There Has to Be Something More to It

Today on mlbtraderumors.com, it was said that the Cardinals released AA pitcher Tyler Herron, a player they took in the first Round (46th pick) of the 2005 draft.  Here’s an article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which really doesn’t say very much about why the Cardinals believe Herron has no future.

I looked at Herron’s minor league numbers, and there has to be something more than his performance that made the Cardinals decide to dump him.  At AA Springfield in the Texas League, this year, Herron has a 4.34 ERA in 45.2 innings, with 48 hits, 2 HRs allowed, 22 walks, and 37 K’s.  Certainly not great numbers, but not bad numbers either, for a 22-year-old pitcher in AA. 

In his minor league career, he has a 4.20 ERA in 446.1 innings, with 444 hits, and 41 HRs allowed, 138 walks, and 375 K’s.  Numbers like this from a 22-year-old pitcher certainly appear promising.

According to the newspaper article cited above, the Cardinals are saying the reason for the release was performance-related.  He apparently had a drop in velocity and command of his pitches.  However, the numbers above don’t really show it. His walk numbers have definitely gone up since he was promoted to AA, but that may have as much to do with facing hitters who are better able to lay off pitches out of the strike zone, as it does Herron’s lack of command.

Herron also pitched winter ball last offseason, which suggests he’s willing to work to get better.

Given his numbers, I expect another major league organization will sign him.  If not, he’ll have to go pitch in the Independent A leagues—unless the problem with him is that his heart’s not in it anymore.