Saturday, Trevor Rosenthal—one of the St. Louis Cardinals' top not-top prospects, threw a bunch of 98 and 99-mph fastballs in the service of the Cardinals' crucial win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Oh, and one curveball—a called strike, because Clint Barmes was as surprised as you were before taking two fastballs and then swinging right through a third. Sunday he was sent back to the Memphis Redbirds, to make room for the recently rehabilitated Jaime Garcia.
↵That Rosenthal threw seven fastballs and one curveball is probably reason enough for his return to the Redbirds. He might be of assistance to the Cardinals in August, but if he is he'll be back in September, and anyway at 22 he's got at least a year or so of rocketing through the system as a starter before people freak out about how not-tall he is and send him to the bullpen.
↵For now, I guess, Joe Kelly will have to do as the high-90s-throwing fastballs-only relief-pitching starter-prospect. Which is probably okay for now. Rosenthal will go back to Memphis and strike out some PCL All-Stars.
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