The St. Louis Cardinals have purchased the contract of River City Rascals right-handed pitcher
Jason Zgardowski.
Zgardowski, 23, becomes the second Rascal this season to sign with the Cardinals and third
overall to move on to a Major League Organization. He will report to a Cardinals affiliate this
weekend having not allowed an earned run in his last 18 innings, dating back to June 18.
The bullpen arm leaves the Rascals with three wins and three saves and a stellar 1.34 ERA
through a Frontier League leading 34 appearances.
In 33.2 innings, Zgardowski has struck out a Rascals bullpen high 40 batters and has at least
one strikeout in 26 of his 34 appearances this year. The six-foot-five frame has ten games with
two or more strikeouts and he most recently struck out the side on July 20 against the Lake Erie
Crushers.
On top of that, the San Antonio, Texas, native has maintained an opponents batting average of
a .113 (12 hits) and has only allowed one extra-base hit the entire season.
In the clutch, Zgardowski has stranded a team high 25 of 30 baserunners and has given up just
three hits in 41 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
His final appearance for the Rascals is one to remember as he combined with five arms to notch
the Rascals sixth shutout of the year on Tuesday, July 25, at Lake Erie.
2017 marks the second season that Zgardowski has been in the Rascals bullpen and highlights
from last year include his career high nine strikeout game on July 28, 2016, and earning the win
in game one of the Frontier League Divisional Round against the Southern Illinois Miners.
“I am very excited for the adventure. Not many people get a second chance and I would like to
thank the Cardinals organization for giving me that,” Zgardowski said. “I wouldn’t be in this
position if it wasn’t for the Rascals and my manager Steve Brook and the rest of the coaching
staff, Josh Ludy and Nick Kennedy.”
“Jason definitely deserves this and has had an unbelievable season for us,” Brook said. “I am
happy to see him have the best season of his pro career so far and hope he can extend that
with what the Cardinals have in store for him.”
Prior to joining the Rascals, the righty signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia
Phillies out of Angelo State University in 2014 and then spent the beginning of 2016 in the
American Association with the Joplin Blasters and the Laredo Lemurs.
Zgardowski will join former Rascal Austin Warner in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and is
the second Rascal to have his contract purchased in as many days with Jimmy Kerrigan en
route to the Minnesota Twins Single-A affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The River City Rascals wish Zgardowski the best of luck and thank him for his career as a part
of the Rascal family.
