St. Louis Cardinals summon their prized lefty pitcher to bolster the bullpen

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Zack Thompson stood on the warning track at Wrigley Field in front of the visitors’ dugout on Thursday and offered a reserved smile as he discussed the number 57 embossed on the sleeve of his warmup pullover.

Mused Thompson, “Does it really count? It’s not on the jersey.”

While technically true, Thompson’s addition to the team’s taxi squad meant that his jersey was delayed, but imminent. With a Saturday doubleheader on the horizon and innings at a premium, the team’s ninth-best prospect (as ranked by MLB Pipeline) was dispatched to the big leagues to see if his increased velocity and suddenly darting pitches could provide some valuable outs.

His arrival, though, marks another, much more somber milestone.

Twenty years ago this month, on June 22, 2022, Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile passed away suddenly while the team was in Chicago to play the Cubs. Kile wore 57, and the number was taken out of circulation until Thompson arrived at spring training before the 2021 season.

The team felt it was the right time, and that Thompson was the right player. He was told about Kile and took it upon himself to learn even more, building a deep appreciation for and thorough understanding of the legacy Kile left behind.

“It’s definitely a cool, humbling feeling,” Thompson said Thursday before his promotion to the active roster had been made official. “Especially if it’s here at Wrigley, I think it’ll mean a lot. I’m really, really looking forward to the opportunity and kind of living up to the number.”

The timing may be between poignant and eerie, but the opportunity has been earned. Thompson has made 10 starts for the Triple-A Redbirds, posting a 4.67 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings.

His ERA is down two and a half runs from his challenging 2021 season, and his strikeout rate has increased by three and a half punchouts per every nine innings.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol agreed Thompson has potential to deliver an “elite” breaking ball, adding, “and it’s 97 (miles per hour) from the left side as well, so it’s a combination of those two things.

“You can hone it in and throw strikes with it, you have a pretty high end left handed pitcher, whether that’s a starter or reliever,” Marmol said.

“I did have some mechanical tweaks in the offseason,” Thompson explained. “Was a little out of whack last year, and it was something that was tough to get to between starts. Got rid of the wind up, just simplified things, went from there and really started using my legs a lot better. Keep holding my direction to the plate a lot better.”

Another notch in player development system

Marmol said the club was comfortable with the possibility of Thompson finding a short-term home in the bullpen given the success of other pitchers who have followed that path.

Left unsaid was the challenge in finding reliable outs from the left side in 2022; entering the weekend, TJ McFarland had allowed 15 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings and even standout setup man Génesis Cabrera had posted a fielding independent pitching mark of 5.38, the highest of his career and a slight implication he’s been the beneficiary of some fortunate batted ball results.

Thompson’s ascension is another notch in the belt of St. Louis’s player development system, and his MLB debut is the ninth of the season for the club, which leads baseball. Thompson was dispatched to the developmental Arizona Fall League last season, where he roomed with Andre Pallante, Juan Yepez and Jake Walsh — the first two of whom are currently on the roster, with Walsh likely to return from the minors soon after being eligible.

‘It’s awesome’

In fact, the full complement of players the club dispatched to the Glendale Desert Dogs has made an impact in St. Louis this season; Brendan Donovan, Jordan Hicks and Lars Nootbaar round out the list.

“It’s awesome,” Thompson said. “I ran into Andre right before we threw, and our whole fall league house is here. We all lived together, and now we’re all back here.”

More than anything else, the Cardinals have called on Thompson because they believe he can get outs, handle innings, and help build the bridge they need to a time when pitchers like Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz will be returning from the injured list.

Quirk of the lockout

That his opportunity fell on this weekend is a quirk of the lockout; Saturday’s doubleheader was the result of the postponement of two games pushed back by the labor dispute. If not for that turn of fortune, Thompson’s time would likely have come somewhere that held a little less significance and at a somewhat less poignant time.

But the Cardinals, as they did two years ago, decided it was time. The coincidence shouldn’t go unremarked upon, and while it also won’t define Thompson and his career, he’s well aware of the symbolic weight his jersey carries.

Given that, it’s fair to concede his point. It doesn’t count until it counts.

This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 10:12 AM.