Matthew Liberatore Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4" / 215 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 11/6/1999 (24)
- Experience
- 2
- College
- None
Matthew Liberatore Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Matthew Liberatore News
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Matthew Liberatore (illness) was unavailable for this past weekend's three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of an illness, but manager Oliver Marmol said that the hurler will rejoin the team on Monday for the start of the three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. Having not pitched since last Tuesday, it sounds like Liberatore is feeling better and should be available out of the bullpen on Monday. The 24-year-old southpaw was the top pitching prospect in St. Louis' farm system not long ago, and while he's settling in as a key bullpen piece for the Cards, it's a far cry from the expectations he once garnered. Liberatore owns a solid 3.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings primarily working as a middle-reliever this year, which is a role that doesn't lend itself to very much fantasy appeal at the moment.
The St. Louis Cardinals placed left-hander Matthew Liberatore (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 19) on Tuesday with lower-back tightness and selected the contract of pitcher Jacob Barnes from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Liberatore's frustrating season in 2023 continues, as he'll now have to miss at least the next two weeks. His back issue cropped up in his last start on Aug. 16 and he apparently didn't recover enough to make his start this week. The 23-year-old southpaw is still young, but he's been a pretty big disappointment ever since St. Louis acquired him in the trade that sent All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays. Liberatore is 2-5 this year with a 6.12 ERA (4.47 FIP), 1.64 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 50 innings over 12 outings (11 starts).
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore is making Thursday's start against Sonny Gray and the Minnesota Twins. The former top prospect has pitched 32 innings for the Cards this season, posting a 6.75 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 13.9% strikeout rate over nine games and eight starts, but hasn't been in the big leagues since July 5. With Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery off the roster, Liberatore should have a long-term spot on the roster, but he needs to display the talent that made him a first-round draft pick before he becomes fantasy relevant.
Batting Order
1 | Brendan Donovan |
2 | Willson Contreras |
3 | Nolan Arenado |
4 | Paul Goldschmidt |
5 | Iván Herrera |
6 | Lars Nootbaar |
7 | Masyn Winn |
8 | Nolan Gorman |
9 | Michael Siani |
Matthew Liberatore Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Brendan Donovan |
2 | Willson Contreras |
3 | Nolan Arenado |
4 | Paul Goldschmidt |
5 | Iván Herrera |
6 | Lars Nootbaar |
7 | Masyn Winn |
8 | Nolan Gorman |
9 | Michael Siani |
Matthew Liberatore's light dimmed a tad last year and he's fallen down prospect rankings in the last couple of years. That was mainly due to his struggles at Triple-A in 2022, before his call-up to the Cardinals which didn't go great either. In 22 starts at Triple-A, Liberatore had a 7-9 W-L record, 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 116 Ks (115.0 IP). His 4.27 xFIP suggests he ran into some bad luck but his struggles in the Majors (albeit a small sample size) do warrant some expectations to be tempered. In nine appearances (seven starts) for the Cardinals, Liberatore had a 2-2 W-L record, 5.97 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 28 Ks (34.2 IP). The excellent control Liberatore displayed throughout his Triple-A career disappeared as his 11.2% BB% shows, while the 17.4% K% highlights an issue putting away hitters. But, Liberatore is still only 23 years old and has a chance to compete for a spot on the Cardinals roster, although it'll likely take an injury for him to make the rotation. I'm certainly not willing to write off Liberatore's chances of being a fantasy-viable pitcher based on last year. He's not someone I'm targeting as an option in 2023 redraft leagues but you could do worse taking him in the last round, especially if he does break camp with the Cardinals.