Barring any physical setbacks, specifically related to his surgically-repaired right shoulder, Jenkins will likely start 2015 with Double-A Springfield. I don't expect him to be there all that long, and a 2015 arrival to the bullpen of Busch Stadium is a very real possibility. Long-term, however, he will provide much more value as a starting pitcher, especially if he is able to hone in on the command of his offspeed pitches.
Paragraphs like this piss me off. It's like saying, this guy will be Greg Maddux if he can find Greg Maddux like control which is about impossible.
Anyway, it's good to see he's coming around. A lot of those pitches did look good. But, it's 20 innings.
Through four starts in the AFL, Tyrell Jenkins, more than a year removed from shoulder surgery, had asserted his place as a rising pitching prospect with a rotation-best 1.56 ERA and 13 K's in 17 innings.
St. Louis prospect Tyrell Jenkins missed more than a year across 2013 and 2014 due to shoulder surgery, but his stuff was as good as ever when he made his AFL debut on Friday. Jenkins threw 93 to 96 mph with good downhill plane, really turning the pitch over well even at 95 mph, generating lots of groundballs. His slider was plus at 83 to 87, with curveball depth, and actually got sharper into his second and third innings. His changeup was on the fringe, straight at 86 to 88, effective because his delivery of the pitch is close to his fastball but lacking any life or action. He was very aggressive, both throwing strikes and coming inside to right-handed hitters. He was my No. 74 prospect in baseball going into 2012, and this outing showed why I believed in him. Now that he's healthy, he looks like he'll make good on that promise.