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With Ixan Henderson due to start tonight, I figured I’d jinx him with a post about some of his fun numbers.
Combining the 2024 and 2025 campaigns gives us some pretty robust sample sizes. The southpaw has been fine in his home field starts, allowing 37 earned runs across 103.1 IP, for an ERA of 3.22.
But on the road he’s been spectacular. Just 19 runs in 108.1 innings, which is a 1.58 ERA. So nobody can say his excellent two-year overall ERA (under 2.40) was aided by his home fields. If anything, he may have had a home field dis-advantage.
Also over the combined ’24 and ’25 seasons, Henderson has shown no weakness versus righty bats. In fact, just the opposite. He’s permitted them only 92 hits in exactly 500 at-bats, for a meager .184 average. (Lefty hitters are 62-270 for a .230 BA.)
Finally, just looking at this year’s numbers, it’s easy to see one reason why Ixan’s ERA is so low. With Men On Base, opposing batters are a mere 24-154, for a dismal .156 batting average.
I’d give the young man a few starts in Memphis, then send him back to Springfield for the AA playoffs. But I could certainly see the argument for keeping him where he is, rather than pushing him. Either way, he looks like a viable MLB starter for 2027, or even some point next season. All he’s done professionally is get people out. Home and away, lefty bats and righties.
Henderson, Davis, Mautz give us possible lefty starters. Throw in draftee Doyle and we have the makings of potentially very good left handed starting pitching. And to a lesser degree Hansen. And I think Henderson should get starts at Memphis. Oh, I am forgetting Mathews.
Ixan and Mautz should definitely finish up the year in Memphis just to get them settled before 2026. They are wasting starts with guys who have no potential moving forward.
Could It possibly have something to do with trying to get them Texas league pitcher of the year awards?
Ding ding ding……you may be onto something, CardsFanInChiTown. Some fantastically “fun” Philip Henderson stats, Bobby! I can’t be the only one whom gets an exhilarating chill smack dab down the middle of the spine when first seeing a new Bobby Reed authored thread.
And this is exactly where the club needs to improve most – starting pitching. As our astute members have pointed out, we have some young arms that offer hope. McGreevy goes tonight and is another one that we have hope in showing us better days ahead.
Doyle has top of the rotation potential and Mathews still has #2/#3 potential. Beyond that, Ixan Henderson, Braden Davis, and Cade Crossland have what looks like #4/#5 potential to me. Mautz is more of a #5/#6 and Pete Hansen looks like pure depth to me as ceiling. Cooper Hjerpe had mid rotation upside as well, but health / innings are his biggest questions and he likely ends up a RP. Mason Molina is in the boat as well but most likely a #6 / depth type as well.
Those are ceilings though and I would be happy if the Cardinals get a #2/#3, #4/#5, and RP out of that group and even that success rate is probably an optimistic one. They desperately need to convert on some pitching prospects and get some cost controlled pitchers.
If Hjerpe’s health does happen to hold up, he’s going to be really tough to hit as a rotation piece. If they make him a LF reliever, that would settle our left-handed relief problem for as long as he can stay healthy.
i would just hope Hjerpe can be a quality lefty out of the pen at this point with his injury history.
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