Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Sign 25-Year-Old Former Orioles Righty

More depth for the farm system...
Jackson Roberts|
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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In the middle of a rebuild, the St. Louis Cardinals have to look at every young pitcher as a lottery ticket.

Whether they start or come on in relief, the Cardinals simply need to find arms who can join the core of what they hope is a contending team within the next few seasons. Their pitching prospects generally lag behind their position players, though they've made progress in the draft and through offseason trades.

On Monday, the Cardinals reportedly signed one more interesting young pitcher whose minor-league career hasn't quite delivered the results yet that he would have hoped for.

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Cardinals sign RHP Dominic Freeberger

Cardinals
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

According to a Monday social media post from Tread Athletics, a highly regarded training facility for many major and minor league players, the Cardinals signed 25-year-old right-hander Dominic Freeberger to a minor-league deal.

Freeberger recently pitched at Tread's pro day workout in front of scouts from major league teams, and the Cardinals clearly had a presence there. St. Louis also signed former independent ball hurler Robbie Knowles after seeing him pitch at his pro day.

According to Tread, Freeberger was sitting in the mid-90s with his fastball, a more impressive feat on an indoor mound than it would be on a diamond, and featured fairly elite induced vertical break (or "ride") on that heater.

Freeberger also threw a series of breaking balls between 82-87 mph, some of which appeared to have more cut action, while others had the two-plane break of a slurve or sweeper.

Freeberger was a two-way player as a third baseman and left fielder in college at UNC Asheville and UConn before pitching full time in the pro ranks. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 and wound up making 40 appearances across two seasons, pitching to a 6.42 ERA, but striking out 56 batters in 47 2/3 innings.

Freeberger also made eight appearances for the independent Lincoln Saltdogs last summer after the Orioles released him.

The Cardinals would need to see a lot of growth from Freeberger, likely over multiple seasons, to eventually promote him to the majors. But he should get some innings down on the farm this season and may ultimately prove to be a wise pickup.

More MLB: Cardinals Lose Dominant Double-A Hurler to Braves in Free Agency

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding St. Louis Cardinals On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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