Jacob Odle Turns in Pitcher of the Day Performance for Palm Beach

The Cardinal Chronicle
Jacob Odle Turns in Pitcher of the Day Performance for Palm Beach
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Jacob Odle is starting to become one of the more interesting arms to follow in the lower levels of the Cardinals’ system.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander gave Palm Beach exactly what it needed Tuesday night, working 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the Cardinals’ 4-1 win over St. Lucie. Odle allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out eight, continuing what has been a noticeable step forward in his second full season of professional baseball.

That outing earned Odle The Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honor, and it was not a courtesy pick. He controlled the game, missed bats, limited traffic and gave Palm Beach a chance to win without needing the bullpen to perform gymnastics.

Odle was selected by the Cardinals in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, No. 425 overall, out of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. Baseball America lists him as Jacob Edgar Odle, born Nov. 30, 2003, in San Diego, and notes that he signed with the Cardinals for $250,000. 

The Cardinals saw the upside when they drafted him. MLB.com’s draft coverage at the time described Odle as a 6-foot-5 right-hander with “oodles of talent,” while also noting that he had pitched only 13 games that spring at Orange Coast College before the Cardinals took him on Day 3. 

That is the kind of pick that does not always show up quickly on prospect lists. It takes innings. It takes development. It takes patience. And in Odle’s case, it also took getting healthy and finding the strike zone often enough to let the stuff play.

There has never been much question about whether Odle could miss bats. In 2025 with Palm Beach, he struck out 69 batters in 51 2/3 innings, showing the swing-and-miss ability that gives him a real developmental foundation. The issue was command. The stuff was there, but too many free passes kept him from fully settling in.

This season, the picture is starting to sharpen.

After Tuesday’s outing, Odle’s 2026 line with Palm Beach sits at 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA, 43 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP over 30 innings, according to his MiLB player page. (MLB.com)

That is the kind of progress that gets attention. Not headline-chasing attention. Real baseball attention.

Odle is not just surviving Low-A hitters right now. He is putting them away. Tuesday’s eight strikeouts pushed him deeper into a strong early-season trend, and the one walk may be just as encouraging as the strikeout total. Young pitchers with size and stuff can often get outs in the lower minors. The separator is whether they can keep the ball in the zone enough to stay ahead and avoid self-inflicted damage.

Against St. Lucie, Odle did that.

He threw 75 pitches, 54 for strikes, faced 20 batters and kept the Mets scoreless into the sixth inning. That is not just raw stuff. That is pitching with purpose.

Palm Beach backed him with early power from Brayden Smith and Chase Heath, but Odle’s outing gave the Cardinals control of the night. He left with the game still in hand, and the bullpen finished the job from there. Dylan Driessen, José Davila and Antoni Cuello covered the final 3 2/3 innings, with Cuello closing it out by allowing one hit over two scoreless frames.

For Odle, the larger story is not just one strong start. It is the direction of travel.

He came into pro ball as a long, projectable right-hander with late-blooming draft momentum. He has already shown strikeout ability. Now he is beginning to pair that with better run prevention and more competitive command. That does not mean he is a finished product. Low-A is still Low-A, and the walk rate remains something to watch as he climbs.

But there is a difference between a pitcher simply having tools and a pitcher beginning to turn those tools into results.

Odle looks like he is starting to make that turn.

Old School Take

You do not need a radar-gun dissertation to understand this one.

Jacob Odle is 6-foot-5, throws right-handed, misses bats and is beginning to throw enough strikes to make hitters earn what they get. That is a good place to start.

The Cardinals have plenty of young arms in the system who can flash ability. The next step is repeating it. Odle’s Tuesday night start was not just a good line in a box score. It was another sign that he is moving in the right direction.

And in the lower minors, that is the whole ballgame.

Gateway Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports