012 with the Chicago Cubs, posting a career mark of 16-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 350 games, primarily as a reliever. The 6-3, 225-pound Arkansas native went 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 47 relief outings with Cleveland last season. He logged 60 or more relief innings for three consecutive seasons from 2017-19 with the Angels, Twins and Phillies. Parker has been assigned uniform no. 26.
Blake Newberry’s Take
The Cardinals have signed yet another pitcher to a minor league deal in their quest to add pitching depth to the organization. With two injuries to the pitching staff already, the Cardinals are looking to avoid a similar scenario as last year.
For a pitcher signing a minor league deal, Blake Parker has a lot of MLB experience and he has had a lot of success at the highest level. The Cardinals will be the eighth organization that Parker has joined since being drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and he has thrown 345 ⅓ innings at the MLB level.
Last season, Parker experienced a good deal of success, though his 4.06 FIP was nearly a full point higher than his 3.09 ERA. Parker generally limits walks (career 7.9% walk rate) and he has a solid career strikeout rate (26.7%) even though it dipped last year (20.0%). Still, Parker fits the mold of a pitcher that utilizes the defense, and that, combined with his success last year and over the course of his career, likely made him an appealing option for the Cardinals.
At 36 years old, Parker’s fastball has lost a few ticks and sits around 90 mph. The low velocity, combined with a 7th percentile spin rate makes his fastball an easy pitch to hit. Opposing batters have had at least a .370 wOBA against the pitch every year since 2018. Despite this, it is still his primary offering, leaving his hand over 46% of the time in 2021.
Parker’s real weapon is his splitter. Only 54 pitchers threw more than 50 splitters last year, with Parker’s having the lowest average velocity at 79.3 mph. In 2021, he threw the pitch nearly 35% of the time and hitters had just a .278 wOBA against the pitch. That was actually the most success that hitters have had against the pitch since 2016. He also got hitters to swing at 50% of his splitters despite throwing only a third of them in the zone. This is how he stays out of trouble.
Hitters don’t see too many splitters over the course of the season, so it can be tough for them to adjust when they face someone whose primary weapon is a splitter. On top of that, Parker still gets above average drop with the pitch. It’s a good combination that has allowed Parker to stay effective despite his age and lack of a dominant, or really even average, fastball. Additionally, Parker’s high fastball usage and location at the top of the zone sets up his splitter to thrive at and below hitters’ knees.
The right-hander has actually pitched better against right-handed hitters than against left-handed hitters throughout his career, and that was especially true last year when he had a 3.29 FIP against left-handers and a 5.13 FIP against right-handers. Pitchers with reverse splits are uncommon, but Parker seems to be among the small group of arms with reverse splits over the course of their career.
Considering the right-hander’s solid performance in the last two seasons, it is difficult to believe that the Cardinals were the only team interested in acquiring Parker’s services. He may see himself as having a good chance of breaking camp with the Cardinals, which surely would have influenced his decision.
With Aaron Brooks being added to the 40-man roster yesterday, there is presumably one open bullpen spot if the Cardinals elect to keep two additional pitchers as the 27th and 28th men on their roster. Parker will compete for that spot. If he doesn’t make the team he will provide depth in Triple-A, but his track record suggests that he will be in St. Louis at some point this season, if not on Opening Day. Parker will join the Spring roster in the upcoming days.
To see all players remaining in camp by position, check out the always-free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation.
St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix – 2022 Spring Training
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