JUPITER, Fla. — Early Sunday morning before the Cardinals' workout, right-handed pitching prospect and the club’s minor league pitcher of the year Gordon Graceffo posed for a photo shoot on a field at the team’s spring training facility. He stood sandwiched between the organization’s co-players of the year, Jordan Walker and Moisés Gómez, the trio of honorees smiling for the camera.
A few hours later, Graceffo’s minor-league accolades were pushed firmly aside as he got thrown into the fire in his first live batting practice session of camp.
A first-time nonroster invitee to big-league camp, Graceffo pitched to a group of hitters that included last year’s National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt as well as the third-place finisher in that race, Nolan Arenado, along with Cardinals projected starters Tyler O’Neill and Tommy Edman.