| Cooper Hjerpe | |
|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (2001-03-16)March 16, 2001 (age 24) Davis, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
Cooper Austin Hjerpe (born March 16, 2001) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher in theSt. Louis Cardinals organization. He was selected 22nd overall by the Cardinals in the2022 Major League Baseball draft.
Hjerpe attendedWoodland High School inWoodland, California, a city northwest ofSacramento.[1] He committed to playcollege baseball atOregon State University as a sophomore.[2] As a junior in 2018, he went 8–0 with a 0.78 ERA and 128 strikeouts over53+2⁄3 innings alongside hitting eight home runs.[3] In 2019, as a senior, he struck out 105 batters in 44 innings and threw four no-hitters.[4] He went unselected in the2019 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at Oregon State to playcollegiate baseball.
In 2020, Hjerpe's freshman year at Oregon State, he made six relief appearances and went 1–1 with a 5.25 ERA before the season was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, he was named thePac-12 Pitcher of the Week as well as the National Player of the Week byCollegiate Baseball Newspaper on May 24 after he gave up one run and two hits while striking out 11 in a 3–1 win versus the seventh-rankedArizona Wildcats.[5] For the season, he pitched in 17 games (making 16 starts) and went 3–6 with a 4.21 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 77 innings.[6]
Hjerpe entered the 2022 season as Oregon State's number one starter and garnered numerous preseason All-American honors.[7] On March 22, he was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the second time in his career after pitching seven innings and giving up one hit while striking out 12 in a 21–0 win versus theArizona State Sun Devils.[8] On April 1, in a 1–0 loss versus theStanford Cardinal, Hjerpe threw eight scoreless innings and struck out 17 batters, tied for the most in school history, and was once again named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and National Player of the Week byCollegiate Baseball Newspaper.[9][10] At the end of the regular season, he was named to the Pac-12 First Team as well as being named an All-American.[11][12] Hjerpe was scheduled to start the first game of Oregon State's Super Regional versusAuburn University, but was scratched due to an undisclosed illness.[13] He pitched in Game 2 of the Super Regional and passed former Oregon State pitcherLuke Heimlich for the school record for most strikeouts in a season with 161.[14] Hjerpe finished the 2022 season having started 17 games, going 11–2 with a 2.53 ERA, 161 strikeouts, and 23 walks over103+1⁄3 innings.[15] He was named the 2022National Pitcher of the Year.[16]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals selected Hjerpe in the first round with the 22nd overall selection of the2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the club for $3.12 million.[18]
Hjerpe began the 2023 season making his professional debut with thePeoria Chiefs of theHigh-AMidwest League.[19][20] He missed time during the season due to an elbow injury that required surgery.[21] Over 10 games (eight starts), he went 2–3 with a 3.51 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 41 innings.[22] After the regular season, he played in theArizona Fall League with theScottsdale Scorpions.[23]
To begin the 2024 season, Hjerpe started all 11 games he appeared in forPeoria, posting a 0–3 record with a 3.35 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 37.2 innings. He was promoted to Double-ASpringfield in June, starting in four games with a 2–1 record before being shut down for the season in early July with an elbow injury.[24]
Hjerpe's father, Carl, playedcollege baseball for theCal Poly Mustangs in the 1980s.[25]