The St. Louis Cardinals spent the majority of the offseason trying to bolster their pitching rotation. However, the best option for the Cardinals might already be in their farm system.
Tink Hence was impressive in his first 2024 start, firing five innings of scoreless baseball and striking out three while walking one. He plans on continuing to put in the work with his eyes on reaching MLB before the year's end, via John Denton of MLB.com.
“I've told myself, ‘This is the year!” Hence said about reaching the majors. “So, it's just about keeping my word to myself, proving that I've put in the work and developed to the point where I'm ready for this. I have the mindset now that I'm going to be a big-league starter and I'm going to compete at the highest level. So, I'm just telling myself that. I'm putting that on my shoulders for this season.
Hence knows that it'll be a grind to go from Double-A to the big leagues. But his confidence is on the rise and his pitches have taken on a new life. As he continues to build both his mental and physical acumen, Hence can feel his MLB promotion coming closer.
“I'm really getting my confidence up there and I feel like all my pitches are on the rise,” Hence said. “I'm trying to build, build, build each time that I go out so that I have confidence in all my stuff.”
“With the way I'm getting down the mound and the ball is coming out easier, I feel so much stronger now,” Hence continued. “When I'm on top of my stuff and my fastball is riding like it is, I feel like it's going to be a big year for me.”
Tink Hence trying for early Cardinals call-up
St. Louis used the 63rd overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft on Hence. After a tough run at rookie ball, the right-hander turned things around at the A-level, posting a 1.38 ERA and an 81/15 K/BB ratio.
He made the jump to Double-A in 2023 to mixed results. Over 12 starts Hence held a 5.47 ERA and a 53/22 K/BB ratio. He looked much stronger at the A+ level, holding a 2.81 ERA and 46/12 K/BB ratio over 11 starts.
Despite his rocky Double-A debut, Tink Hence entered the 2024 ranked as St. Louis' No. 1 overall prospect, via MLB Pipeline. Hence also ranks as the 59th-best prospect in all of baseball.
After an abysmal year on the mound, the Cardinals went out and signed Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to round out their rotation. Early on in the season St. Louis' staff has put together a 3.99 ERA, 14th-best in the league.
It'll take some extra seasoning before Hence is truly ready to make his mark in the majors. But if he continues his hot start to the 2024 season, St. Louis could quickly remedy their pitching problems by calling up one of the best pitching prospects in the game.
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