Despite the St. Louis Cardinals saying that it wasn't an intentional strategy, it certainly seems like they have a type when it comes to their pitchers. While most teams have an abundance of right-handed pitchers with lefties coming in as specialists out of the bullpen and maybe one starter in their rotation, the Cardinals' prospect pool is loading up with southpaws. One lefty who is leading the way is the Cardinals' Opening Day starter, Matthew Liberatore.
If the Cardinals are actually trying to hide the left-handed strategy, they're doing a poor job of doing it. Seven of their top 30 prospects heading into this season are left-handed starters, and while it's too early to predict whether this could one day lead to a full rotation of left-handed pitchers, it's definitely something about the southpaws that the Cardinals like. Liberatore offered his interesting explanation of why there should be more focus put on left-handed pitchers, via Rob Rains' STLSportsPage.com.
“It's kind of like if you go to another country and drive on the opposite side of the road for the first time,” he said. “You know how to do it, but it is weird, and it does feel uncomfortable.”
While Matthew Liberatore's explanation was a bit more outlandish, St. Louis' general manager, Rob Cerfolio, gave one that was more baseball-focused.
“Generally, the advantage that lefthanders have is that hitters see them less frequently and are not as used to seeing the shapes of pitches from that side,” said Cerfolio.
No matter the reason, the only thing that matters to the Cardinals is that all these pitchers are success stories, whether they throw left, right, or are ambidextrous.
