After 40-man roster push, Cardinals hopeful Conor Thomas feels MLB dream closer to reality

A fifth-round pick from Georgia Tech in the 2019 MLB Draft, Thomas turned around a struggling season in Class AAA by becoming the top pitcher in the Arizona Fall League. However, had the Cardinals not added Thomas to their 40-man roster by the deadline that night, Thomas would not have been protected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Thomas hung out in the living room that morning, talking with his wife about what would happen, what the future might hold, and how the Cardinals rated him. Then Thomas’ phone rang, and the answer to his question was revealed when farm manager Gary LaRocque spoke with him: The left-handed pitcher was added to his 40-man roster for the Cardinals. was

“So many emotions collapsed in that moment,” Thomas said during the Cardinals’ winter warm-up. “I have her two little girls and a wife and we are pretty avid baseball fans. I didn’t.”

After posting a 3.10 ERA in 101 2/3 innings in 2021 with Memphis, Thomas finished the 2022 regular season with a 5.47 ERA and a 17.9% strikeout rate in 135 innings. The tone of his season changed during his time in the AFL, where he finished the league with a 1.75 ERA in 25 2/3 innings against baseball’s top prospects and a 32% strikeout rate. rice field. He led the league with his 34 strikeouts and only his five walks at hitter. This success earned him his first job at the league’s annual Fall Stars game and was recognized as the AFL’s pitcher of the year.

“I know a lot of people said my performance in Memphis was below average, but I agree it wasn’t what I was hoping it would be,” Thomas said. “I feel like Arizona was a good reset button for me.

Thomas’ difference in the AFL was his use of cutters, which he spent part of the regular season developing. The idea to introduce a cutter to his Arsenal was pitched to him last spring by former Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux. 328 and . 490 slugging against Thomas.

Thomas tested the pitch during the regular season, but was unable to get the right grip. until I helped him find the correct handle for the .

All it took was a conversation between the two and a left-handed visual showing the grip the former All-Star closer used on the cutter.

“I was like, ‘I like that.’ Let me throw it,” Thomas said of the conversation with Islinghausen. I’d call it the Izzy Cutter, but it was cool, and when he showed me the grip it was very easy to fix, but it wasn’t official.”

The opportunity to play in the fall league and his inclusion on the 40-man roster convinced Thomas how he was valued within the Cardinals organization. Arizona Falls of 2021 The fact that every Cardinals prospect without his previous MLB experience sent to his league debuted in his 2022 season, the Tifton, GA native, will be on the field next season. Confident in getting his own call-up.

Thomas will get a chance to play in the Cardinals’ bullpen this spring. Last spring, Thomas was one of the final three minor-leaguers in the big-league camp vying for a place in the bullpen.

Cardinals pitchers including Adam Wainwright (USA), Miles Mikolas (USA), Giovanni Gallegos (Mexico), Genesis Cabrera (Dominican Republic) and Palante (Italy) join the World Baseball Classic unofficial roster was registered and the pitchers were organized. Seeking extra innings from the big leagues like Thomas this spring.

“I look forward to such opportunities,” Thomas said. “And I think it’s just a matter of letting the card types control what you can control through your preparation.”

Heading into spring, Thomas aims to continue working on the cutter. I want to be able to use it effectively for both left-handed and right-handed people. He said that in 2022 he has the second-highest Cardinals prospects among pitchers in his league with 130+ innings in the minors, and his sixth-highest overall in MiLB.He has a 51% ground ball percentage. It has in mind the same goals of the Thinker that helped bring it to life. , per FanGraphs.

However, before that job begins, he wants to make up for the time he was away.

“Well, so far, I’m just picking up steam,” Thomas said. “To be honest, my main focus is just being a father. There weren’t many. It’s nice to see my family.”