Luke Weaver (baseball)

Luke Weaver

St. Louis Cardinals – No. 62
Pitcher
Born: (1993-08-21) August 21, 1993
DeLand, Florida
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 13, 2016, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through August 2, 2017)
Win–loss record 2–5
Earned run average 5.15
Strikeouts 60
WHIP 1.50
Teams

Luke Allen Weaver (born August 21, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft from Florida State University (FSU), where he played college baseball for the Seminoles. He made his MLB debut on August 13, 2016.

Early life

Weaver graduated from DeLand High School in 2011.[1] He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round of the 2011 MLB Draft, but did not sign and chose to attend and play baseball at Florida State University.

Amateur career

Weaver pitching for the Florida State Saminoles in 2014

Weaver played college baseball at Florida State University from 2012 to 2014, pitching for the Seminoles[2][3][4] During his career, he appeared in 49 games with 37 starts, going 16–6 with a 3.05 earned run average (ERA) and 244 strikeouts in 245 innings pitched (IP).

Professional career

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Weaver in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.[5][6] He signed with the Cardinals on June 16.[7] While pitching for the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League in 2015, he earned the Cardinals July Pitcher of the Month Award. After five starts for the month, he was credited with a 3–1 record and an 0.94 ERA in  28 1⁄3 innings pitched (IP), sixth among all Single A pitchers for the month. He also struck out 27 and walked two during the month.[8] Baseball America selected Weaver for the high Class-A minor leagues All-Star team for the 2015 season,[9] and as the Cardinals' fourth-best prospect prior to the 2016 season.[10]

Weaver began his 2016 season on June 4 after sitting out the first part due to a fractured left wrist sustained while running down fly balls during batting practice in spring training. In their updated mid-season ranking, Baseball America rated Weaver in the top-100 for the first time, at 75th.[11] After posting a 1.40 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched with the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League, the Cardinals promoted Weaver to the Memphis Redbirds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on August 3.

On August 13, 2016, the Cardinals recalled Weaver from Memphis to make his major league debut and start in place of injured starter Michael Wacha against the Chicago Cubs.[12] He struck out his first major league opponent, Dexter Fowler. Weaver totaled four innings, two runs, four hits, three walks and three strikeouts while not receiving a decision in an eventual 8−4 win.[13] After the season, MLB Pipeline named him the Cardinals 2016 Minor League Pitcher of the Year due to his success with the Springfield Cardinals, where he posted a 1.40 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched.[14] The Cardinals also named Weaver their 2016 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. For the major league Cardinals, in 2016 Weaver was 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA, giving up 46 hits in 36.1 innings.[15] Weaver began his 2017 season back in Memphis, where he earned the title of Pacific Coast League Player of the Month after posting a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings for the month of May.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20140618/former-deland-pitcher-luke-weaver-signs-18-million-deal-with-st-louis-cardinals
  2. ↑ "Florida State pitcher Luke Weaver continues to shine in ace role". Orlando Sentinel.
  3. ↑ "DeLand High product Luke Weaver finds his pitch with Florida State". The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
  4. ↑ "FSU's Weaver eyes MLB Draft". Tallahassee Democrat. 4 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals draft Florida State's Luke Weaver No. 27 overall". Tallahassee Democrat. June 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Cards draft FSU righty Weaver with first pick". St. Louis Cardinals.
  7. ↑ "First-round Draft pick Luke Weaver signs with Cardinals". St. Louis Cardinals.
  8. ↑ FOX Sports Midwest (August 3, 2015). "Cardinals minor leaguers Anthony Garcia, Luke Weaver earn July honors". Fox Sports Midwest. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  9. ↑ "2015 Minor League Classification All-Star Teams". Baseball America. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  10. ↑ Manuel, John (November 16, 2015). "St. Louis Cardinals top 10 prospects". Baseball America. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ Staff Report (July 8, 2016). "Midseason top 100 prospects". Baseball America. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Lyons to 60-day DL, out for regular season". MLB.com. August 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Muskrat, Carrie; Langosch, Jenifer (August 13, 2016). "Cards find wild way to slam door on Cubs' streak". MLB.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  14. ↑ http://m.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article/205516316/cardinals-prospects-of-the-year-bader-weaver/
  15. ↑
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