JUPITER, Fla. -- As a pitcher for the Frontier League¡¯s Joliet (Ill.) Slammers, Chris Roycroft used to regularly make the trip across the Mississippi River and into St. Louis for some off-night fun, and invariably he would find himself at Busch Stadium with his face pressed against the gates while dreaming about someday pitching on that mound off in the distance.
Unlike many of his friends who dreamed similar fantasies, Roycroft actually turned his visions into reality last May when he reached the big leagues with the Cardinals. However, a funny thing happened once Roycroft made that seemingly million-mile journey from baseball¡¯s independent leagues to the big leagues. Somehow, reality eclipsed all Roycroft¡¯s wildest MLB dreams.
¡°It actually surpassed every imagination that I had of what it would be like,¡± said Roycroft, whose Cardinals swept Spring Training split-squad games against the Mets (6-1) and Nats (6-4) on Tuesday. ¡°I always had expectations of like, ¡®Wow, what would it be like to pitch down there?¡¯ I had the dreams of thinking what it would feel like and how nervous I would be. Then, once I stepped foot on the mound, it was far greater than anything I ever imagined.¡±
What made the realization of that dream even greater, Roycroft said, is that he has been simultaneously living out the big league fantasy for many of the people in his life. Many of his best friends played baseball (and basketball) with him at Aurora (Ill.) University and with the Slammers and dreamed of reaching the bigs, so Roycroft feels they are with him in spirit on the mound. His mother, Maggie, a lifelong White Sox fan, used to take him to MLB games in Chicago when he was a kid, and she proudly traded her allegiance to the Cards once they signed Chris in 2022. Meanwhile, his step-father, Dan, is a union carpenter who once worked on renovation projects at Wrigley Field, so Roycroft has felt added goosebumps when taking the mound at that historic venue.
¡°My friends and family ask me about [pitching in the big leagues] all the time, and I like to share it because a lot of my friends had similar dreams,¡± Roycroft said. ¡°People can relate to that, and I think that's why I think the story is so special. There are so many people that have affected me in my life and have pushed me and caused me to grow and be the person I am today.¡±
The person Roycroft is today is one of MLB¡¯s most fearsome righty relievers with a sinker that averages 96 mph and a riding, 95-mph four-seam fastball that was mostly unhittable last season. Roycroft had MLB¡¯s lowest hit percentage allowed (13 percent) in 2024 on a four-seam fastball that tends to run in on the hands of right-handed hitters (minimum 40 batters faced).
The 6-foot-8 collegiate power forward in basketball likes using his height to make hitters uncomfortable at the plate. His 7 feet of extension ranks in MLB¡¯s top 7 percentile, and it makes it seem as if he¡¯s right on top of hitters -- like when his hero, Randy Johnson, struck fear into the hearts of the opposition.
¡°I certainly try to inflict as much fear as I can into hitters,¡± said Roycroft, who held foes to a .158 batting average last season with his four-seam fastball, per Baseball Savant. ¡°A lot of that stems from watching Randy Johnson. He was a scary dude at 6-10 and he would throw at guys purposefully. There was a purpose to everything that he did and that's what I'm after. I don't want that [opposing] guy to feel comfortable at all in the box.¡±
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he and coaches often chuckle about how uneasy hitters look stepping into the box against the towering Roycroft.
¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable [for hitters] with the way he can run that four-seamer up top and the [velocity] is there,¡± Marmol said. ¡°It¡¯s an uncomfortable at-bat for sure.¡±
Marmol and the Cards are hopeful Roycroft, 27, can take the next step on the heels of a rookie season where he struck out 33 batters in 34 1/3 innings. The Cardinals lost Andrew Kittredge -- the NL leader in holds -- in free agency, and they need a high-leverage reliever to get the ball to closer Ryan Helsley.
Roycroft knows that for his unlikely journey to have a storybook ending he needs to improve in 2025.
¡°Such a cool part of baseball is that everyone has their path, and that¡¯s mine,¡± said Roycroft, who pitched in the Frontier League in 2021 and ¡¯22. ¡°Mentally, I understand better now what it takes to perform at this level. I've done a lot of work on solidifying the mentality. That¡¯s going to be the biggest change for me.¡±