ARLINGTON, Texas – Two prized pitching prospects, Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews, will represent the St. Louis Cardinals in the All-Star Futures Game.

Hence and Mathews are key pieces in the rotation for Double-A Springfield Cardinals team that just clinched the First-Half North Division Championship. This will give the Spring Birds a spot in the 2024 Texas League Playoffs.

Strides from Hence, a 2020 second-round draft pick, were largely anticipated this season. He has spent his whole season in Springfield to this point, accumulating a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA, 54.2 IP and 73 strikeouts in 12 starts.

Hence also qualified for the All-Star Futures Game last year and pitched a scoreless inning in the showcase. He could be knocking on the door of a promotion to Triple-A Memphis or potentially the MLB level within the next year, though the Cardinals aren’t necessarily in a position to rush his development.

The growth of Mathews has proved more of a positive surprise. A fourth-round draft pick last year out of Stanford University, Mathews quickly rose through the Single-A affiliate Palm Beach Cardinals and Peoria Chiefs. His strikeout stuff has been particularly impressive with 113 over 79.2 IP, or an average of around 14 strikeouts per nine innings.

The southpaw has a five-pitch arsenal and has proven he can pitch deep into games, most notably with a 156-pitch outing in a College World Series Super Regional matchup last year. His timeline to the big leagues is not yet clear, and he’s only made one start in Springfield to this point, so he’s likely still a year or too away from Major League Baseball.

The MLB All-Star Futures game is set for Saturday, July 12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. For more information on the event and participants, click here.