Cooper Hjerpe

Cooper Hjerpe

23-Year-Old PitcherP
St. Louis Cardinals AA
7-Day IL
Injury Elbow
Est. Return 2/1/2025
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Coming back from a 2023 season shortened by arthroscopic left elbow surgery, Hjerpe was babied by the Cardinals for the first few months of the season at High-A Peoria, never exceeding four innings or 67 pitches in any of his 11 starts. They loosened the reins a bit upon a midseason promotion to Double-A Springfield, but unfortunately Hjerpe went down with more elbow trouble in early July which ended his campaign. When healthy, Hjerpe's performance was mostly encouraging, as he fanned 76 in 52.1 innings while collecting a 3.27 ERA. He also walked 28 batters, and avoiding free passes has been a consistent concern since he entered pro ball. Hjerpe, who works from a super low arm slot from the left side, needs to stay on the bump and find the strike zone in 2025. If he does that, he could be part of the Cardinals' rotation before the end of the season. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
From Preseason
$Signed a $3.18 million contract with the Cardinals in July of 2022.
Shut down two more weeks
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
Elbow
July 29, 2024
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Monday that Hjerpe will remain shut down for two more weeks while dealing with a left elbow injury, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
ANALYSIS
Hjerpe hasn't pitched for Double-A Springfield since July 2, and with two more weeks of down time, he likely won't be ready for game action before September. He had surgery last August to remove a loose body from his elbow, but the exact nature of his injury isn't clear this time around. Hjerpe has posted a 3.27 ERA and 76:28 K:BB over 52.1 innings between the High- and Double-A levels in 2024.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Hjerpe, a 6-foot-3 southpaw, put up very impressive numbers in college thanks to a unique arm angle that allows all his pitches to play up. He got off to a slow start in his pro debut, but he had a 1.54 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings over his final four starts before needing a cleanup procedure on his elbow. He made it back for the Arizona Fall League, and worked as a reliever there, striking out 15 while walking six in 8.1 innings over seven appearances. Including the AFL, Hjerpe was able to log just 49.1 innings after throwing 103.1 frames for Oregon State in 2022. Staying healthy and handling a starter's workload will be paramount this year, and if he does that, he could be an option in the big-league rotation in late 2024 or in 2025.
The data darling of the 2022 MLB Draft on the pitching side, Hjerpe's fastball sits in the low-90s, touching 95 mph, but the extreme vertical approach angle from his sidearm delivery allows his fastball to play up as a plus pitch. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound southpaw from Oregon State registered a 2.53 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 161:23 K:BB in 103.1 innings as a junior. The Cardinals grabbed him with the 22nd overall pick and gave him full slot money. Most pitchers gain a tick or two of velocity in pro ball, so Hjerpe's fastball should remain a dominant weapon thanks partially to his excellent command. As with most starters with a low arm slot, the big question is how his secondaries will develop. He throws a couple breaking balls and a changeup, but none of them are thrown harder than around 80 mph. Even so, his sweeping slider performed like a plus pitch in college. Hjerpe did not pitch after getting drafted, but he could be one of the best pitchers from this class and could move quickly.
More Fantasy News
Sidelined at Double-A
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
Undisclosed
July 22, 2024
Double-A Springfield placed Hjerpe on its 7-day injured list July 9 with an undisclosed injury.
ANALYSIS
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Moving up to Double-A
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
June 11, 2024
The Cardinals promoted Hjerpe from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Enjoying first big-league camp
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
March 4, 2024
Hjerpe may not see much action against opposing teams' starting lineups during Grapefruit League play, Brenden Schaeffer of First Alert 4 reports.
ANALYSIS
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Back in action
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
September 2, 2023
Hjerpe (elbow) was activated from High-A Peoria's 7-day injured list Friday.
ANALYSIS
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Recovering from minor elbow surgery
PSt. Louis Cardinals  AA
Elbow
August 24, 2023
Hjerpe is recovering from surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow and is questionable to return this season, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
ANALYSIS
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