Cranford, N.J. native and ABCCL alumnus has been nothing short of spectacular in his
professional baseball career. A right-handed starting pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals
organization, he has caught the eye of the front office as he’s developed into a 100 mile per
hour flamethrower.

Graceffo played one season in the ABCCL as a member of the Giants. He made five appearances
in the 2020 season, including four starts, and ended with a 3.93 earned run average over 16
innings pitched. To go along with his good ERA, Graceffo posted 30 strikeouts and a strong
1.125 WHIP (Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched).

Graceffo built off a solid summer and turned in a great junior season at Villanova University. His
1.54 ERA in 11 starts in the college season improved his draft stock, leading to the Cardinals
selecting him in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the 151st overall pick.
At the time of the draft, Graceffo’s profile listed his fastball sitting at 95 mph. However, when
he reported to spring training this past February, his fastball was up to triple digits on the radar
gun. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was impressed with the prospect’s arsenal after
watching him pitch in a simulated game against the likes of Nolan Arenado, Albert Pujols, and
other St. Louis starters in spring training.

Graceffo’s mix of an electric fastball which he commands well, a slider with lots of break, plus a
changeup has allowed him to move quickly through the ranks of minor league baseball.
The #20 ranked prospect in the Cardinals system according to MLB.com started the year in
High-A Peoria before being promoted to his current team of Double-A Springfield. Graceffo
made eight starts in Peoria, posting a 0.99 ERA and striking out 56 batters over the course of
45.2 innings pitched.

Graceffo has garnered plenty of accolades this season, being named St. Louis Cardinals Minor
League Pitcher of the Month for both April and May, and most recently Texas League Pitcher of
the Week for June 13-19. He made two starts against the Corpus Christi Hooks, going 7 innings
in and striking out six in both appearances. Graceffo’s first start on June 14 was a shutout and
allowed just two earned runs on three hits on the 19th.

For Graceffo, intrinsic motivation and help from the Annex Sports Performance center in
Chatham, N.J. are responsible for his success.

“Last year, I was kind of sitting around like 94 to 96, topping 97, 98,” Graceffo said in an article
by Daniel Guerrero with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I knew that I could kind of get up to 100,
and that was one of my big goals.”

Through training to increase strength, muscle, and explosiveness, Graceffo has been able to put
his name on the map of the entire minor leagues. On June 21, Baseball America ranked him as
the #99 overall player in their Top 100 Prospect list.

Currently, MLB.com estimates Graceffo will arrive in the big leagues in 2024. But if his rapid
pace through the minors continues, a call up to the show could happen sooner than that.
Graceffo’s experience as both a reliever and a starter in the minors adds a layer of versatility
that any major league team would want.

“Whatever they want to do with me, I’m ready for,” said Graceffo to Guerrero.