When you ask Springfield Cardinals pitcher Logan Gragg about life on the farm, you’d better specify if the subject is baseball or cattle, or if he’s wearing a baseball cap or a wide-brimmed Stetson.
Gragg is a third-generation farmer, who used part of his signing bonus as an eighth-round selection in 2019 out of Oklahoma State, to purchase land in northwest Arkansas near the family home in Lincoln, population 2,294.
“I have 40 acres and 20 cows on it, plus a barn,” Gragg said Tuesday prior to the Cardinals’ series opener at Hammons Field against the San Antonio Missions. “My grandparents kind of started our place out there and between my grandparents and my uncle, there’s probably 400-500 acres that is family-owned out in that area.”
Gragg’s parents tend to his herd and assorted farm duties during the baseball season, though when the Cardinals play the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in Springdale, Gragg usually will stay at home rather than the team hotel.
“It’s kind of like a reset. It’s nice to go home for a few days,” Gragg said, noting it’s stressful in other ways because there are daily chores to handle. “But it takes your mind off baseball. It leaves that part of the brain out of it for a day.”
Gragg, who turned 25 on Tuesday, majored in livestock merchandise at Oklahoma State, where he played for head coach Josh Holliday, brother of Cardinals’ Hall of Fame outfielder Matt Holliday.
After getting off to a good start as a pro in 2019 at two levels of Class A, Gragg was among thousands of minor leaguers whose careers were paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent all of 2021 at High-A Peoria, going 2-7 with a 4.45 earned run average, and split time between Peoria and Springfield in 2022, a combined 5-5 and 4.82 ERA.
His ‘plus-plus' changeup is opening eyes
Gragg did open some eyes, though, named as having the “Best Changeup” in the Cardinals’ organization entering 2023, according to Baseball America’s “Best Tools” scouts survey.
“I’ve always been able to throw that pitch in any count,” Gragg said. “It resembles my fastball a lot, but it’s like miles per hour off so it kind of keeps the hitters off balance.
“I honestly don’t know. I had it in college and a little bit in high school. I just kind of worked with some different grips and I found one I liked. It just took off from there and I ran with it.”
Springfield catcher Pedro Pages said it’s rare for a pitcher at the Double-A level to have a “plus-plus” changeup that is able to be used against both right and left-handed hitters. Gragg said his arm action is similar to his fastball delivery, but is thrown about 10 miles-per-hour slower.
“Any count, any situation, you can go to it because you feel comfortable with it,” Pages said, adding that he loves Gragg’s mentality on the mound.
“I like his attitude out there,” Pages said. “No matter what the situation is, you have to keep that dog mentality, keep working and keep battling. At the end of the day, baseball is baseball. You’re gonna give up some cheap hits and you’re gonna give up some hard hits. It’s about keeping that mentality and I love that about him.”
Numbers game sends Gragg back down to Double-A
Gragg’s stats for Springfield don’t pop, with a 3-4 record and 5.55 ERA, but he was outstanding in four appearances at Triple-A Memphis during July. He went 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .105 batting average in 18 innings.
Unfortunately, he was caught in a numbers game after some trade-deadline moves and was sent back to Double-A last week. He’s scheduled to start again on Sunday in the series finale against the Missions.
“It was part of the process,” Gragg said. “I kind of knew going up there that there was a chance I was going up as a fill-in for the time being. I just went up there and made the best of it and with the trade deadline and everything happening, there were too many moves up there. They wanted me to get innings, so I’m back here.
Gragg said it was a great learning opportunity that he seized, even if the stay was brief. In the fluid roster world of professional baseball, he could get another promotion soon. Or maybe not. Either way, he just wants to keep working, or, to use a farmer’s analogy, keep hauling the hay.
“I learned a lot at Memphis, especially from the catchers,” he said. “A couple of them had big-league time (Ivan Herrera and Tres Barrera) and they opened some options for me with my other pitches on the different hitters.
“It definitely boosts (my confidence). It kind of makes you realize how close you are, being able to compete at a higher level.”
Gragg said it’s clear that opportunities exist for pitchers in the Cardinals’ system to make it all the way to the big-league level.
“I think so. A lot of guys that have eyes opened on them this year that maybe got overlooked in the past, but their stuff is there and it’s all about confidence,” Gragg said.
Hopefully, full-time farming is in the distant future
Meanwhile, unlike most of his teammates, Gragg keeps an eye on The Weather Channel to monitor the precipitation outlook for northwest Arkansas. A proper amount of rain is essential to grow grass for cattle to eat in the summer and for hay needed to feed them in the winter.
Gragg said there was plenty of rain early in the year to get a couple of hay cuttings into the barn. But the last couple of months have been brutally hot and dry.
“We’re kind of hoping that it rains some more this week or next so we can get a good third cut and have enough hay for the rest of the year,” he said.
Spoken like a true farmer, who envisions running a herd of 250-300 someday. Hopefully, that’s after a lengthy baseball career.
“It helps me push more for baseball, knowing that when I’m done with baseball, I’ll have that to go to in the future,” Gragg said. “I just want to finish this season on a good note and open some eyes. Then next year, have a strong start and see where that leads.”
Cardinals at Hammons Field this week
Tuesday — Springfield 5, San Antonio 4
Wednesday — Rained out
Thursday — 7:05 p.m. vs. San Antonio (Brendan Donovan Gold Glove bobblehead giveaway, first 2,000 fans)
Friday — 5:05 p.m. vs. San Antonio (doubleheader, Friday Night Fireworks)
Saturday — 6:35 p.m. vs. San Antonio (St. Louis Cardinals Yadi tumbler giveaway, first 2,000 fans)
Sunday — 6:05 p.m. vs. San Antonio (post-game fireworks, Louie Bobblehead giveaway, first 2,000 fans)
Tickets — Visit the Hammons Field box office or the Springfield Cardinals website
