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St. Louis Cardinals hard-throwing pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo, who is no stranger to hitting 99 MPH on the radar gun at just 22-years old, recently dropped a confident take for 2023. The Cardinals' big league team already features a fairly strong pitching staff. But Graceffo believes he has what it takes to impact St. Louis, per Cardinals' beat writer John Denton.
“If I perform similar to how I did last year, I think I have a real shot at starting with the big league team,” said Graceffo. “Regardless of where I start, they’re going to put me in the best spot, and I’ll make the best of it.”
Graceffo is a young pitcher who could realistically profile as a starting or relief arm. His velocity would make him a valuable weapon out of the bullpen. It also may speed up his MLB timeline. But starting pitchers are throwing with increased velocity in today's game. As a result, St. Louis could prefer to use him in the rotation.
“In Double-A, those are legit hitters and guys who will make it in the big leagues, and once I figured that level out, everything clicked, and I felt really confident,” Graceffo continued. “It’s a steppingstone and a part of the journey, and now I’m hoping to take that next step in the spring.”
It will be interesting to see if Graceffo gets a chance to pitch for the Cardinals in 2023. Between injuries and underperformance, a spot very well could open up for the young right-hander this season.
For now, St. Louis will look to continue building up their roster for the 2023 campaign.
