Former Bruin's Strong First Outing of Minor League Season

Several former UCLA Bruins have been showcased in multiple professional sports in the United States, and the trend hasn't changed. For former Bruin starting pitcher and current member of the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, Max Rajcic, started off his campaign on the right foot.

Rajcic, originally drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, has climbed the ranks of their minor leagues since donning the uniform. Climbing from High-A to Double-A is a step in the right direction for any new draftee, so Rajcic must be doing something right.

In his first start of the year for the Springfield Cardinals, Rajcic went five innings, struck out four batters and allowed one hit and one walk. That is exactly the kind of performance to land your team a victory while simultaneously building confidence in yourself.

The former Bruin goes into the season as the Cardinals' 23rd-best prospect in the Minor Leagues, as he made his presence known. This is Rajcic's second season for Springfield, where last season he collected 25 games started, a 4.33 ERA, striking out 133 batters and doing so in 131 innings of work.

The Cardinals could use a guy like Rajcic in their rotation sooner rather than later, as the franchise has been predicted to hit a rebuild mode following trading away and losing their star players. Rajcic would benefit greatly playing in the big leagues, but he still has a long way to go.

Throughout the season, it will be crucial if the former Bruin can continue to lower his earned run average to less than four runs per game. Going into a Major League ballpark like Busch Stadium means pitchers have to execute their pitches more effectively, given it is deemed a hitter-friendly ballpark to play in.

The UCLA Product has elite strike out stuff if it's executed properly, as his K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings of work) was nine last season, good for one strike out per inning. He still needs to learn how to paint his way through and around the strike zone and finding a put away pitch. Once he does, he is likely to be moving up the ranks quicker.

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