Quinn Mathews pitched well enough in 2026 to land a spot onthe Triple-A International League All-Star team and, more importantly, get himto the St. Louis Cardinals for his MLB debut. However, those feats likely won't shrinkthe massive chip on his shoulder any time soon.
Despite notching two MLB wins and posting a respectable3.83 ERA across nine starts, Mathews still talks about himself as is he is someof charity case and the Cardinals are doing him some sort of favor by rosteringhim as if he is in a "Make-A-Wish" program. Quietly, he still seethes about MLBscouts showing little excitement about him as a potential big leaguer when hewas pitching big games at Stanford University and that he slipped to the fourthround and the 122nd pick of the MLB Draft in 2023.
Those are the thoughts he reminds himself of anytime he startsto feel comfortable or that he's arrived as a big-league pitcher with a brightfuture in the Cardinals' rotation.
"I appreciate all you guys (in the media), but thejournalists and writers weren't very high on me or very bullish on me and myabilities to ever get here," Mathews reminded after a recent seven-inning startagainst the Washington Nationals . "I was just a left-handed pitcher who had adecent changeup. Basically, that was the report. It's not the most convictionin a prospect ever."
Ever the self-critic, Mathews can sometimes be too hard onhimself – to the point that is makes him insufferable to be around when he'sstruggling or destructive mid-game when he hits bumps in the road, catcher andclose friend Jimmy Crooks has said. However, expecting more out of himself hashelped Mathews defy the expectations set for him years ago and reach the game'shighest level. Still, he likes to remind himself of the doubters who have linedhis journey to this point.
"The Cardinals were kind of just like, 'Hey, you're asenior sign in the fourth round,'" Mathews said of the moments after he wasdrafted in 2023. "I get a lot of mixed reactions when I call myself a seniorsign.
"I think (the Cardinals) definitely had more belief in methan I did. But, like I said, being a senior sign is a driving, motivating factor."
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Whatever Mathews needs to tell himself, the Cardinals wouldlike him to keep it up considering the way he pitched when he was at his bestafter being promoted to the big leagues the first time on Aug. 1. He wasbrought up for a couple of spot starts before sticking with the Cardinals forgood on Aug. 22.
His first MLB win came on Aug. 28 when he limited thePirates to five hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings on Aug. 28. A nativeof Mission Viejo, Calif., Mathews got the experience of a lifetime when he shutdown the Dodgers to the tune of four hits and one earned run over five inningson Sept. 3. Five days later, while pitching in San Francisco and just a fewmiles away from his Stanford roots, Mathews was even sharper in a defeat as heallowed just two solo homers over six innings of work.
Then, on Sept. 14, he got his revenge on the Giants byworking 6 2/3 innings deep in a Cardinals victory for his second MLB win.
Cardinals' manager Oliver Marmol loved the mental toughness and competitivefight that the left-hander showed all season, even though he thinks Mathewsshould give himself a break from time to time.
"Sometimes, he gets in his own way," Marmol said of Mathews'criticisms of himself. "But I'd rather have it that way than somebody who doesn'tcare enough.
"You have to remind yourself of the things that you do welland double down on those," the manager added. "Then, just put an action plantogether and make sure the other list (of shortcomings) gets shorter andshorter. But to live in that (negative) space? There are enough people that aregoing to tell you that you're not good enough and you don't belong, so you justcan't dwell on that stuff too long."
Maybe recent history is to blame for Mathews refusing tobuy into his success. He was the Cardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in2024 when he breezed through four levels of the Minor League system and piled up202 strikeouts. That success mostly eluded him in 2025 when he hurt hisshoulder, struggled with his mechanics and got hit hard when he wasn't walkinghitters in droves.
He fixed all of that in 2026, and he had a stretch of 12straight starts at Triple-A Memphis without a loss to earn his way to the bigleagues. Despite likely securing a spot in the 2027 MLB rotation with how wellhe pitched this season, Mathews still has the voices of doubt pushing him tonot get comfortable.
"There are a lot of guys that have had a ton of success inthe Minor Leagues that either haven't stuck in the big leagues or haven'tgotten over that final hurdle," Mathews reminded. "So, to me, it's like, 'Whatif you are just one of those guys who burned out? Or crashed out?'"
