Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Week: August 19-25
Quinn Matthews made another case to be promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals, and newly drafted Cub Cam Smith is enjoying a home run streak.
We are entering prime time in both the Major League and Minor League Baseball seasons.
Major League teams are scratching and clawing to lock in their postseason spots by making strategic moves to get them over the hump. Minor League teams are nearing the end of their season and will now see their teams start to deplete with September call-ups right around the corner.
Either way, we have seen familiar faces spread throughout this season and now we have the consistent presence of recently drafted prospects hitting the ground running.
The future truly is now.
For more information on the Top Prospects that find themselves on Just Baseball’s Top 100, you can find that list here.
Pitcher of the Week: Quinn Mathews (LHP) – St. Louis Cardinals (Double-A Springfield Cardinals)
Weekly Stats: 1 GS, 7.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 12 K
Season Stats: 22 GS, 126.2 IP, 35 BB, 180 K, 2.27 ERA
For a team that has been as desperate for starting pitching over the years as the Cardinals have been, I am surprised Quinn Mathews has yet to make his Major League debut.
The long left-hander has dominated the 2024 season and I do not think there is any other way to put it. Durability was never put into question after his Super Regional performance prior to him being drafted. Now, here he is averaging a K/9 over 12.0 across two levels this year and GB-rate that has sat above 50%.
The Minor League strikeout leader has nothing else to prove in the Minor Leagues. If the Cardinals do continue to battle up to the end for a spot in the National League Wild Card, I would imagine Quinn Mathews would be a part of it.
Hitter of the Week: Cam Smith (3B) – Chicago Cubs (High-A South Bend Cubs)
Weekly Stats: .524/.577/2.005, 6 HR, 11 RBI, .905 ISO, 416 wRC+
Season Stats: 14 G, .319/.411/.787, 6 HR, 12 RBI
Coming out of the draft, Cam Smith was the one prospect that I found myself the most intrigued by. Not because I questioned his profile, but because of how impressed I was by his 2024 season at Florida State and throughout the NCAA Tournament.
Not only did the draft-eligible sophomore third baseman have success during the college baseball season, but Cam Smith is currently riding a six-game home run streak that has everyone locked into his at-bats on a nightly basis.
He has been able to keep the strike out rate and walk rate almost identical to each other in his 14 games in professional baseball, but it is just a testament to how polished and mature he is as a baseball player.
The hot corner is a position the Cubs have been trying to find an answer for since the departure of Kris Bryant. Although they did just acquire Isaac Paredes as the deadline, Cam Smith is proving that he is the Cubs’ third baseman of the future.
Honorable Mentions:
Pitcher: Caden Dana (RHP) – Los Angeles Angels (Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas)
Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 14.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 16 K
Pitcher: Jose Cabrera (RHP) – Arizona Diamondbacks (High-A Hillsboro Hops)
Weekly Stats: 1 GS, 8.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 11 K
Hitter: Spencer Nivens (OF) – Kansas City Royals (High-A Quad City River Bandits):
Weekly Stats: .571/.667/2.000, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .762 ISO, 416 wRC+
Hitter: Cam Collier (3B) – Cincinnati Reds (High-A Dayton Dragons):
Weekly Stats: .381/.480/1.432, 4 HR, 7 RBI, .571 ISO, 286 wRC+
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