photo: Cooper Hjerpe (Peoria Chiefs)
It is time to select The Cardinal Nation’s Pitcher of the Month. This article covers pitchers across all levels of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system during May 2023.
As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player 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 major factors here.
When all factors are considered, Peoria left-hander Cooper Hjerpe is The Cardinal Nation’s Pitcher of the Month for May, Details follow.
Guidelines
To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during May. 45 pitchers made the first cut. To make the list of 11 finalists, an ERA below 2.50 was also required.
The finalists break out into three distinct groups: three pitchers with an ERA below 1.55, four with ERAs in the range of 1.82 to 1.93, and four hurlers with ERAs between 2.03 and 2.45.
The finalists represent all four full-season levels of the organization, from Low-A Palm Beach through Triple-A Memphis. All have at least three finalists with the exception of Memphis, with just one – and he is not a starter, Ryan Loutos.
The Redbirds got off to a hot start this season behind their rotation, but Matthew Liberatore is with St. Louis, Gordon Graceffo is hurt and Dakota Hudson is coming off a month out. Further, Zack Thompson is struggling on his return to starting.
Among our finalists, four are starters, six are relievers and one performed in both roles during April.
Stats
This time, I am putting all the stats on the table up front, both counting and advanced stats, as they are fully needed to differentiate between several very deserving candidates.
In the following tables, finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.
| Pitcher | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | SVO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | BB | SO | WHIP | AVG |
| Edwin Nunez | PB | 1 | 2 | 1.32 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13.2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 1.10 | 0.184 |
| Ian Bedell | Peo | 1 | 0 | 1.45 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0.96 | 0.179 |
| Cooper Hjerpe | Peo | 1 | 1 | 1.54 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23.1 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 0.90 | 0.158 |
| Hancel Rincon | PB | 2 | 1 | 1.82 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0.69 | 0.159 |
| Ryan Loutos | Mem | 0 | 0 | 1.84 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14.2 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1.23 | 0.231 |
| Joseph King | PB | 2 | 0 | 1.89 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 1.05 | 0.225 |
| Bryan Pope | Peo | 1 | 0 | 1.93 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 1.02 | 0.197 |
| Andre Granillo | Spr | 1 | 1 | 2.03 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13.1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0.75 | 0.136 |
| Wilfredo Pereira | Spr | 3 | 1 | 2.12 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29.2 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 0.91 | 0.183 |
| Logan Sawyer | Spr | 1 | 1 | 2.38 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11.1 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1.15 | 0.250 |
| Brycen Mautz | PB | 1 | 2 | 2.45 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 24 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 1.50 | 0.279 |
| Pitcher | TBF | NP | P/IP | QS | GF | HLD | WP | GO/AO | SO/9 | BB/9 | K/BB | BABIP |
| Edwin Nunez | 55 | 227 | 16.6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1.33 | 12.5 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 0.300 |
| Ian Bedell | 73 | 287 | 15.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.80 | 9.2 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 0.234 |
| Cooper Hjerpe | 87 | 340 | 14.6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.53 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 0.208 |
| Hancel Rincon | 91 | 349 | 14.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.94 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 0.178 |
| Ryan Loutos | 58 | 230 | 15.7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.18 | 9.8 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 0.294 |
| Joseph King | 76 | 276 | 14.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0.94 | 11.8 | 1.9 | 6.3 | 0.326 |
| Bryan Pope | 73 | 278 | 14.9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.71 | 11.6 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 0.293 |
| Andre Granillo | 50 | 211 | 15.8 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.60 | 10.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 0.200 |
| Wilfredo Pereira | 116 | 475 | 16.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.72 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.215 |
| Logan Sawyer | 46 | 176 | 15.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1.50 | 10.3 | 1.6 | 6.5 | 0.355 |
| Brycen Mautz | 97 | 330 | 15.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.15 | 7.8 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 0.348 |
The first decision is to where to draw the line to further cut down the list. There is a significant break in ERA between 1.54 and 1.82. However, that eliminates several excellent candidates including starter Hancel Rincon and relievers Ryan Loutos and Joseph King.
Finalists who fell short
Working out of the Palm Beach rotation, Rincon logged a scoreless inning streak that extended for more than 20 innings. The right-hander was excellent at keeping runners off the bases with a finalist-low 0.69 WHIP but is a bit fly-ball prone, had a low strikeout rate and a very, very low BABIP (.183).
Loutos is back with Memphis after a period back down at Springfield. Had the right-hander been able to avoid two home runs, he would be been among the top tier and might have been our winner.
After opening the season in the Palm Beach rotation, King has really settled in as a long reliever. In his first full season, the right-hander fanned 25 and walked just four in 19 frames.
Bryan Pope from Peoria had numbers very close to King’s. Springfield’s Andre Granillo bounced back from a rough start to the season to post the lowest batting average against (.136) among the finalists.
Though not a dominant strikeout pitcher, Wilfredo Pereira has stepped up as the top starter for pitching-starved Springfield, including throwing shutout ball in his final two May starts. Teammate Logan Sawyer saved three of four opportunities. Though the walks are a bit high, first-year lefty Brycen Mautz logged a 2.45 ERA in four starts but received just one win.
Considering the top three
Now, let’s consider the one reliever, one reliever-turned-starter and one starter from which our winner was named.
The ERAs and WHIPs of Edwin Nuñez, Ian Bedell and Cooper Hjerpe are close, so we need to dig much deeper.
From among the three, Bedell has the lowest walk rate, but also lowest strikeout and highest fly ball rates. At 23, the 2020 draft pick from Mizzou would normally have progressed beyond A-ball in the intervening two-plus years had it not been for injury. One would think that after Bedell is fully stretched out, he will be challenged at Double-A.
Edwin Nuñez had the lowest ERA in the system and top strikeout rate among our finalists at 12.5 per nine innings. Though the 21-year-old’s walk rate was the highest among the finalists, his walk to strikeout ratio was the same as Bedell. Nuñez had the most reasonable BABIP at .300, while Hjerpe’s was .208 and Bedell’s was .234.
While Nuñez was 2-for-2 in save opportunities, he also took two losses and four unearned runs scored while he was on the mound. As a result, I reviewed his game logs to understand the unearned tallies.
In one contest, Nuñez allowed a 10th inning single, scoring the ghost runner. In another, he was victimized by a throwing error that would have ended the inning. Nuñez was charged with two unearned runs on a single and double, but still received the save. In another outing, he yielded two 11th-inning runs on a double and bases-loaded walk.
I feel that because Nuñez did have some late inning difficulties, he is not our winner.
Hjerpe was the system’s best starter in May, with a 1.54 ERA across four starts for Peoria. Despite that, his teammates managed to secure just one win for the first-year professional.
The left-hander had an exceptional batting average against of .158 that was the second lowest among the 11 finalists. His WHIP was third lowest and at 0.90, is especially exceptional for a starter.
Hjerpe posted the best ground-to-fly ball ratio among finalists at 1.53. He also fanned 10 batters per nine innings, the best rate of any of our finalist starters.
Hjerpe finished his strong month with a six-inning, no-hit outing that led to his selection as the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. However, the 22-year-old was then placed on the seven-day injured list, with his return to be announced.
When considering results across the board, Hjerpe is the choice as The Cardinal Nation’s May Pitcher of the Month.
About the winner
On draft day 2022, the Cardinals clearly wanted Hjerpe, whom they selected at 22nd overall. The Oregon State starter surely would not have been around when the Cards’ pick came up again in the second round as he was ranked no. 33 by Baseball America prior to the draft and 34th among draft eligible players by MLB Pipeline.
After signing for full slot value, $3,182,200, Hjerpe was one of seven Cardinals 2022 drafted pitchers who were not activated on a team roster. The earlier college workloads and the long delay between the end of the college season and post-draft signing coupled are often considered be enough for one season. The pitchers worked out separately from the Florida Complex League players but under a coordinated daily schedule.
To open 2023, Hjerpe was the only member of the Cardinals’ 2022 pitching draft class to be challenged with a career-opening assignment to High-A. It took Hjerpe the first month to get acclimated to the Midwest League. In his 6.75 ERA April, Hjerpe walked 14 batters, hit two more with pitches and served up six home run balls in 16 innings.
The real Hjerpe, The Cardinal Nation’s eighth-ranked prospect, showed himself in May.
How did last month’s winner fare?
Palm Beach’s Max Rajcic was The Cardinal Nation’s April Pitcher of the Month. In four May starts, the 21-year-old right-hander continued to pitch strongly, posting a 3.00 ERA while striking out 23 against six walks and 12 hits allowed in 18 innings.
Matthew Liberatore, now with St. Louis, was the Cardinals organization’s April choice as the top pitcher in the system.
What is next?
The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections of Pitcher and Player of the Month soon.
Related article
The Cardinal Nation May 2023 Player of the Month – Ivan Herrera
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now available – 2023 Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes a record 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.