photo: Alex Fagalde (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
This is the first part of The Cardinal Nation’s monthly two-part series as we name our Players and Pitchers of the Month across the St. Louis Cardinals organization. While the Cardinals themselves recognize their top players as well, we undertake our own independent analysis unencumbered by the organization’s selection criteria.
Let’s get right to it with a look at the list of July system-wide pitching leaders.
Fagalde earns TCN’s top pitching honors
While a number of starters in the Cardinals system had a strong July, one hurler distinguished himself from the rest, utilizing a terrific stretch of pitching to earn a much-deserved promotion.
Our July Pitcher of the Month is Class-A Peoria starter Alex Fagalde, who should also have a strong case to claim the still-to-be-announced Cardinals organization and Midwest League Pitcher of the Month honors.
Among starters with at least 25 innings pitched, Fagalde led the Cardinals system with a miniscule 0.90 ERA, finishing with the lowest WHIP of 0.73 and ranking fourth with 29 punchouts through 30 innings hurled for the Chiefs.
“Over the course of the season, I’ve started to really trust my stuff and I’ve gotten away from trying to just touch every corner of the zone,” Fagalde told MiLB.com. “I’m just trying to get it in the zone and get it over the middle and you know what — if it gets hit, it gets hit. But more than anything, I’m just attacking hitters and also trying to keep the pitch count down.
“I feel like the fastball has worked really well for me, but I think what’s setting that up is being able to throw off-speed pitches for strikes. I think my curveball has probably been the biggest secondary pitch for me. When I throw that for a strike, it kind of opens the top of the strike zone for my fastball.”
The Cardinals 2017 30th round pick, who started the year in extended spring training, was assigned to Peoria on May 18. He was sensational in May and June, posting ERAs of 2.12 (17 IP) and 2.08 (30.1 IP), respectively.
Then came July.
Over five starts, Fagalde allowed just three earned runs and none over his final 18 innings pitched. His best start was his final outing with Peoria in which he struck out 10 batters over seven one-hit frames. That earned him a promotion to High-A Palm Beach on August 1. He tossed six shutout innings in his Florida State League debut on Thursday night, extending his scoreless inning streak to 31.
“Alex is a guy that if you look at his stuff and if you look at the radar gun – it’s not going to impress you,” Peoria manager Chris Swauger told The Cardinal Nation. “If you watch him pitch, not one thing is going to overwhelm you about what he does. If you see everything in context and how it relates to the other, you understand why he is so effective.
“His fastball, his curveball, and his split all play very well off each other because he throws them with the same delivery and arm slot. It is very hard for a hitter to differentiate between them. He gets a lot of swings and misses because he is able to work up and down in the zone.
“He is a shining example of a guy that has figured out what type of pitcher he needs to be. He has embraced it and attack with his weapons that he has which on the surface aren’t the best but he is able to compete with them and attack guys with them. He is just able to have a lot of success because he knows what he is doing with them.”
Overall on the season, Fagalde has compiled a 7-3 overall record with a sparkling 1.51 ERA over 14 games. The 24-year old has posted an 83-to-18 strikeout to walk ratio over 83 ⅓ innings pitched between Peoria and Palm Beach this season. However, given his age, he will need to prove he can pitch as effectively in the higher levels first before he is a sure prospect.
Honorable Mentions
Runner-up to Fagalde is State College lefty Jake Dahlberg, who finished second in the system with a 1.32 ERA among those qualified. The 24-year old also had the second lowest WHIP (0.94) and was third in strikeouts (31 over 34 innings pitched). With that performance, Dahlberg earned a promotion to Peoria, replacing Fagalde in the Chiefs rotation.
“He has got an idea of how to pitch,” State College manager Joe Kruzel said. “He pitches inside. He moves his fastball around. He keeps hitters off balance with his changeup. When he first got to extended, it first looked like he was going to be out of the bullpen and then situations happened.
“He has really taken off and run with this starting (role). Pretty much you feel anytime he goes out there, you feel you are going to get five-six-to-seven innings out of him and still have a chance to win the game.”
Another pitcher worthy of mention is DSL Cardinals Blue starter Hector Soto, who posted a 1.33 ERA in five starts. The 19-year old Mexican right-hander struck out 26 batters and issued only three walks through 27 innings. This is impressive for any teenager, as first and foremost throwing strikes is one of the bigger developmental hurdles young arms have to face in complex leagues.
From one DSL Cardinals Blue standout starter to another, 19-year old Dominican Julio Puello had a strong month of July as well, boasting a 1.73 ERA over five starts. The right-hander had a 24-to-6 strikeout to walk ratio through 26 innings of work.
Other honorable mentions are State College’s Jim Voyles (2.40 ERA over 30 innings), GCL Cardinals right-hander Brian Pirela (2.02 ERA over six games), Palm Beach righty starter Jake Walsh (2.62 ERA over 34 ⅓ innings), and Springfield’s Anthony Shew (3.31 ERA over 32 ⅔ innings pitched).
Meanwhile, Peoria starter Angel Rondon had four impressive starts in his first taste of the Midwest League. He went 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA, striking out 29 batters while issuing only six free passes over 26 ⅓ innings on the month. His teammate Alvaro Seijas had a 3.30 ERA over 30 innings pitched, so things are trending in the right direction for him as well.
One of the more highly-rated prospects, Connor Jones, had a 2.84 ERA over 31 ⅔ innings between Springfield and Memphis. Although, his strikeout to walk ratio was 22-to-22, which obviously isn’t ideal. Jake Woodford also had a decent July, posting a 3.52 ERA in four starts between Triple-A (three) and Double-A (one).
Coming soon: The Cardinal Nation July Player of the Month
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