Cardinals No. 7 Prospect Unleashes Absurd 103.1 MPH Fastball

The St. Louis Cardinals spent the offseason leading up to the 2026 Major League Baseball season looking to add offload veterans with young, controllable pitching in mind.

It took a while, but Cardinals fans are finally getting to start to see why the club targeted lefty flamethrower Brandon Clarke. Clarke missed the first few months of the season after undergoing surgery in January to address an aneurysm in his left arm, but was able to make his season debut on July 11 with the FCL Cardinals. It was a long time coming and he took a big step forward on Saturday. He made his second appearance of the season — and second overall appearance in the Cardinals organization — and topped out at 103.1 miles per hour with his fastball.

BRANDON CLARKE JUST HIT 103.1 MPH pic.twitter.com/RDeOYQ3r1j
— Kareem Haq (@KareemSSN) July 18, 2026

Brandon Clarke touched 103.1 mph in the first inning of his Low-A rehab start 👀

The @CardsPlayerDev prospect underwent a procedure in January to address an aneurysm in his left arm.

(🎥@KareemSSN) pic.twitter.com/CDQBpl7EKj
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 18, 2026

Brandon Clarke Had A Big Day

St. Louis Cardinals hat — Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Insanity.

Clarke is a 23-year-old lefty who was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft by the Boston Red Sox. He was acquired by the Cardinals from the Red Sox this past offseason in the Sonny Gray trade. The Red Sox traded Clarke, Richard Fitts, and a player to be named later in exchange for Gray and $20 million.

The deal hasn't looked great for the Cardinals so far, but if Clarke can reach these metrics, it will be just fine in the long run for the organization. 103.1 miles per hour from a young lefty is just ridiculous. In 2025, he made his professional debut in the Red Sox's farm system and logged a 4.03 ERA in 14 starts while making it up to High-A.

It's not every day that you see velocity like what Clarke was able to put together in just his second outing of the season. Jacob Misiorowski has dazzled the baseball world all season with his velocity and has set the record for the fastest fastball by a starter in recorded big league history at 105.5 miles per hour. Clarke is just about two miles per hour below that in just his second outing of the season after missing the first few months of the campaign with an aneurysm in his left arm.

Clarke currently is the Cardinals' No. 7 overall prospect. It took a while to see him on the mound in the organization, but if this is the guy the Cardinals are going to consistently have, the Gray deal is going to look very good in the long run.

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