Drafted in the 13th round (391st overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 (signed for $125,000).
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Heinecke got some interest last fall when his velocity spiked a bit and he touched 95 mph from the left side, but he hasn’t quite gotten back to that point this spring, pitching mostly in the 89-91 mph range and touching 94 at best. Even without a huge step forward with his pure stuff, scouts like the fact that Heinecke throws a ton of strikes. He posted a 4.40 ERA this spring over eight starts and 43 innings of work, with 43 strikeouts (9.0 K/9) and just 11 walks (2.3 BB/9). That walk rate was actually the highest of his career, which speaks to his track record as a control artist. His career walk rate after three seasons with Wofford is just 1.7 per nine innings. On top of his fastball Heinecke throws a slider, curveball and changeup, with the slider being his best bat-missing pitch this spring. Heinecke doesn’t have massive upside as a filled-out, 6-foot, 210-pound lefty, but southpaws who throw strikes will always have some interest for teams in the draft.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
Heinecke got some interest last fall when his velocity spiked a bit and he touched 95 mph from the left side, but he hasn’t quite gotten back to that point this spring, pitching mostly in the 89-91 mph range and touching 94 at best. Even without a huge step forward with his pure stuff, scouts like the fact that Heinecke throws a ton of strikes. He posted a 4.40 ERA this spring over eight starts and 43 innings of work, with 43 strikeouts (9.0 K/9) and just 11 walks (2.3 BB/9). That walk rate was actually the highest of his career, which speaks to his track record as a control artist. His career walk rate after three seasons with Wofford is just 1.7 per nine innings. On top of his fastball Heinecke throws a slider, curveball and changeup, with the slider being his best bat-missing pitch this spring. Heinecke doesn’t have massive upside as a filled-out, 6-foot, 210-pound lefty, but southpaws who throw strikes will always have some interest for teams in the draft.
Career Transactions
LHP Hayes Heinecke assigned to Palm Beach Cardinals.
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