Dustin May
#3 SP · Cardinals
Height
6'6"
Weight
180 lbs
Age
28
College
N/A
Draft
2016, Rd 3, #101
Experience
6 yrs
Bats/Throws
R/R
D+
C-
C
—
Fan Verdict
Grade this player:
Career StatsC-
| Year | Team | GP | ERA | W-L | K | WHIP | IP | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 75 | 4.0368934 | 21-22 | 312 | 1.2233009 | 0.0 | 0 |
Current Contract
Length
1 year
Total Value
$12.5M
Guaranteed
$7.5M
AAV
$12.5M/yr
Guaranteed %60%
Performance Analysis
C-
FCA+
Dustin May's C- performance grade reflects the struggles of a middling starter who hasn't yet justified the Cardinals' $12.5M investment in his potential. The 28-year-old right-hander entered the season as an intriguing reclamation project, with the organization betting on his electric stuff despite a concerning injury history that has limited his availability over recent seasons. While his early-season competence has avoided disaster, May hasn't produced the dominant flashes that would validate St. Louis's faith in his franchise-caliber upside. As a 6-year veteran drafted in the third round back in 2016, May represents the classic high-ceiling, high-risk pitcher whose raw talent continues to tantalize evaluators even as consistency remains elusive. The Cardinals' measured optimism suggests they view this as a calculated gamble on unlocking his elite potential, but May needs to demonstrate both durability and sustained excellence to transform from an interesting project into a reliable rotation cornerstone.
Fan & Media Sentiment
C
Mixed
NegativeNeutralPositive
Dustin May's public perception sits at a cautious, tepid C — a narrative that accurately captures the tension between genuine upside and legitimate red flags in his first stretch with St. Louis. The media framing around the 28-year-old is defined by that exact contradiction: his best outing of the season against the Red Sox showcased the strikeout ability and frontline ceiling that made him an interesting acquisition, while his awful Cardinals debut triggered immediate skepticism about whether he could successfully make this transition at all. That sentiment grade essentially mirrors his on-field production, which is sitting at a C- — meaning the public isn't even giving him the benefit of the doubt he might otherwise earn; if anything, fans are grading his performance about as charitably as the results warrant. Mixed showings against Cleveland have only reinforced the inconsistency label, and in a market that has seen the Cardinals add rotation and bullpen depth through a flurry of roster moves — including waiver claims and trades involving several left-handed arms — any rotation spot that isn't pulling its weight draws heightened scrutiny. The Cardinals are 21-15 and holding the fifth seed in the National League Central, which means the stakes are real enough that a pitcher delivering C- output isn't invisible — he's a pressure point. The narrative trend is slowly ticking upward, but May hasn't done enough consistently to flip the conversation from "cautious optimism" to genuine confidence; right now he reads as a solid-starter talent stuck in a middling-performer story.
Recent Games
| Date | OPP | Result | AB | H | R | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 5/3 | vs LAD | L 1-4 | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - |
News & Buzz
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About this player
Dustin May is a player in his 6th MLB season listed at SP for the Cardinals. FanVerdicts maintains four independent grades for every MLB player on an active roster — Contract Value Index for the deal itself, Performance for on-field production, Sentiment for media and fan reaction, and Fan Verdict for community voting. Current grades for Dustin May: Contract Value Index D+, Performance C-, Sentiment C, Fan Verdict pending.
Every grade refreshes on its own cadence as new data lands. Performance recalculates when MLB game stats post; Sentiment updates with new media coverage and fan discussion; Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change; Fan Verdict reflects live community voting on this profile. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) the Contract Value Index grade is computed against.
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