Tink Hence, a starting pitching prospect with the St. Louis Cardinals, was voted Texas League Pitcher of the Month in April. The young righty has improved significantly in Double-A this season, after struggling in a limited sample size last year. ERA: 5.47, WHIP: 1.51.
Cardinals Prospect Hence Dominates in First Start
The Cardinals’ top pitching prospect Hence began the 2024 season with a dominant showing. The young right-handed pitcher possesses electrifying stuff, which was on full show in his debut for Double-A Springfield.
The youthful righty pitched five innings of no-hit baseball. He threw 67 pitches, of which 43 were strikes. In addition, he struck out three and walked one. The right-hander’s fastball sat regularly in the mid to high 90s, and both the change-up and slider were effective. The strong start foreshadowed positive outcomes. His success continued through April.
Strong Start and Finish
Hence made five starts in April for Double-A Springfield, including a good opening day performance. He topped the league in strikeouts with 31 and a WHIP of 0.74.
The righty went 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA, allowing only six walks in 25.2 innings. In his final start of April, the right-hander set career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts with ten versus Tulsa. The performance served as a fitting capstone to his dominant month of April. Furthermore, the career-high seven innings pitched is a positive step. The Cardinals prospect Hence faces the final challenges of stamina and durability.
Stuff is Ready but Stamina Still a Question
The young righty has yet to pitch more than 100 innings in a season. The Cardinals organization has maintained a stringent regimen for innings and pitch count. There’s little doubt that he has the talent to be a successful major league pitcher. The only genuine concern is whether he has the stamina to pitch every fifth day for a whole major league season.
At only twenty-one years old, Hence still has room to grow. He will likely continue to move up the prospect rankings. The young righty is on track to become an impact player for a team in severe need of pitching. Hence has a bright future, and he is a player that fans should be interested in.
