A sharp fastball and 12-6 curveball that he’s commanded since he was 12 years old helped Cade Winquest pile up strikeouts at University of Texas-Arlington and persuaded the Cardinals to draft the righthander in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. But Winquest knew he needed an expanded arsenal of pitches to climb any further.
The grip on those pitches has been elusive at times – Winquest tinkered with his changeup so much that he lost feel for the pitch entirely – but Peoria pitching coach Will Hawks helped Cade refine his slider, and it’s been devastating Texas League batters since Winquest was promoted to Springfield in mid-July.
Photo courtesy of PJ Maigi | Springfield Cardinals
“The grip (for the slider) that I have now is kind of a hybrid between my old one and the new one I have now. I started getting more consistent feel on it, a little bit better shapes movement-wise for a slider. When I got up here (pitching coach Eric Peterson) messed with it even more and that’s when we started seeing the shape we want to see out of it,” Winquest said.
In three minor league seasons, Cade has appeared in 57 games, registered a 9.13 K/9 and seems to have earned a degree in pitching science along the way.
“A lot of guys (grips) are pressure-based. I personally have a hard time feeling pressure, I try not to focus on putting more pressure on certain fingers – I think that sort of throws me off a little bit…slider and curveball I think you put pressure on a finger naturally. I try to let the grip work, let my tilt and my release work.”
Cade Winquest’s breaking stuff was nasty tonight: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K pic.twitter.com/veRIWY8xn8
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 22, 2025
“What I did with my slider, the grip that I had that wasn’t as good in my eyes, I still kept it in my back pocket just in case this new grip wasn’t going to work out. I used the new grip in catch play, bullpens, just until I got a true feel for it, and when I was comfortable to use it in a game, so that’s when I switched over.”
Winquest joined the Texas League leading Springfield club and quickly assimilated into the team’s winning ways. He’s 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over seven starts.
Cade struck out 8 batters over six shutout innings at Arkansas last week in a tough-luck no decision and 2-1 Springfield extra-inning loss. Cardinals’ hitters made it up to him on Wednesday night at Hammons Field, scoring nine runs in the first two innings to reward Winquest with a win in the Cards 13-5 victory over Midland.
Photo courtesy of PJ Maigi | Springfield Cardinals
“It’s probably one of the best feelings, knowing the team has your back that day and it’s just putting up runs, putting you in the best position to keep them in the game. That’s your role as a pitcher, to keep them in the game – and when they’re putting up 13 runs, it’s easier,” he said.
Springfield enters Labor Day weekend with a 76-47 record, with hopes to secure the team’s first Texas League championship since 2012.
“We’re pumped,” Winquest said. “It’s a good feeling coming to a clubhouse, a team, that’s just winning. It’s nice that they embraced me since I walked in the door. It seems like everyone has been here the whole year, even if they’ve been here for a week.”
