Graceffo comes up big in clutch callup to stamp MLB debut

This story was excerpted from John Denton's Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- Some two weeks ago, when the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds were hosting Jacksonville, Gordon Graceffo wasn’t pitching that night, but he was admittedly distracted from the game at hand.

About 215 miles away in Birmingham, Ala., for the MLB at Rickwood Field Game on June 20, right-handed pitcher Adam Kloffenstein (St. Louis' No. 16 prospect) had gotten the callup to the big leagues, and Graceffo was eager to see how his Triple-A teammate fared in the historic game for the Cardinals. There was a time when Graceffo thought that MLB callup might have gone to him, especially with how well he had been pitching of late, but instead, the Cards turned to Kloffenstein to supplement their weary bullpen for the nationally televised 6-5 win over the Giants.

“We all ran into the clubhouse [after the Memphis game], and we were excited to see Kloff pitch and we were so happy for him,” said Graceffo of Kloffenstein, who fired a scoreless inning of relief in his MLB debut. “It was awesome for him to go up to a stage like that, on national TV, in a game where everybody was watching and a game that defined history. It was so cool to hear him talk about it. It’s nice talking to those guys when they come back down, because it helps you visualize what it might be like.”

Graceffo, the Cards’ No. 9 prospect, didn’t have to wait long to get that big league experience himself. Eight days after Kloffenstein was promoted, the 24-year-old Graceffo got word from Memphis manager Ben Johnson on June 28 that he was headed to The Show.

The thought of pitching at Busch Stadium had been at the forefront of Graceffo’s mind in recent weeks after he posted the best month of his pro career in June. Over four starts with Memphis, Graceffo went 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just six walks over 22 innings.

That strong stretch pushed Graceffo’s record to 8-5 with a 3.84 ERA over 14 starts. The change came, he said, after he started focusing more on where he was instead of where he wanted to be -- St. Louis.

“It’s just about trusting the process and getting more comfortable with my mechanics every day,” the 2021 fifth-round pick out of Villanova said. "I’ve been just trying to stay consistent and not think so much about coming up here [St. Louis] and the next steps. I’ve been just trying to stay within myself and take it one step at a time.”

The next step came Saturday when Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol found a low-leverage spot for Graceffo’s MLB debut. Though the Cards were on the wrong side of a 9-4 loss, Graceffo came up big by saving St. Louis' bullpen with his relief work. He pitched the final 4 1/3 innings of the game against the Reds, while allowing just one run on three hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts in 67 pitches.

“Graceffo was impressive and did a really nice job for us,” Marmol said. “He did exactly what we needed him to do. We held him [from a Triple-A start] for that reason, and him being able to finish that game for us, without having to use another arm, was really important.”

Because the Cardinals needed another fresh arm in their bullpen, Graceffo was shuttled back to Memphis the next day. However, it likely won’t be the last time he pitches for the Cards this season. He impressed St. Louis' coaches with his poise under pressure, and his plus changeup played well off his fastball.

Graceffo said he’s ready to serve any role the Cardinals need, whether he’s used as a starter or a reliever.

“I think the biggest thing [with coming out of the bullpen] is the prep, because you have to prepare every day like you are pitching that day,” said Graceffo, who had about a dozen family and friends in the Busch Stadium crowd to watch his MLB debut and cheer each strikeout. “As a reliever, you have to stay locked in longer. As a starter, you have your day and your routine. Regardless, the approach is the same -- go out and attack those guys and get outs.”

Here is a look at some of the other top Minor League performers over the first half of the season in the Cardinals' system:

Double-A Springfield: Right-hander Tink Hence (St. Louis’ No. 1 prospect, No. 42 overall) entered 2024 with a goal of topping the 100-inning plateau and boldly talking about pitching his way to the Majors by season’s end. The 21-year-old seemed to be perfectly set on that path before a mysterious “tightness” injury in his chest/shoulder/side region derailed him. Hence left a June 5 start after just two innings because of cramping and tightness. Then, after an MLB-sanctioned trip to Rickwood Field for the Cards' win over the Giants, Hence left his June 23 start just two pitches into the second inning with more tightness. Still, he’s had a stellar season, posting a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA. More impressively, Hence has the ability to throw all four pitches for strikes -- weapons he used to rack up 73 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings.

Left-hander Cooper Hjerpe (Cards’ No. 7 prospect) similarly left a start with Springfield on Wednesday with what Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak called left biceps tendinitis. The club doesn’t think the injury to Hjerpe – who was promoted from High-A to Double-A on June 11 -- is a serious one.

High-A Peoria: Left-hander Quinn Mathews (No. 2 prospect) could be slotted in anywhere considering that he’s already pitched at three levels of the Minor Leagues for the Cardinals this season. He blew through Palm Beach (3-1, 1.47 ERA, 52 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings) and Peoria (3-1, 2.68 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings) to get to Springfield (one start, 5 1/3 innings, three strikeouts). The Stanford product has been so impressive that he broke into the MLB Pipeline Top 100 (No. 99) and he skyrocketed to the top in the Cards’ system.

Single-A Palm Beach: Center fielder Chase Davis (No. 6 prospect) was St. Louis’ first-round pick last July, but the Cardinals had to be a bit puzzled late last season when he failed to hit a home run. Those concerns have been quieted this season as the blossoming slugger has smashed seven home runs and 17 doubles to go with his 40 RBIs and five stolen bases in six tries. Davis, who is known for the prodigious homers he hits in batting practice, still needs to cut down his strikeouts (66 whiffs compared to just 38 walks) and try to hit for a better average (.224). Ultimately, it’s his ability to mash the ball out of the ballpark that will get him to the big leagues.