photo: Andrew Marrero (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
From among 12 finalists, is The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system during August the rookie ball starter with a 0.00 ERA or the late-inning reliever with tremendous results?
It is time for The Cardinal Nation’s final Pitcher of the Month for 2022. This article covers pitchers across all levels of the St. Louis Cardinals system during August.
As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every individual in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here.
Guidelines
To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during August. 43 pitchers made the first cut. To reach the list of finalists, an ERA of 2.00 or below was required. This was a very aggressive target, but still generated 12 names. Three are starters and nine work primarily out of the bullpen.
The 12 finalists’ ERA broke out into four distinct groups: one pitcher with no runs allowed, two with ERAs between 0.56 and 0.71, four with ERAs between 1.17 and 1.59, and five pitchers with ERAs from 1.80 to 2.00. All performed very well this past month.
Counting Stats
The 12 finalists represent five of the six levels of the organization, from Triple-A Memphis to the rookie level Dominican Summer League. The only exception is the rookie Florida Complex League, from where Omar Sanchez would have qualified if not for a rough single-game debut with Palm Beach.
The High-A Peoria Chiefs are most highly represented with four finalists.
In the following table, finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.
| Pitcher | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | BB | K | WHIP | BAA |
| Nelfy Ynfante | DSL | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1.33 | 0.227 |
| Chris Roycroft | Peo | 1 | 0 | 0.56 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 1.00 | 0.186 |
| Andrew Marrero | PB | 0 | 3 | 0.71 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 0.63 | 0.119 |
| Gustavo Rodriguez | PB | 1 | 0 | 1.17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0.98 | 0.193 |
| James Naile | Mem | 1 | 0 | 1.17 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 1.11 | 0.255 |
| Nick Trogrlic-Iverson | Peo | 0 | 1 | 1.21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 0.76 | 0.188 |
| Johan Quezada | Mem | 0 | 0 | 1.59 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 1.32 | 0.275 |
| Zach McAllister | Mem | 0 | 1 | 1.80 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.90 | 0.229 |
| Andre Granillo | Peo | 0 | 2 | 1.80 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0.90 | 0.171 |
| Jose Davila | PB | 1 | 0 | 1.86 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 1.24 | 0.180 |
| Zane Mills | Peo | 2 | 1 | 1.91 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 28.1 | 28 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 1.13 | 0.252 |
| Michael Brettell | Spr | 1 | 2 | 2.00 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 1.17 | 0.175 |
Here is this month’s dilemma. Do we award a pitcher who competes overseas?
Based on his zero ERA, and in fact, with no unearned runs yielded either, DSL starter Nelfy Ynfante has earned the highest consideration.
Should another pitcher who allowed runs while competing on a higher level team step past Ynfante?
For Nelfy
Normally, a starter may receive the edge in a close comparison such as this, simply because they pitch more innings. However, that does not apply here, as Ynfante’s workload was very closely monitored and limited.
Ynfante, just 17 years of age in his first professional season, was held to just four innings per August outing. But in his defense, that is very similar to the background of our July Pitcher of the Month, Palm Beach’s Tink Hence.
The other two pitchers to post August ERAs under 1.00, Peoria’s Chris Roycroft and Palm Beach’s Andrew Marrero, each compiled a lower batting average against and lower WHIP than Ynfante.
Yet, while both Roycroft and Marrero gave up just one earned run each, multiple unearned runs were also tallied during their mound time.
So, is Ynfante’s 0.00 ERA good enough?
Advanced stats
Here are additional measures from the same 12 finalists in the same ascending ERA sequence.
| Pitcher | Tm | TBF | NP | P/IP | QS | WP | GO/AO | K/9 | BB/9 | K/BB | BABIP | SB | CS |
| Nelfy Ynfante | DSL | 50 | 94 | 7.8 | 0 | 1 | 0.71 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.294 | 1 | 2 |
| Chris Roycroft | Peo | 66 | 258 | 16.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.67 | 10.7 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 0.268 | 1 | 0 |
| Andrew Marrero | PB | 42 | 176 | 15.1 | 0 | 2 | 0.56 | 16.2 | 0.8 | 21.0 | 0.263 | 3 | 0 |
| Gustavo Rodriguez | PB | 61 | 226 | 14.7 | 0 | 1 | 1.83 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.244 | 1 | 0 |
| James Naile | Mem | 54 | 205 | 14.3 | 0 | 2 | 2.13 | 10.1 | 1.9 | 5.3 | 0.303 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Trogrlic-Iverson | Peo | 85 | 306 | 13.7 | 0 | 0 | 1.47 | 7.3 | 0.8 | 9.0 | 0.230 | 1 | 0 |
| Johan Quezada | Mem | 44 | 172 | 15.2 | 0 | 2 | 0.71 | 13.5 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 0.478 | 0 | 1 |
| Zach McAllister | Mem | 38 | 162 | 16.2 | 0 | 0 | 1.13 | 9.9 | 0.9 | 11.0 | 0.320 | 2 | 2 |
| Andre Granillo | Peo | 40 | 182 | 18.2 | 0 | 2 | 0.44 | 16.2 | 2.7 | 6.0 | 0.333 | 4 | 0 |
| Jose Davila | PB | 121 | 441 | 15.2 | 1 | 1 | 1.17 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 0.198 | 5 | 0 |
| Zane Mills | Peo | 118 | 384 | 13.6 | 3 | 0 | 1.6 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 0.301 | 1 | 0 |
| Michael Brettell | Spr | 70 | 278 | 15.4 | 0 | 0 | 1.69 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 0.222 | 0 | 2 |
Ynfante stands out with an exceptional 7.8 pitches per inning, almost half the rate of the other 11.
While Ynfante is the third most fly ball prone of the finalists, it is Roycroft and Marrero who are slightly worse. Ynfante also had the third highest walk rate of the 12, which is quite surprising considering his pitch efficiency.
Between Roycroft and Marrero, the latter has the best case to unseat Ynfante.
Not only did Marrero have the best (by far) strikeout to walk ratio of 21:1 among our finalists, he saved six of seven opportunities for the Beach Birds. 10 of his 12 appearances came in the late innings with the game on the line. Marrero’s strikeout rate was highest (16.2 per nine, tied) and his walk rate was lowest among the 12 finalists (0.8 per nine).
Ynfante’s strikeout and walk rates were pedestrian, but there is that 0.00 ERA…
Marrero drill down
Before making my final decision, I went into Marrero’s August game log to understand his three run-scoring outings. (In most of the other nine appearances, he didn’t even allow a hit.)
The 22-year-old took the loss in all of the run-scoring games, ironically held on consecutive Wednesdays. The extra innings ghost runner was prominent in two of the three situations with a pair of teammate errors hurting him in the third.
August 10 at Bradenton: Marrero threw the 10th. He wild pitched the ghost runner to third base, from where the latter scored on a sacrifice fly. Unearned run and loss.
August 17 vs. Ft. Myers: Marrero took over in the eighth with two outs and two runners on and escaped the jam. He then pitched a clean ninth and 10th. Asked to take the 11th as well, he allowed an RBI single, scoring the ghost runner, before finishing the inning with no further damage. Unearned run and loss. The 3 1/3 innings pitched was the longest outing of his two-year professional career.
August 24 at St. Lucie: This is Marrero’s only real failure, in my view, and he had a lot of help. Asked to protect a one-run lead in the ninth, Marrero gave up a single, but a two-base throwing error by catcher Jimmy Crooks put the tying run on third with no out. A triple plated the first run and that batter continued home to score the walk off run on a throwing error by shortstop Jeremy Rivas. Only one of the two runs was earned. Blown save and loss.
Now that I understand the circumstances surrounding the few blemishes on Marrero’s strong August record, I am comfortable making the Connecticut native The Cardinal Nation’s August Pitcher of the Month.
Standout finalists
It is very difficult to compete with no runs allowed, but the other finalists also had standout results.
For example, Memphis reliever James Naile’s 2.13:1 ground ball to fly ball ratio led the group by a considerable margin. That is a skiil that can used by St. Louis again.
Though their ERAs were among the “highest” of a very good group, starters Jose Davila (Palm Beach) and Zane Mills (Peoria) still registered stellar ERAs under 2.00.
However, the biggest consolation prize has to go to Peoria’s Nick Trogrlic-Iverson. Before being lit up for five earned runs on August 31, the reliever had thrown 20 innings with no runs allowed. A certain winner fell back into the pack on the very last night of the month.
About the winner
Right-hander Andrew Marrero was selected by St. Louis in the 18th round of the 2021 draft from UConn. Assigned to the High-A Palm Beach pen after signing, Marrero struggled to a 10.13 ERA in 13 appearances.
Returning to the same Florida State League club for 2022, the New Haven, CT native had a rough start in May (7.71 ERA) before taking hold. In his 25 outings since the end of May, he has allowed just three earned runs on eight hits in 29 2/3 innings while striking out 48 batters.
Congratulations to The Cardinal Nation’s August Pitcher of the Month, Andrew Marrero.
How last month’s winner fared this month
As noted, our July selection as Pitcher of the Month was Palm Beach right-hander Tink Hence.
If not for one mildly rough outing, the first real stumble of his career, Hence might have been a back-to-back winner. In the third of his five August outings, he allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings. Otherwise, his ERA for the month was 0.61. All five starts included, his August ERA was still just 2.12 for The Cardinal Nation’s 10th-ranked prospect
What is next?
On Friday, look for The Cardinal Nation will announce our Player of the Month for August across the system. The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections soon.
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