#6 - RHP Tekoah Roby
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 65 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Command: 50 | Overall: 45+
Background:
Roby joined the Cardinals in the 2023 deadline deal that sent Jordan Montgomery to Texas. A third-round pick by the Rangers in 2020, he quickly stood out for his advanced strike-throwing for a prep arm and a fastball-curveball combo that has only become more lethal in pro ball. He’s battled through multiple shoulder issues early in his career, which adds some concern to his long-term outlook as a starter.
Scouting Report:
Roby’s arsenal features four potential above-average offerings. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with decent ride from an over-the-top slot, but the pitch underperformed in 2024—particularly against right-handed hitters, who consistently squared it up. While the velocity is there, the shape is mediocre at best, and without a profound horizontal profile, he’s struggled to suppress damage considering how often he uses the pitch.
His best offering is hands down a hammer curveball thrown in the 82–84 mph range. It features elite spin rates and excellent depth for his slot, and it’s the offering he easily shows the most confidence in. He also throws an upper-80s bullet slider and a changeup with heavy arm-side fade, both of which grade out well from a pure stuff standpoint and tunnel reasonably well off the four-seam fastball. However, neither secondary has shown the consistent feel required to be a go-to weapon just yet. There’s plenty of promise in both pitches, but the execution still lags behind the raw specs.
This spring, Roby also began tinkering with a sinker—a potentially game-changing addition, particularly against right-handed hitters. His four-seamer lacks the arm-side run to consistently pound the inner third, and a functional sinker could help address that vulnerability and keep hitters off balance. While it doesn’t stand out on its own, it fills a necessary gap in his pitch mix and could serve as a situational contact-neutralizing weapon vs. righties in 2025.
Despite the quality of his arsenal, Roby’s long-term fit in the rotation remains uncertain. Durability has been an issue, and 2024 was a step in the wrong direction from a performance standpoint as well. It's way too early to give up on the starting pitching dream, but if the Cardinals were to shift him into a bullpen role, his pure stuff could play way up in shorter bursts—potentially making him a high-leverage weapon.
Future:
There’s still legitimate mid-rotation upside here, and the Cardinals are right to continue developing him as a starter. But Roby will need to stay healthy and translate his stuff into sustained performance in 2025 to stay on that path. If not, I think he seamlessly transitions into a potential high-leverage bullpen piece.
