St. Louis Cardinals Former Prospect Friday: Scott Gorgen

Every Friday, we’ll be looking back at a player who was at one point on MLB Pipeline’s list of top Cardinals prospects, but for some reason or another never made it to the major leagues. Today we look at an undersized righty who burned out in the upper minors.

Ranked as the Cardinals’ #16 prospect in 2012

If you follow Minor League Baseball for long enough, you’ll realize over time that most highly-regarded prospects are either high draft picks or players with tremendous athleticism who organizations believe will develop over time. Occasionally, though, you’ll find a player who becomes a big prospect despite a lack of draft status or elite athletic skill. 2008 fourth-rounder Scott Gorgen, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound lefty, was one of those guys, but unfortunately his skills didn’t carry him all the way to the major leagues.

Gorgen, a product of UC Irvine, dominated at the college level, setting the school’s all-time record for career strikeouts while posting an ERA under 3.00 in all three of his collegiate seasons. Just by scanning the verbiage of Gorgen’s profile on MLB Pipeline’s 2012 Cardinals prospect rankings, it’s clear that there are a few key phrases indicating Gorgen’s lack of elite “stuff”: pitchability, and knows how to compete. While those are certainly great qualities for a pitcher to have, you usually just don’t hear that terminology used for a pitcher such as Alex Reyes. With a lack of size or velocity, Gorgen’s best weapon was a deceptive changeup, and that was what allowed him to move up the ladder.

After posting a dominant 0.99 WHIP and .186 opponent batting average in 14 appearances at short-season Batavia after his selection in 2008, Gorgen was pushed to High-A Palm Beach to begin his first full pro season, and he took full advantage of that opportunity. Over 14 games (13 starts), Gorgen posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and .192 opponent average. After being promoted to Double-A Springfield in early July, though, Gorgen struggled, putting up a 5.20 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP and nearly as many walks (36) as strikeouts (46).

More from Arch Authority

The Cards sent Gorgen to the Arizona Fall League following that season, and he pitched exclusively out of relief–a departure from what he’d done all year. He was vastly disappointing, posting a 7.15 ERA and 2.29 WHIP in 11 1/3 innings.

Despite that setback, Gorgen came back in full force to start 2010, returning to Springfield and going 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and .196 opponent average over his first eight starts. He was sidelined with an elbow injury in May, though, and after returning in August, he was limited to a bullpen role, giving up a run on a hit and two walks over four one-inning appearances.

The worst was yet to come for Gorgen, though, as he underwent an MRI after the season that revealed a torn UCL. He underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2010, and that sidelined him until April of 2012. When he returned, the proximity of the Cardinals’ Double-A and Triple-A victims–perhaps as optimal for roster swaps as any Double-A and Triple-A team across the minors–forced Gorgen to have to “ride the shuttle” between Springfield and Memphis for the entire season.

More from St. Louis Cardinals

Gorgen started the season in Double-A, was promoted to Triple-A in late June, went back to Double-A in mid-July, was moved back to Memphis in mid-August, and would ultimately move back down to Springfield to end the season. Unfortunately, over 29 appearances–24 of which were starts–Gorgen wasn’t too impressive at either level, posting a combined 4.11 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and .249 opponent batting average, with no truly discernible difference between his stats at Springfield and Memphis.

After that rough season–the one during which he was listed among the Cards’ top prospects–his star had fallen going into 2013. He didn’t break camp with a minor-league club, but he was assigned back to Palm Beach on April 21. He’d post underwhelming numbers there for a guy who’d already spent substantial time in the upper minors, collecting a 4.55 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and .270 OBA in six appearances (five starts). In all but one of those appearances, Gorgen allowed at least two earned runs while never lasting more than six innings, failing to last four on two separate occasions.

Gorgen received what can only be described as a “change of scenery” promotion on May 26, heading back to Springfield, and it didn’t go well. While coming out of the bullpen on May 27, he allowed five earned runs on four hits and two hit batters over three and two-thirds innings. That would be the last time that Gorgen pitched in the Cardinals organization. On June 1–just one year removed from appearing on MLB’s list of the Cards’ Top 20 prospects–Gorgen was released.

Next: Walden's Cards Career Nearing Unceremonious End

He’d pitch in the independent Atlantic League over the remainder of 2013 and in 2014, but his collective performance very much resembled his final outing in the Cardinals organization. Over 43 appearances split between the Camden Riversharks and the York Revolution, Gorgen posted a 6.24 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Since then, he’s pitched in the WCBL, a summer league in Pennsylvania, and he’s now providing instruction at All-Star Baseball Academy in Pennsylvania.

Our sister site, Redbird Rants, went one-on-one with Gorgen back in 2012.

Home/St. Louis Cardinals