Matthew Liberatore has emerged as a key piece in the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation, locking down the final starting spot out of spring training. Now 25 years old, he’s become the most consistent presence on the mound, leading the team’s primary starters with a 3.19 ERA and an impressive 0.97 WHIP. Liberatore is finally realizing the potential the Cardinals have long believed in, positioning himself as a possible game-changer for the franchise.
Matthew Liberatore Cementing Role in Cardinals Rotation
About 74% of Liberatore’s major league appearances before this year came out of the bullpen. When he did get a chance to start in the past, the results were shaky. In six starts last season, the left-hander posted a 6.35 ERA, compared to a 3.69 ERA as a reliever. Now entering his fourth season with the Cardinals, Liberatore was named to the rotation from the outset.
“The reality is he’s a talent, and he has a chance to be an upper rotation type of pitcher moving forward,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Opening Day. “Holding him back another year didn’t make sense.”
So far, Liberatore is making good on that decision. He has delivered four quality starts in five appearances to begin the year and is starting to show why the Cardinals traded a package that included Randy Arozarena to the Rays for him back in 2020.
Over his last 3 G, Matthew Liberatore has leaned heavily on his slider, making it his primary offering
Hitters counts, first 2 G v last 3:
SL%: 15.4%29.3%
SLWhiff%: 25.0%
FFSink%: 59.0%He added a tick in SL velo while sacrificing just 1″ of depth pic.twitter.com/eJvdI2pcF8
— Jacob (@JacobE_STL) April 26, 2025
What Liberatore Is Doing Well
The most noticeable improvement in Liberatore’s game has been his control. He leads the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio by a wide margin. With 14 strikeouts for every walk, the next closest pitcher is Nathan Eovaldi at 12.67. No one else is above 10. He also owns the lowest walk rate in baseball at just 1.7%.
Even when he pitches outside the zone, hitters are chasing. His 31.7% out-of-zone swing rate ranks 25th in the league. According to Baseball Savant, Liberatore is in the top 10 percent of all pitchers for both total run value and off-speed pitch run value. His performance has caught the attention of manager Oliver Marmol.
“Man, he’s looking really good,” Marmol said after Liberatore’s most recent start, a six-inning, one-run outing against the Milwaukee Brewers. “His preparation continues to get better and better. More comfortable with it, more confident, and it’s showing on the field.”
Is the Success Sustainable?
Mozeliak noted that Liberatore added strength and made changes to his diet this offseason, which may be helping him handle a heavier workload and pitch deeper into games.
His command has steadily improved each season he’s been in the majors. But the drop in walk rate from 7.8% last year to 1.7% this year is especially striking. His strikeout rate has also climbed year to year, rising modestly this season from 21.2% to 23.1%.
Beyond the numbers, Marmol has noticed growth in Liberatore’s presence and poise on the mound.
“He’s a young guy, and for him to stay under control the whole time, he’s continuing to show the ability to do that,” Marmol said. “He’s been really good regardless of the situation. He makes pitches, he’s had a heavy workload, but he’s done a really nice job with it.”
Main Photo: © Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
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