Cooper Hjerpe

Cooper Austin Hjerpe

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 200 lb.
• School Oregon State University
• High School Woodland (CA) High School

• Born March 16, 2001 in Davis, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Cooper Hjerpe was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 22nd pick of the first round of the 2022 amateur draft, out of Oregon State University. In his final season there, he went 11-2, 2.53 in 18 games with 161 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings.

His first pro season came in 2023 with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, but it included a long stint on the injured list between the end of May and the beginning of September. As a result, he pitched in just 10 games, including 8 starts, going 2-3, 3.51 with 51 strikeouts in 41 innings. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. He was back at Peoria to start 2024 and went 0-3, 3.35 in 11 starts before being promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League on June 11th. But more injury issues followed, as he went on the IL on July 9th and stayed there until the final days of September. As a result he made just 4 starts with Springfield, and his overall record was 2-4, 3.27 in 15 starts and 52 1/3 innings. In spite of his limited time on the mound in his first two pro seasons, he did manage to be named the Pitcher of the Week in his league on three separate occasions - once in the Midwest League and twice in the Texas League - and played in the Rising Stars Game as part of his time in the Arizona Fall League.

He has a rather distinctive pitching motion as he lowers his left arm as if he was about to throw the ball submarine-style, before bringing it back up and throwing the ball at a near-sidearm angle. That type of pitching motion is usually associated with LOOGYs.

Related Sites

• Oregon State bio