2019 Community Prospect Projections: Ryan Helsley

Happy Monday! We are now in our second week of prospect projections. I hope you have enjoyed following along with us and will continue to throughout the month. Today, we will keep the series rolling with Ryan Helsley.

St. Louis clearly has a vision of the future that includes Helsley, as the club added him (as well as Genesis Cabrera, Ramon Urias, and Lane Thomas) to the 40-man roster early in the offseason. This way, he could not be snagged in the annual Rule 5 draft that takes place each December at the Winter Meetings.

Helsley was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2015 draft and primarily pitched across the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season. The 24-year-old’s 2018 campaign was cut short by shoulder fatigue. Helsley spent close to two months on the disabled list, sidelined from mid-June to early-August; he did some rehab work with the Gulf Coast League team.

In 12 starts last season - seven with Springfield and five with Memphis, Helsley logged 67 ²⁄₃ innings and maintained a 78:29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Batters hit seven home runs off Helsley in 2018 and only two while he worked for the Redbirds.

So, how do you see the 2019 season panning out for Helsley? Will the shoulder fatigue linger, or is his MLB debut on its way? Tell us what you think!

Video is credited to the official Minor League Baseball YouTube channel.