Griffin Roberts

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #27 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Roberts led the Atlantic Coast Conference in strikeouts in 2018 and was drafted by the Cardinals 43rd overall. He got his professional career off to a bad start when he tested positive for marijuana twice and received a 50-game suspension to start the 2019 season. Roberts struggled when he returned, posting a 6.44 ERA with nearly as many walks (35) as strikeouts (36) at high Class A Palm Beach.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Roberts has plenty of stuff when his head is right. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s and reaches 97 mph with running life. His slider is a plus pitch with exceptional movement and depth. He also flashes an average changeup with fade. Roberts's high-effort delivery and low arm slot make him a likely reliever, but the Cardinals will continue to start him. He rebuilt his stock with an excellent showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 3.07 ERA over four starts with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 14.2 innings.
  
  THE FUTURE: Roberts has early red flags, but the Cardinals believe he has matured and learned from his mistakes. They are banking an uninterrupted 2020 will allow Roberts' best to come out.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #18 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Roberts pitched out of the bullpen his first two seasons at Wake Forest before moving to the starting rotation as a junior. He began the transition in the Cape Cod League and pitched to a 1.96 ERA while earning all-star honors, and followed up in the spring by leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with 130 strikeouts in just 96.2 innings. The Cardinals drafted Roberts 43rd overall and signed him for $1,664,200.
  
  Scouting Report: Roberts starts his arsenal with an above-average fastball in the low to mid-90s that touches 97 mph and plays up with running life. His real weapon is a slider that was one of the best breaking balls in the 2018 draft class. It's a plus pitch with exceptional movement and depth, and it locks up both lefthanded and righthanded hitters while drawing swings and misses both in and out of the zone. He flashes an average changeup with fade for his third pitch. Roberts has some reliever risk with a high-effort delivery and low, three-quarter arm slot that borders on sidearm. Control issues in his history further lead many to believe he'll be best pitching out of the bullpen.
  
  The Future: The Cardinals will start Roberts for now, knowing his fastball/slider combination will play well in relief as a fallback. He will likely begin his first full season at high Class A Palm Beach, but not until after he serves a 50-game suspension after twice testing positive for cannabis.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #47 prospect in 2018 draft
  After being used out of the bullpen during his first two seasons with Wake Forest, Roberts has made a phenomenal transition to a starting role this spring. Through his first nine starts, Roberts has pitched to 2.67 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 22 walks in 64 innings. His impressive numbers are a byproduct of a plus fastball in the low to mid-90s with natural running life and one of the best breaking balls in the country in a 70-grade slider that has exceptional movement and depth. The pitch regularly locks up both righthanded and lefthanded batters and creates swings and misses inside and outside of the strike zone. There will always be reliever risk with Roberts, as he has a lot of effort in his delivery and throws from a very low, three-quarter slot that can occasionally border on sidearm. He also has a history of control issues, although those concerns have been lessened this spring and in the Cape Cod League last summer, when he managed just 1.69 walks per nine innings.
• Ranked #217 prospect in 2017 draft
  Roberts made huge strides as a sophomore after struggling with command as a freshman, when he walked 22 in 15.2 innings. Command remains an issue for the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, as he walked 5.6 per nine innings as the Demon Deacons' closer. However, Roberts has electric stuff, with a fastball that has peaked at 95 and sits at 93 mph with plus life. Roberts's slider also can be a swing-and-miss pitch, though it's more average on a consistent basis. Roberts threw on back-to-back days at times, a must for a pro reliever, with his stuff remaining firm. He'll need to improve his control, and he's an eligible sophomore, which may cloud his signability.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Roberts led the Atlantic Coast Conference in strikeouts in 2018 and was drafted by the Cardinals 43rd overall. He got his professional career off to a bad start when he tested positive for marijuana twice and received a 50-game suspension to start the 2019 season. Roberts struggled when he returned, posting a 6.44 ERA with nearly as many walks (35) as strikeouts (36) at high Class A Palm Beach.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Roberts has plenty of stuff when his head is right. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s and reaches 97 mph with running life. His slider is a plus pitch with exceptional movement and depth. He also flashes an average changeup with fade. Roberts's high-effort delivery and low arm slot make him a likely reliever, but the Cardinals will continue to start him. He rebuilt his stock with an excellent showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 3.07 ERA over four starts with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 14.2 innings.
  
  THE FUTURE: Roberts has early red flags, but the Cardinals believe he has matured and learned from his mistakes. They are banking an uninterrupted 2020 will allow Roberts' best to come out.