JUPITER, Fla. -- Tink Hence is well aware that his stock has fallen.
“I’ve seen the rankings," he said Friday.
The right-handed pitcher with big talent and a relatively small frame was a Top 100 prospect prior to each of the past three seasons, reaching as high as No. 64 entering the 2024 campaign. He was the Cardinals' second- or third-best prospect in 2023 and '24, and he began last year ranked third in their system.
One year later, Hence is miles away from the Top 100. He's buried down at No. 16 on the Cards' list.
"Everybody has opinions," he said. "It's really just knowing that you're doing everything you can each day to get better."
The drop was due to an injury-marred 2025. Hence's 6-foot-1, 195-pound body has never shouldered more than 100 innings in any of his five seasons as a pro because of a consistent string of maladies. A right lat strain last spring derailed his year before it could even get into motion. Once he returned to action in May, he made eight abbreviated starts, spanning 21 1/3 innings and four levels of the Minors, before his season was ended very prematurely by a right shoulder impingement.
But there are clear reasons why Hence was considered an elite prospect a short time ago. A second-round Draft pick in 2020, Hence had a 2.71 ERA and 109 strikeouts across 79 2/3 innings at Double-A Springfield in 2024. His mid-80s changeup induces a ton of whiffs, and he complements that offering with a high-90s four-seamer that can be hard to pick up with his three-quarters release point. He has a curveball as well as a slider that has received above-average scouting grades. Plus, he's refining a two-seamer that he started mixing in last season.
The stuff is there, as is Hence's self-belief.
"In the past, it could have been better than how it's been the last couple years for me, but I don't change my faith or my confidence," he said. "I might lose a little confidence in certain things, just with how it's going. But overall, I've just got to keep trusting. I've just got to working, and eventually it’s going to come out."
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol called Hence's repertoire "electric" on Friday. He then added: "His ability to stay healthy is going to be important.”
That is the young hurler's main focus in camp. He's not worried about how he performs in spring games or what his numbers look like. For the 23-year-old, this preseason is all about maintaining and recovering correctly.
"Get all the kinks out of everything that I was feeling," Hence said. "Just getting clear-minded and just come ready to go and attack. Just be free and relax.”
That last word is key. Hence believes many of his injuries and the flaws in his mechanics stemmed from him simply being too tense and tight. His daily routine this year is centered around a stretching program that keeps his body loose. He said everything has felt smooth so far, including his first live batting practice session of Spring Training on Friday.
Hence has a starter's arsenal and mindset. He hasn't appeared as a reliever in a game since 2021. The Cardinals still want him to develop a rotation mainstay, but his injury history leads to questions about whether his future is in the bullpen. Marmol said that doesn't need to be "truly, truly discussed" right now.
If Hence's body fails him again in 2026, maybe the time to have that discussion will come. Yet, even with all of the pain and frustration he has suffered, Hence wouldn't change the past.
"I still look at it as amazing," he said when asked to describe his time in pro ball. "This is my story. This is my journey. ... Each time I'm on the mound, when I'm feeling good, I'm competing, and the results speak for themselves."