Quinn Mathews

Mathews was a workhorse at Stanford, but he only averaged 91.6 mph with his fastball as a junior and was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. He showed up in 2024 sitting in the mid-90s (touching 98 mph) with above-average ride on that pitch and was arguably the top breakout pitching prospect of the year. The 6-foot-5 lefty logged a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a 202:49 K:BB in 143.1 innings across 26 starts, beginning the year at Single-A and finishing the year at Triple-A. In addition to his massively improved fastball, Mathews boasts a borderline plus-plus changeup and a comfortably above-average slider. He struggled in a small sample at Triple-A, with two five-walk starts bringing down his numbers at that level as he adjusted to the balls and strikes challenge system. Even so, he should be given every opportunity to win a spot in the big-league rotation this spring, and he will spend the bulk of his age-24 season in the majors, barring injury or a significant skills decline. Read Past Outlooks