Cards' young fireballer draws ... Kershaw comps?
JUPITER, Fla. -- Dating back to the first time Cardinals roving instructor Ryan Ludwick saw left-hander Quinn Mathews flash his fiery competitiveness and overpowering stuff in a 2024 live batting practice session, one very favorable comparison kept coming to mind. Clayton Kershaw -- a career 212-game winner, two-time World Series
JUPITER, Fla. -- Dating back to the first time Cardinals roving instructor Ryan Ludwick saw left-hander Quinn Mathews flash his fiery competitiveness and overpowering stuff in a 2024 live batting practice session, one very favorable comparison kept coming to mind.
Clayton Kershaw -- a career 212-game winner, two-time World Series champion, 10-time All-Star and three-time National League Cy Young Award winner -- was the comparison Ludwick conjured up. Undoubtedly, the Cardinals would be thrilled if the 24-year-old Mathews has a career as dominant as the Dodgers’ lefty.
Mathews, the Cardinals' No. 2-ranked prospect and No. 45 in baseball, showed why scouts and fans are so bullish about his future in Friday’s Spring Breakout game. Mathews threw three scoreless innings during a 3-3 tie against Miami's top prospects at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mathews, who struck out 202 batters last season and was named Minor League Baseball’s Pitching Prospect of the Year, fanned three Marlins and walked three on Friday.
Ever the perfectionist and often his harshest critic, Mathews said he never felt comfortable on Friday -- with his delivery or his stuff.
“I wasn’t sharp, and that’s fine because you are going to have outings like that,” said Mathews, who threw 49 pitches, but just 23 for strikes. “The key is how do you put together quality outings even when you are not at your sharpest or best? I made some pitches when I needed to, but there were at-bats that I gave away that I didn’t need to. Mechanically, I might need to address a few things.”
Ludwick, the Cardinals' Spring Breakout manager on Friday, said he was very impressed with Mathews, St. Louis' fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Though he made several qualifiers, Ludwick offered a very favorable pro comparison for the 6-foot-4, 214-pound Mathews, who he first saw compete in a fiery live batting practice session against hitters early in 2024.
“This is a huge [comparison], and I don’t like giving guys comps because it’s hard to live up to them at times,” Ludwick said. “But when I think back to that live [BP] that he threw, the guy who I saw young and in his first big league start was Clayton Kershaw. You know, big, tall lefty with good stuff. Obviously, he’s got a long road to go to become Clayton Kershaw, but the electricity he showed in that live [BP], and the way he rose through the system last year and competed at each level, you can see a bright future for him.”
Mathews, a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., was shocked to hear the comparison.
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
“Obviously, that’s probably one of the biggest compliments you can get when you are getting compared to arguably the best arm in our conscious generation,” said Mathews, who pitched at four Minor League levels last season. “That’s a huge honor to get an acknowledgement like that. Maybe with the competitiveness, but I’m not as good physically. But maybe I’m as competitive as Kershaw.”
JJ Wetherholt, the top-ranked player in the Cards' system and No. 23 in baseball, lined out to left, grounded out and was hit by a pitch in his three plate appearances.
Mathews pitched well over his three innings, and he got some stellar defensive support from his teammates. Center fielder Nathan Church threw out Marlins first baseman Deyvison De Los Santos at the plate to end the second inning and keep the game scoreless. Then, catcher Jimmy Crooks -- St. Louis' No. 4 prospect, showed off his arm and quick transition by throwing out Jared Serna trying to steal second to end the third inning.
Mixing a changeup and a curveball with a fastball that topped out at 95 mph, Mathews threw a perfect first inning and pitched around two walks in the second. In the third, he fanned Carter Johnson with an 83 mph slider and fooled Javier Sanoja with a changeup.
“Quinn’s a perfectionist, kind of like how I am, so he felt like his stuff wasn’t good, but he still got three scoreless innings and he’s fine,” Crooks said with a laugh. "It’s a long Spring Training, and once the season rolls around, he’ll be a whole different Quinn Mathews, kind of like it was last year. He’s going to dominate, and I love catching him.”
Senior Reporter John Denton covers the Cardinals for MLB.com.
2025 TICKETS: On Sale Now
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Tickets for the 2025 Fort Wayne TinCaps season are set to go on sale Tuesdayevening (November 19). Beginning at 6 p.m., fans who purchase a ticket in person for a 2025 TinCaps game will be granted free admission to Parkview Field’s Holiday Lights Tuesday night. Tickets
NUEVO ESTILO: New Manzanas Luchadoras Style for 2025
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps will have a new style for their Hispanic Heritage games in 2025. Playing as the Manzanas Luchadoras (“Fighting Apples” in Spanish), the new season brings a new style with fresh colors, a crisp newly designed jersey, and a vibrant new hat. As
NEW HOME JERSEY: Now on Sale
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – With Opening Day at Parkview Field less than a month away on Friday, April 4 (7:05 p.m.), the Fort Wayne TinCaps have unveiled a new home jersey for their 2025 season. The white jersey features a new block wordmark that’s dark green and outlined in bright
HELP WANTED: Apply to Work for 2025 Season
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A new season of Fort Wayne TinCaps baseball at Parkview Field begins April 4, so as Opening Day approaches, the team is hiring hundreds of part-time, seasonal employees. CLICK HERE TO APPLY Available positions range from working concessions to ballpark sanitation, The Orchard Team Store, and
TinCaps, PNC Bank Going to Bat for Small Business
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps, in collaboration with PNC Bank, will continue their “Going To Bat for Small Business” program in the 2025 season. The program will provide an opportunity for small businesses to be selected from a pool of peers for their business accomplishments and positive
VOTE FOR JOHNNY: Best MiLB Mascot
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne TinCaps mascot Johnny TinCap is a finalist for Minor League Baseball’s best mascot, according to USA Today. CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JOHNNY Voting runs through March 17. Johnny has been selected by a panel of experts for showing team pride while bringing joy
PSM BASEBALL CLASSIC: Tickets on Sale
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Parkview Field, the home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, will host a dozen high school and college baseball games, featuring 24 local teams, this April and May as part of the annual Parkview Sports Medicine Baseball Classic. Matchups will feature rival teams from around Northeast Indiana
PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE: Fireworks & Much More
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps have announced their exciting 2025 promotional schedule, including fireworks, giveaways, theme games, and special appearances. With Opening Day at Parkview Field only 50 days away on Friday, April 4, tickets are on sale, starting at just $7. Fans can purchase their seats
2025 COACHING STAFF: Announced by Padres
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The San Diego Padres have announced the coaching staff for the 2025 Fort Wayne TinCaps season. Lukas Ray will manage the High-A ’Caps after leading San Diego’s Single-A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm, to the California League Championship Series last year. Ray will be joined by
HOLIDAY LIGHTS: A Big Hit in Debut Season
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A new Fort Wayne holiday season tradition was born in 2024. In its debut over 48 nights from mid-November into early January, more than 97,000 guests visited Parkview Field’s Holiday Lights presented by Rohrman Automotive, Paul Davis, and the Lear Corporation. “We’ve been blessed to have
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR: Mike Nutter
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – TinCaps President Mike Nutter has been honored by The Journal Gazette as the area’s 2024 Citizen of the Year. “Nutter’s people-first focus on leadership and giving, his personal and professional commitment to community service and his expertise in customer service have made him a sought-after volunteer
MAJOR AWRD: MiLB's CommUNITY Champion
The Fort Wayne TinCaps have won another major Minor League Baseball award. At Minor League Baseball’s Business Summit in Charlotte on Tuesday, MiLB announced that the TinCaps earned the 2024 CommUNITY Champion Award. Team President Mike Nutter and other staff members were in attendance to accept the honor. This marks
260 TO THE SHOW: Alumni in MLB
A total of 53 former TinCaps players appeared in Major League Baseball during the 2024 season, including six all-stars. Now, more than a dozen alumni are on postseason rosters vying for a World Series championship. Since Fort Wayne’s Minor League Baseball franchise was established in 1993, there’ve been 228 players
TinCaps shine a light on mental health issues
Back in 2022, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps front office posted a sign on the clubhouse wall. It featured a simple, but unusual request: Would any players want to speak publicly about mental health? The front office was not obligating anyone to do anything, and couldn’t predict what kind of
Get to know Padres player development's Allison Luneborg
PEORIA, ARIZ – Prospects like Ethan Salas and Jackson Merrill are a large part of why the Padres have the No. 4 farm system in baseball. But there are many folks behind the scenes who also help make the organization shine. One of them is Allison Luneborg. The Ohio native
Salas, Snelling highlight Padres' Organization All-Stars
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2023 Organization All-Stars series are the San Diego Padres. 2023 organization summary: Triple-A El Paso:
The Road to The Show™: Padres’ Snelling
Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at Padres fourth-ranked prospect Robby Snelling. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. With multiple options in front of him coming out
Casual Friday: Kate Flannery's MiLB-filled weekend
In the fictional world of the hit NBC sitcom “The Office,” Meredith Palmer is prone to mishaps, can be snarky and is known to enjoy a beverage or two. But Kate Flannery, the actress who portrayed the Dunder Mifflin employee for nine seasons, is nothing like her character. Just ask
The best of the Padres' Minor League ballparks
The Minor League Ballpark Guides series presented by Wyndham brings all the most fun features of Minors ballparks across America (and one in Canada!) onto your desktop, tablet or mobile device, whether you're interested in taking a virtual tour from where you sit or planning a trip to catch some
Wanna have a catch? MiLB celebrates Father's Day
"Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch?" The timeless quote from "Field of Dreams" film resonates much deeper on a certain Sunday in June. Several teams around Minor League Baseball paid tribute to that moment by bringing out fans and their fathers to have a catch (or play catch, however
TinCaps, city of Fort Wayne honor AAGPBL club
On a warm June night in northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne's Parkview Field was full of daisies. The Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, to be exact. The High-A TinCaps honored the city's AAGPBL team on Saturday, wearing replica jerseys and unveiling a monument dedicated to the club that
Merrill leads way in new-look Padres system
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2022 Organization All-Stars series are the San Diego Padres.
And now, our ballpark feature presentation
What makes a Minor League ballpark unique? The food? The fans? The view? The answer to that query is, of course, all of the above. But perhaps above all, what makes a Minor League park unique are its stand-alone features, those architectural quirks, creative constructions and down-the-line additions that simply