2024 MLB All-Star Weekend set to begin on Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas the spotlight will be on the Futures Game and Inaugural Skills Showcase first.
That game features 54 of the rising prospects in minor league baseball. One of the players who was supposed to participate in the game is St. Louis Cardinals hurler Markevian Tink Hence, the club’s No.1 prospect and the No. 42 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Hence won’t make the trip but will instead throw batting practice in Springfield as he returns from an injury.
With an expected call up this season, Hence is biding his time with Double-A Springfield where he’s been dominant in some of his outings.
In 12 starts this season Hence boasts a solid 4-2 record with an ERA of 3.29. He’s struck out 73 batters which is an average of six per start. His 1.13 WHIP is one of the best in all of the minors, which makes you wonder why the Cardinals haven’t called him up.
10) Tink Hence
Hence has been back to his dominant self after a rough AA debut in 2023. He throws a mid 90s fastball from a low slot while getting a lot of ride and rise on the pitch. He wields a gyro-slider, N-S curve, and a plus-plus changeup
He looks like a budding ace! pic.twitter.com/95B53fNWYU
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 10, 2024
Hence Is Ready, But Are The Cardinals?
Back in April, Hence was asked by reporters what he thought it would take for him to get the call to the majors this season, and he knows it’s all about mindset and belief in himself.
“I told myself, This is the year! So, it’s just keeping my word to myself, proving that I’ve put in the work and developed to the point that I’m ready for this. I have that mindset now that I’m going to be a big-league starter and I’m going to compete at the highest level. So, just telling myself that. I’m putting that on my shoulders for this season.”
With the Cardinals sitting at a surprising (48-42) in the National League and in the second wildcard spot, Hence has the type of talent that can help them secure that playoff spot. In fact, there’s belief throughout the organization that he could one day be ace of the pitching staff. Which is why they’ve taken their time with him and let him develop at his pace.
Cardinals Purposely Held Him Back
When the Cardinals drafted Hence with the No.63 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, he weighed 160 pounds. Since then, he’s added 35 pounds to his slender 6-foot-1 frame. The Cardinals reasoning for taking their time with Hence was so he could add the necessary strength and stamina needed to become a major league pitcher.
If last year’s Futures Game where he pitched a scoreless inning — or this year’s Spring Breakout showcase in March where he struck out different hitters on three different pitches — were any indication, he’s ready.
“I’m really getting my confidence up there and I feel like all my pitches are on the rise. I’m trying to just build, build, build each time that I go out so that I have that confidence in all my stuff.”
Hence Should Be In Triple-A Memphis Soon
Barring any setback Hence should be promoted to Triple-A Memphis soon, and if he does his thing there, the Cardinals will have no choice but to bring him up. A move that could really help catapult them into the playoffs.
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