Cardinals Assign First Position Players from 2026 DraftContinuing an extremely busy week of player movement, St. Louis Cardinals Player Development announced 20 more moves on Thursday. They include the first position players from the 2026 draft class to join an active roster, both at Peoria and Palm Beach and a new 40-man roster outfielder.
photo: Quinn Mathews (Memphis Redbirds)
Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for July named Wednesday across Minor League Baseball include Memphis lefty Quinn Mathews.
International League (Triple-A) release
Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) left-hander Quinn Mathews went 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA in four starts as he allowed three earned runs on 14 hits and six walks over 26.0 innings. He led the league in ERA (1.04), average against (.163) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.85). He was second in WHIP (0.77) and was promoted to St. Louis on August 1.
Mathews, 25, was selected by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford University.
Brian Walton’s notes
The Cardinal Nation’s July 2026 Pitcher of the Month – Quinn Mathews
Last weekend, The Cardinal Nation named Mathews the July Pitcher of the Month across the Cardinals system. See more of his stats and from runners up for the prior month in the above article.
After making his MLB debut on Saturday, Mathews was optioned to Memphis on Tuesday. As the Cardinals returned to a 13-13 pitcher-position player mix, the organization also promoted infielder Cesar Prieto from the Redbirds to St. Louis.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Announce Second Wave of Tuesday TransactionsJust a few hours after they announced 22 player moves across the system, St. Louis Cardinals Player Development followed up with 21 more transactions Tuesday evening. They include the first members of the 2026 draft class to join an active roster.
22 Cardinals Minor Leaguers on the Move TuesdayOn Tuesday, August 4, the St. Louis Cardinals announced promotions, releases and assignments of draft and trade acquisitions among 22 separate transactions. We cover each one.
photo: Caleb Ferguson (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals have replaced traded left-handed relief pitcher JoJo Romero with Caleb Ferguson, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals completed a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in advance of today’s (Monday, August 3) trade deadline, acquiring left-handed relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson in exchange for International Cap Space.
Ferguson, 30, is a veteran of eight Major League seasons since debuting in 2018 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and he’s had prior postseason experience in 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The 6-3, 225-pound lefty has compiled a 25-17 career mark with a 3.69 ERA in 359 games for the Dodgers (2018-24), Yankees (2024), Astros (2024), Pirates (2025), Mariners (2025) and Reds (2026).
In 26 games with the Reds this season, Ferguson was 1-0 with a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched after beginning the season on the Injured List due to an oblique strain.
The Columbus, Ohio native was 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 games as a rookie in 2018. He was 7-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 68 games pitched for the Dodgers in 2023.
Ferguson is expected to join the Cardinals Major League club in the coming days.
Brian Walton’s take
Ferguson is a rental intended to help shore up the Cardinals leaky bullpen, directly replacing traded lefty JoJo Romero. Though no terms were disclosed, the Cardinals are likely to be covering the remainder of Ferguson’s one-year, $4.5 million contract signed with the Reds in December 2025.
Several reports have pegged the amount of international cap space transferred to the Reds to be $250,000. While I don’t care for giving up flexibility to sign players, per my calculations, the Cardinals have over $1 million in remaining bonus space that will go away if unused by December 15.
For more information on the new Cardinal
Special Trade Deadline Edition – Monday With Walton and Reis
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz
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photo: Quinn Mathews (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
With the lowest FIP, WHIP and walk rate, most strikeouts, highest strikeout to walk ratio and percent, third lowest ERA and third highest strikeout rate, Quinn Mathews compiled the top overall pitching performance in the St. Louis Cardinals system in July.
It is time to select The Cardinal Nation’s July Pitcher of the Month. This article covers hurlers in all roles across every level of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.
As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not the major factors here.
Guidelines
To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during July. Forty-nine of 105 active pitchers made the first cut. To reach the list of seven finalists, an ERA below 2.00 was required. This group consists of two starters, two swingmen and three relievers.
Two finalists, both relievers, allowed no or one earned run all month resulting in ERAs under 1.00. But the pitcher who threw the most innings in the system in July also logged a most impressive 1.04 ERA. It would be hard to beat Quinn Mathews. But as always, there is more to our process than just selecting the pitcher with the lowest ERA.
The finalists represent five of the six levels in the system with the only exception being the rookie Dominican Summer League. Double-A Springfield and the Florida Complex League each provided two finalists with Memphis, Peoria and Palm Beach contributing one each.
The oldest finalist is Memphis’ Mathews at 25 years of age. The youngest two, 19-year-olds Earle Zulueta and Gabriel Chinchilla, played in the FCL.
Mathews is the only repeat finalist from June.
Counting Stats
In this first table, the finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.
| July pitchers | Tm | W | L | SV | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | WHIP |
| Jesús García | PB | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.87 | |
| Christian Worley | Peo | 1 | 1 | 0.82 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 1.09 | |
| Quinn Mathews | Mem | 1 | 1.04 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 1 | 0.77 | ||
| Earle Zulueta | FCL | 2 | 1.35 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 1.20 | ||
| Gabriel Chinchilla | FCL/PB | 1 | 1.69 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 1.36 | ||
| Liam Doyle | Spr | 1 | 2 | 1.74 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 1.21 | |
| Randel Clemente | Spr | 2 | 3 | 1.80 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 1.40 |
Working in relief for Palm Beach, Jesus Garcia did not allow an earned run all month, though two unearned runs scored on his watch. A level up, Christian Worley yielded three runs all month, but only one was earned for a 0.82 ERA.
Mathews dominated International League hitters with his 1.04 July ERA the best among the rest. His strikeout total of 28 was first among finalists and third in the system (after fellow prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Yhoiker Fajardo).
Zulueta and Chinchilla posted strong ERAs of 1.35 and 1.69, respectively. Next is a particularly good name to see, Springfield’s Liam Doyle at 1.74. Rounding out the finalist list is underrated Double-A reliever Randel Clemente at 1.80.
Only two of the finalists, Mathews and Garcia, logged July WHIPs under 1.00, led by Mathews at 0.77.
Advanced stats
Here are additional statistics from the finalists in the ascending FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) sequence.
| July pitchers | Age | IP | K/BB | K% | BB% | K-BB% | BAA | BABIP | WHIP | ERA | FIP |
| Quinn Mathews | 25 | 26 | 4.7 | 30.1% | 6.5% | 23.7% | 0.163 | 0.228 | 0.77 | 1.04 | 2.68 |
| Christian Worley | 24 | 11 | 2.5 | 31.9% | 12.8% | 19.1% | 0.146 | 0.240 | 1.09 | 0.82 | 2.82 |
| Randel Clemente | 24 | 10 | 1.9 | 43.2% | 22.7% | 20.5% | 0.121 | 0.286 | 1.40 | 1.80 | 3.17 |
| Jesús García | 20 | 10 | 1.3 | 13.2% | 10.5% | 2.6% | 0.147 | 0.179 | 0.87 | 0.00 | 3.95 |
| Liam Doyle | 22 | 20 | 1.8 | 25.3% | 14.5% | 10.8% | 0.183 | 0.229 | 1.21 | 1.74 | 4.64 |
| Gabriel Chinchilla | 19 | 21 | 1.8 | 25.3% | 13.8% | 11.5% | 0.227 | 0.294 | 1.36 | 1.69 | 4.79 |
| Earle Zulueta | 19 | 13 | 1.2 | 19.6% | 16.1% | 3.6% | 0.149 | 0.147 | 1.20 | 1.35 | 6.56 |
At 43.2%, Clemente had a truly exceptional July strikeout rate. Also above 30% were Worley (31.9%) and Mathews (30.1% – best among starter finalists). At the other end of the strikeout spectrum are Garcia (13.2%) and Zulueta (19.6%).
Mathews was the stingiest finalist in issuing walks, the only one under 10% at 6.5%. That is especially encouraging given that free passes have been Mathews’ biggest challenge recently. Clemente stood out again, but this time for the wrong reason, a walk rate of 22.7%.
Mathews also posted the leading strikeout minus walk percentage of 23.7%. Because of his high strikeout and high walk rates, Clemente was next at 20.5%. This month, bringing up the K-BB percentage rear are also the two lowest strikeout rate finalists, Garcia and Zulueta.
In strikeout to walk ratio, the results were similar with Mathews on top at 4.7 to 1 and Garcia and Zulueta at the bottom at 1.2 and 1.3, respectively.
Relievers Clemente (.121), Worley (.146) and Garcia (.147) held opposing hitters to the lowest collective batting average. All finalists came in well under .200 excepting Chinchilla at .227.
None of the finalists had a high BABIP (batting average on balls in play), with all coming in under .300. At the other end were unsustainable low BABIPs below .200 by Zulueta (.147) and Garcia (.179).
FIP or fielding independent pitching puts these July results into perspective. Every finalist has a FIP more than 1.5 runs per nine innings higher than his ERA and many are two or three runs higher.
With almost a four-run gap between his ERA and FIP, Garcia drops down the list. Worley remains second in FIP, with Mathews ascending to the top at 2.68. The latter two are the only finalists with a sub-3.00 FIP.
Considering all results, Mathews is The Cardinal Nation’s July Pitcher of the Month.
Mathews logged the lowest FIP, WHIP and walk rate, most strikeouts, highest strikeout to walk ratio and percent, third lowest ERA and third highest strikeout rate from among the July finalists.
About the winner
The acclaimed pitcher from Stanford became a Cardinal in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. Mathews posted a phenomenal first professional season in 2024 that included the MiLB-leading strikeout total and Pitcher of the Year honors from both the Cardinals organization and The Cardinal Nation.
Mathews struggled with injury and inconsistency in 2025 including a walk rate that doubled over 2024 but still posted good enough results to remain a top prospect in the system.
In 2026 at the time of his promotion, the 25-year-old led the International League in strikeouts (111), opponent batting average (.170) and he ranked in the Top 5 in ERA (3.13, 2nd), games started (19, 2nd), innings pitched (92, 5th) and WHIP (1.14, 4th).
Recently, Mathews was exceptional. Since May 28, he posted a 4-0 record with a 1.60 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 56 1/3 innings pitched (10.7 K/9 IP) with Memphis.
In his Saturday MLB debut in Toronto, Mathews pitched a credible five innings, allowing two runs.
How last month’s winners fared
The St. Louis Cardinals selected starter Mason Molina as their June Pitcher of the Month across the system, whereas our choice was reliever Luis Gastelum. Both went on to spend July at a new level. Molina made four starts for Memphis while Gastelum joined St. Louis’ bullpen on July 8.
Since joining the Redbirds, Molina has a 9.42 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. His batting average against is .328 with 12 walks. That diminishes the value of his 20 strikeouts.
Gastelum had a rough start to the MLB phase of his career, charged with 10 runs, seven earned, in 10 innings for a 6.30 ERA. A big contributor is four home runs allowed in July. Most recently, he was charged with three runs in 1 1/3 innings to open the new month on Saturday, August 1.
What is next?
The Cardinals organization should name their selections as July Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Related article
The Cardinal Nation July 2026 Player of the Month – Jack Gurevitch
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Quinn Mathews (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Quinn Mathews has been added to the 40-man roster, with Tink Hence removed and Matt Svanson optioned to Triple-A.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Saturday, August 1) that the team has selected the contract of rookie left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews from Memphis (AAA) to make his Major League debut as the starting pitcher in today’s game against the Blue Jays. To make room for Mathews on the team’s roster the Cardinals optioned pitcher Matt Svanson to Memphis following last night’s game and have designated pitcher Tink Hence for assignment.
Mathews, 25, has spent the entire 2026 season at Memphis (AAA) where he has compiled a 5-3 mark with a 3.13 ERA in 19 starts (92.0 IP) with a Triple-A leading 111 strikeouts. His 3.13 ERA ranks 2nd among all Triple-A pitchers and his .170 opponent’s batting average against is the 2nd lowest among all full-season minor league pitchers.
The 6-4, 210-pound lefty will become the first Cardinals pitcher to make his Major League debut with a start in Canada since Rick Ankiel did so on August 23, 1999 at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium vs. the Expos. Mathews will become the 8th Cardinals rookie to make their debut this season and the 5th pitcher to do so.
Drafted by the Cardinals in the 4th round (122nd overall) in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford University, Mathews in 2024 combined to strike out 202 batters in his first professional season, the first Cardinals minor leaguer since Ankiel (222 in 1998) to record 200 or more strikeouts in a season, and only the 10th Cardinals minor leaguer to ever do so.
Mathews’ 2024 season included stops at Palm Beach (A), Peoria (A+), Springfield (AA) and Memphis (AAA) as he combined on an 8-5 mark with a 2.76 ERA in 26 starts that earned him recognition as Minor League Baseball’s Pitcher of the Year.
The Aliso Viejo, Calif. native pitched four seasons (2020-24) for Stanford University and ranked 2nd among NCAA Division I pitchers in 2023 with 158 strikeouts behind LSU’s Paul Skenes (209). Mathews threw a 156-pitch complete game in the Stanford Super Regional against the University of Texas on June 11, 2023, striking out 16.
Mathews will wear uniform no. 60.
Brian Walton’s take
On Thursday, the organization disclosed its intent to promote Mathews on Saturday, so that part of the announcement was no surprise. However, the two corresponding moves were unknown until now.
For Mathews, it is important that he makes a strong first impression to step in front of Hunter Dobbins as the current sixth starter and perhaps move up further if Dustin May is traded and/or struggling Matthew Liberatore is removed from the rotation. Liberatore was moved back a day to Sunday to accommodate Mathews’ debut.
The return of Svanson to the minors is warranted. In July, the 27-year-old right-hander allowed opposing hitters a collective slash line of .389/.405/.472/.877 in nine relief appearances on the way to a 7.56 ERA.
For the season with St. Louis, Svanson’s ERA is 7.73 in 41 appearances. It is in major contrast to his 1.94 mark in 39 outings as a rookie in 2025.
Svanson will likely be back soon, especially given the likelihood of the Cardinals trading one or more relievers prior to Monday’s 5:00 p.m. CT trade deadline.
The story of Hence is well known. Drafted in 2020 just after Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn and just ahead of Alec Burleson, the Arkansas teen received $1.15 million to sign and skip college.
In recognition of how impressive Hence’s stuff was, he was once a nationally-ranked top 100 prospect. However, as the years mounted, he could never remain healthy long enough to work his way out of Double-A, a level he first reached midway through the 2023 season.
The Cardinals finally moved him to the bullpen in 2026 and promoted him to Triple-A. Hence was even shifted to the Development List for a time this season to try to work out his problems on the side, but it did not help. While he hasn’t been on the IL in 2026, he hasn’t pitched effectively, either.
Having said that, we are among those who didn’t completely give up hope. As recently as last month, Hence was our 30th-ranked prospect here at The Cardinal Nation.
Despite Hence possessing a 40-man roster spot since November 2024, it became abundantly clear that he had not progressed enough to be given a shot a major league hitters. In 19 outings totaling 20 1/3 innings for Memphis this season, Hence walked 18 against 20 strikeouts on the way to a 6.64 ERA.
The possibility of Hence losing his 40-man roster spot has been a recent topic on our Wednesday With Walton and Reis podcasts here at The Cardinal Nation.
Considering Hence’s long and extensive pedigree which includes 2024 Texas League Pitcher of the Year honors, another organization is likely to take a shot at trying to fix what ails him.
The Cardinals have seven days to decide Hence’s next step. They could trade him, or if placed on outright waivers and claimed, he would join that organization’s 40-man roster. He could also be released, but that seems unlikely. If Hence clears waivers, he would remain with Memphis, just without his 40-man spot.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Jack Gurevitch (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during July is Jack Gurevitch, who topped 11 other finalists. The Peoria infielder led in home runs, RBI (tied), slugging and isolated power, was second in wRC+ and OPS, fourth in batting average and fifth in on-base percentage.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during July across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of 11 runners-up are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 42 hitters in the system qualified. Twelve are separated with an OPS above .850, including eight over .900, five over 1.000 and three over 1.100.
Our July winner is Palm Beach infielder Jack Gurevitch, but not without consideration.
Demographics
All six levels of the system are represented this month. Double-A Springfield led the finalist list with four while Triple-A Memphis had three. Peoria had two while the three lower squads had one each – Palm Beach and the rookie level Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League.
The finalist position mix is made up of six infielders, four outfielders and two catchers.
Ages range from a 25-year-old and two 24’s to three teens, including a pair of 18-year-olds. The latter is especially encouraging.
Returning finalists from June are Miguel Hernandez, Raniel Rodriguez and Jesus Baez.
Reminder
Please remember, this is NOT the “Player of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here, either.
We will take two views of the data. The first look will be basic stats, followed by rate stats. Names are listed in the first table in descending OPS order and in the second, by wRC+, Weighted Runs Created Plus.
Basic stats
| July hitter | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Miguel Hernández | FCL/PB | 15 | 61 | 42 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.381 | 0.574 | 0.738 | 1.312 |
| Jack Gurevitch | Peo | 21 | 94 | 85 | 17 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0.341 | 0.394 | 0.777 | 1.170 |
| Leo Bernal | Mem | 17 | 72 | 65 | 14 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0.339 | 0.389 | 0.754 | 1.143 |
| Yordalin Peña | PB | 22 | 87 | 81 | 14 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0.321 | 0.356 | 0.691 | 1.048 |
| Diego Conseción | DSL | 17 | 66 | 56 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0.339 | 0.424 | 0.589 | 1.014 |
| Ian Petrutz | Peo | 17 | 63 | 58 | 11 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0.362 | 0.387 | 0.603 | 0.991 |
| Colton Ledbetter | Mem | 19 | 78 | 70 | 17 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0.357 | 0.423 | 0.557 | 0.980 |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Spr | 20 | 93 | 82 | 12 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0.305 | 0.376 | 0.561 | 0.937 |
| Ramon Mendoza | Mem | 19 | 73 | 61 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0.246 | 0.370 | 0.525 | 0.895 |
| Won-Bin Cho | Spr | 22 | 90 | 78 | 14 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0.269 | 0.367 | 0.526 | 0.892 |
| Jon Jon Gazdar | Spr | 16 | 63 | 50 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.300 | 0.444 | 0.420 | 0.864 |
| Jesús Báez | Spr | 21 | 91 | 85 | 15 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0.235 | 0.264 | 0.588 | 0.852 |
| Joshua Báez | Mem | 20 | 89 | 77 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0.208 | 0.303 | 0.507 | 0.810 |
In the primary sort of OPS, at 1.312, Miguel Hernandez is 140 points above the next finalists. The infielder began his first US campaign with a very successful FCL stint. The 18-year-old then moved up to Palm Beach for the final three games of the month.
The next group is made up of Peoria infielder Gurevitch (1.170) and Memphis catcher Leo Bernal (1.134). Underrated Palm Beach outfielder Yordalin Peña and first-year DSL infielder Diego Consecion also posted an OPS over 1.000 for July.
Peña and Gurevitch were the clear extra-base hit leaders at 17 and 16, respectively. Peña led the way with 12 doubles as no one else in the system had more than eight. Gurevitch swatted 10 long balls with Springfield’s Jesus Baez next with nine.
With three July triples, Consecion topped the system. While Memphis’ Colton Ledbetter led finalists with six steals, that pales in comparison to that of a non-finalist, Palm Beach’s Ryan Mitchell, who totaled 13 in 15 attempts.
In slugging, Gurevitch logged the June system lead at .777. Not too far behind were Bernal and Hernandez at .754 and .738, respectively. Springfield infielder Jon Jon Gazdar’s .420 is at the weaker end of the SLG spectrum.
Nine of the 12 finalists hit .300 or better for the month with Hernandez standing highest at .381. Next were Peoria’s Ian Petrutz (.362) and Ledbetter (.357). Jesus Baez and Memphis’ Ramon Mendoza batted just .235 and .246 respectively in July.
Hernandez lapped the pack in OBP at an amazing .574. The remaining finalists all posted good on-base marks of .356 or better – with one notable exception. Jesus Baez reached base at a truly mediocre .246 clip.
The .300/.400/.500 line was exceeded by only three – Hernandez, Consecion and Ledbetter.
Two of the finalists had more walks than strikeouts, with Hernandez at an exceptional 2.0 BB/K ratio and Gazdar also very, very strong at 1.76. Poorest, at a really low ratio, were Peña, Petrutz and Jesus Baez, at 0.14, 0.17 and 0.21, respectively.
Gurevitch and Bernal tied for the most May RBIs with 24 each, though the latter did it in 22 fewer plate appearances over four fewer games (17 to 21). In fact, in many months, Bernal’s stats would be good enough to win this award.
Advanced stats
The following table is oriented by wRC+, from high to low.
| July hitter | Tm | Age | PA | BB% | K% | BB/K | ISO | BABIP | wRC+ |
| Miguel Hernández | FCL/PB | 18 | 61 | 29.5% | 14.8% | 2.00 | 0.357 | 0.414 | 218 |
| Jack Gurevitch | Peo | 22 | 94 | 7.6% | 22.8% | 0.33 | 0.446 | 0.358 | 185 |
| Yordalin Peña | PB | 21 | 87 | 3.7% | 26.8% | 0.14 | 0.390 | 0.400 | 173 |
| Leo Bernal | Mem | 22 | 72 | 7.4% | 16.2% | 0.45 | 0.377 | 0.326 | 168 |
| Jon Jon Gazdar | Spr | 24 | 63 | 16.9% | 10.2% | 1.67 | 0.130 | 0.359 | 153 |
| Colton Ledbetter | Mem | 24 | 78 | 10.8% | 25.7% | 0.42 | 0.197 | 0.467 | 151 |
| Ian Petrutz | Peo | 23 | 63 | 3.2% | 19.4% | 0.17 | 0.246 | 0.432 | 149 |
| Ramon Mendoza | Mem | 25 | 73 | 14.5% | 20.3% | 0.71 | 0.298 | 0.300 | 143 |
| Diego Conseción | DSL | 18 | 66 | 12.5% | 28.1% | 0.44 | 0.255 | 0.486 | 137 |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Spr | 19 | 93 | 7.9% | 21.3% | 0.37 | 0.266 | 0.339 | 135 |
| Won-Bin Cho | Spr | 22 | 90 | 12.8% | 25.6% | 0.50 | 0.270 | 0.283 | 124 |
| Jesús Báez | Spr | 21 | 91 | 3.4% | 15.7% | 0.21 | 0.361 | 0.177 | 105 |
| Joshua Báez | Mem | 23 | 89 | 12.4% | 29.2% | 0.42 | 0.299 | 0.217 | 95 |
As we get into additional stats, we see that good fortune in the guise of an exceptionally high BABIP (.400 or better) significantly benefited five of our finalists. Consecion was at .486, followed by Ledbetter, Petrutz, Hernandez and Peña. This hurt their chances for this award.
Standing out like a sore thumb at the other end was Jesus Baez’ terribly unlucky .177 July BABIP. This may help explain the awful batting average and to a point, his mediocre OBP. It didn’t hurt his slugging, though!
Hernandez’ walk rate of almost 30% is ridiculously high. Among the mere mortals in drawing free passes, Gazdar (16.9%) and Mendoza (14.5%) were next best.
On the less positive side, three finalists posted dismal walk rates of under 4%. Petrutz, Jesus Baez and Peña brought up the rear, which should not be surprising given their exceptionally low BB/K ratios.
Toughest to strike out was Gazdar at 10.2%, followed by Hernandez (14.8%).
At the high end of the K spectrum, four finalists came in between 25% and 28.1% – Consecion, Peña, Ledbetter and Springfield’s Won-Bin Cho.
In Isolated Power, ISO, Gurevitch was highest by far at .446. Far behind but still very good are Peña (.390) and Bernal (.377).
In the all-encompassing weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measure, Hernandez was far on top (218) with Gurevitch logging a very, very strong 185 and Peña third highest at 173.
Important asides
You probably noticed that the numbers of non-finalist Joshua Baez’ appear at the bottom of the charts. This is an informational-only addition because of his status as the top hitter in the system who is closest to St. Louis.
Before his final-week surge in July, Joshua struggled. Even so, the Triple-A season home run leader swatted six home runs and plated 15. That .208 batting average, however, suggests that more time with Memphis would be ideal for the 23-year-old.
Now, let’s talk a little more about the other Baez, Jesus. As already noted, the Double-A infielder had a month of extremes. Despite a terribly low BABIP, BA and OBP, he hit nine home runs and drove in 21 runners in 21 games.
Of perhaps greater concern, the whispers about Baez’ maturity level that came with him to the Cardinals a year ago returned on the final day of the month.
Baez was ejected from the game between innings. https://t.co/LN4zjdIEyr
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) August 1, 2026
Finally, there is the question about what to do with Hernandez’ obviously strong July results.
Unlike his 2025 DSL infield teammate Sebastian Dos Santos, Hernandez did not receive his Palm Beach promotion until after the FCL season was done. This is the case even though in June, Hernandez also led the entire Cardinals system in OBP and OPS. That he did it again is admirable, but to me it says that he should have been challenged in Class-A sooner than the final three games in July.
Further, Hernandez’ stats leadership this past month is hinged on two things – his exceptional walk rate, compiled against rookie pitchers, and a totally unsustainable BABIP of .414.
For these reasons, my selection is Gurevitch.
In summary
In July, Gurevitch led in home runs, RBI (tied), slugging and isolated power. The infielder was second in wRC+ and OPS, fourth in batting average and fifth in on-base percentage.
The 22-year-old had three multi-home run games in July, including a three-homer outing on the 21st. His 10 round trippers led both the organization and the High-A Midwest League.
Gurevitch remains incredibly hot as eight of his homers came in his last eight games. Partway through, he was named the Midwest League Player of the Week for the period of July 21-26.
Therefore, Peoria’s Jack Gurevitch receives the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s July Player of the Month.
About the winner
St. Louis’ third round draft pick in 2025, 89th overall, was a polished college hitter from the University of San Diego who had been a Cape Cod League All-Star in 2024.
Known as proficient line drive hitter to all fields, the left-handed batter struggled in his initial 99 professional plate appearances with Palm Beach last summer.
Over the winter, TCN’s Kyle Reis wrote the following.
“How Gurevitch gets to his increasing in-game power is going to make or break him.”
So far, so good.
His total of 17 home runs with the Chiefs (in just 57 games) are the most in a single season by any Peoria player in the club’s High-A era (since 2021). Gurevitch’s season-to-date total of 23 is third in the Cardinals system (after both Baezes).
Gurevitch was ranked 25th in the system in TCN’s most recent monthly prospect rankings but should skyrocket upward in August.
When will he be deemed ready for the challenge presented by Double-A?
How June’s winners performed in July
The Cardinals selected Jesus Baez as their June Player of the Month across the system as he progressed from Peoria to Springfield. Our choice was Palm Beach second baseman-outfielder Brayden Smith.
Baez’ July with Springfield was fully explored above, while Smith backslid further. The latter posted a July line of .203/.312/.329/.641 and a 30.1% strikeout rate, still with Palm Beach.
What is next?
Next up, look for The Cardinal Nation’s July Pitcher of the Month article, the companion to this one.
Also, the Cardinals organization should name their own selections of July Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Now 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
The final copies of the printed book are on closeout for 20% off.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Teens Hernández and Lebrón to Make Full-Season DebutsThe St. Louis Cardinals have promoted two more teen rookie-ball standouts to full-season ball for the first time, Miguel Hernández and Cristofer Lebrón.
photo: Peter Strzelecki (Michael McLoone/USA Today Sports)
New St. Louis Cardinals 31-year-old minor league right-handed reliever has 77 career MLB outings over parts of three seasons.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Saturday, July 25) they have signed right-handed pitcher Peter Strzelecki (STREZ-leck-ee) to a minor league contract.
Strzelecki, 31, was originally signed by the Brewers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of South Florida after also playing at Palm Beach State College.
Earlier this season, he made 23 appearances with the Brewers Nashville (AAA) affiliate and six with the Yankees Scranton-Wilkes Barre (AAA), recording four saves combined with a 1.16 WHIP.
The Queens, N.Y., native made his Major League debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on June 2, 2022 and appeared in 30 games through the end of the 2022 season posting a 2-1 record with a 2.83 ERA and one save, striking out 40 over 35.0 innings.
Over three seasons appearing in Major League games with Brewers, Diamondbacks and Guardians, Strzelecki compiled a 5-6 record, 3.44 ERA and one save over 77 games. His last Major League game was August 12, 2024 with Cleveland vs. the Cubs.
He will report to Palm Beach (A).
Brian Walton’s take
During recent seasons, the Cardinals have previously signed minor league free agents and acquired several players from independent league teams, but this is the first time in my recollection that they issued a press release. I find it a bit unusual.
Strzelecki is the definition of a journeyman. The Cardinals are his ninth organizational stop, starting with the Brewers, then Diamondbacks, Guardians, Pirates, Rays, Brewers again, Yankees and Brewers yet again. Five of the nine occurred in the last 13 months.
He reached the majors with Milwaukee, where most of his appearances were (66), plus one game with Arizona and 10 with Cleveland.
In this order, he was traded, designated for assignment then traded, DFAed and traded for cash, released, DFAed and declared free agency, released and released again. The last four transactions occurred in the last 12 months and the most recent three were in the last two months.
In two stints with Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville team this season, Strzelecki logged a 3.42 ERA in 23 relief appearances but in between, after six outings at Triple-A for the Yankees, his ERA was 7.71. In 2026, he struck out 37 and walked just six and opponents hit a collective .252 against him in 31 innings.
The result of his work each of his last two stops was the same, his release – the most recent of which was this Wednesday. (Update: This last transaction was an opt-out by the pitcher.)
I imagine Strzelecki’s Palm Beach time will be relatively short, and once any evaluation and tuning is complete, he will join Memphis. However, he is out of minor league options so his flexibility to help St. Louis is somewhat limited.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Adjust Minors Catching AssignmentsThe St. Louis Cardinals are making a series of catching moves to backfill the loss of Yohel Pozo at Memphis. Other Friday transactions are also included.
Pozo’s Departure Leads St. Louis Cardinals Thursday TransactionsOn Thursday, July 23, the Cardinals said goodbye to one of their catchers as Yohel Pozo was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles from outright waivers. Seven other moves across the system are analyzed.
photo: Rocco Maniscalco and family (Instagram)
On Tuesday, July 21, the St. Louis Cardinals formalized via a series of social media posts the signing of 20 of their 23 draft picks from the 2026 class plus four undrafted free agents.
First rounder Trevor Condon was in St. Louis last week to sign and the club heavily publicized it. However, as the club worked behind the scenes to get all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed, signing news about the others were disclosed by the players or other media, including signing bonuses.
The two not expected to come to terms by the Monday, July 27 deadline are the Cardinals’ final two selections, 19th rounder Clayton Freshcorn and 20th rounder Kollin Ritchie. Both have declared their intent to return to college.
From a bonus perspective, the Cardinals remained within their 100% allocation for the second consecutive year, choosing not to exercise their option to spend up to 105% without significant penalty. That amounts to over $830,000.
The Cardinals signed seven of the 13 first 10-round players to underslot amounts, including Condon. That money was primarily shifted to land second round high school shortstop Rocco Maniscalco.
Two post-10th round signees, Jacob Haley (11th round) and Matthew Thomas (13th), received bonuses over the $150,000 target with those overages also applying against the cap.
When all was said and done, the Cards spent 99.78% of their $16.6 million allotment.
| Rd/overall | 2026 draft | Cls/Pos | Pick value | Signed | plus/minus |
| 1-13 | Trevor Condon | HS OF | $5,661,300 | $5,161,300 | $500,000 |
| Comp A-32 | Tegan Kuhns | So P | $3,044,600 | $3,044,600 | $0 |
| 2-50 | Rocco Maniscalco | HS SS | $1,982,700 | $3,200,000 | ($1,217,300) |
| Comp B-68 | Andrew Williamson | Jr OF | $1,285,500 | $1,285,500 | $0 |
| Comp B-72 | Dawson Montesa | Jr P | $1,174,300 | $850,000 | $324,300 |
| 3-86 | Caden Ferraro | Jr OF | $943,600 | $800,000 | $143,600 |
| 4-114 | Dee Kennedy | Jr SS | $684,300 | $684,300 | $0 |
| 5-146 | Cal Randall | Jr RHP | $501,300 | $501,300 | $0 |
| 6-175 | Owen Henne | Jr SS | $383,400 | $383,400 | $0 |
| 7-204 | Derek Schaefer | Jr RHP | $302,300 | $275,000 | $27,300 |
| 8-234 | Luke Harrison | Grad LHP | $241,000 | $125,000 | $116,000 |
| 9-264 | Jayden Lobliner | Sr C | $210,600 | $25,000 | $185,600 |
| 10-294 | Nick Bonn | Sr RHP | $197,400 | $150,000 | $47,400 |
| Pool total | $16,612,300 | $16,485,400 | $126,900 | ||
| plus- | |||||
| 10 rdrs | > $150K | Cls/Pos | Not in totals | Signed | overage |
| 11-324 | Jacob Haley | Jr RHP | <=$150,000 | $215,000 | ($65,000) |
| 13-384 | Matthew Thomas | Jr OF | <=$150,000 | $175,000 | ($25,000) |
| 1-10 pool | $16,612,300 | ||||
| 1-10-unsign | $0 | ||||
| revised pool | $16,612,300 | ||||
| 105% total | $17,442,915 | ||||
| “extra” | $830,615 | ||||
| +/- all | $36,900 | ||||
| no pick loss | extra $ left | $867,515 | |||
| Total spend | $16,575,400 | ||||
| Pct of 100% | 99.78% |
Here are the announcements. Click on the area below to see all 25 signees – the 21 draft picks and four free agents.
We have agreed to terms with the following 2026 draft picks and non-drafted free agents! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/MMnHIja5D1
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 21, 2026
For more
Information about the entire Cardinals draft class of 23 players can be found in these articles.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – 2026 Post-Draft Details
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Transactions Keep Coming Through The WeekendOver the weekend, the St. Louis Cardinals continued to shift player assignments. Brian Walton breaks them down.
Romero’s Trip to the IL Leads Friday Cardinals System MovesOn Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals minor league player transactions were centered on Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield. On Friday, July 17, coming out of the All-Star break, the primary focus was on the other three teams in the system – St. Louis, High-A Peoria, Low-A Palm Beach – with 13 moves.
photo: Zach Mortimer and Trevor Condon (St. Louis Cardinals)
St. Louis Cardinals first round draft pick Trevor Condon visited the team on Thursday and signed his initial professional contract.
Thursday, July 16 was a busy day for the St. Louis Cardinals as a number of 2026 draftees reportedly came to terms with the team. I say “reportedly” as only first-rounder Trevor Condon, who had a signing ceremony in St. Louis, has been confirmed by the team.
Pen to paper 🖊️
Trevor Condon is a St. Louis Cardinal! pic.twitter.com/8yLv5qxrUX
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 16, 2026
I expect the remainder (as well as others) new signings to appear in a press release very soon, likely on Friday. In the meantime, here is a quick wrap up with more details coming.
OF Trevor Condon (13th overall) signed for $5.16 million, per Derrick Goold. That is $501,300 under slot.
Trevor Condon has a message for Cardinal Nation! pic.twitter.com/1PHhFSYaJg
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 16, 2026
1B Caden Ferraro (third round) signed under slot for $800,000, also per Goold. That gave the Cardinals additional savings of $143,600.
SS Dee Kennedy (fourth round) signed for his slot value of $684,300, reported by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline on Wednesday.
RHP Dawson Montesa (Comp Bal B) posted photos of his signing on Instagram on Thursday. Financials are to be announced.
Here are other reported signings:
In addition to Trevor Condon & earlier news, #stlcards signed:
CB: RHP Tegan Kuhns
CB: OF Andrew Williamson
CB: RHP Dawson Montesa
6th rd: SS Owen Henne
7th: RHP Derek Schaefer
8th: LHP Luke Harrison
9th: C Jayden Lobliner
10th: RHP NIck BonnMore: https://t.co/vEDu8BlD36
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 17, 2026
For more
Information about the entire Cardinals draft class of 23 players can be found in these articles.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
Rosters and the Matrix will be updated once the Cardinals confirm the signings. Until then, they are listed separately.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cijntje Promotion to Triple-A Leads Cardinals MovesOn Wednesday, July 15, the St. Louis Cardinals announced the promotion of top 10 prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje to Triple-A Memphis. Many other player moves are also detailed.
photo: Cal Randall (UCLA Athletics)
The second and final day of the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, with the St. Louis Cardinals selections’ being made by Scouting Director Zach Mortimer under the leadership of AGM Randy Flores, consists of 16 selections covering rounds 5-20 on Sunday, July 12.
St. Louis’ initial Day 2 selection in the fifth round at 146th overall is UCLA reliever Cal Randall.
See the Cardinals full 2026 Draft Day 1 details here.
Update: Draft summary
Overall in the 2026 Draft, the Cardinals took 12 pitchers, 11 of whom are right-handers. They also added 11 position players – one catcher, five infielders and five outfielders.
After St. Louis took a high schooler in the second round in 2025, they matched that in 2026 – and took one in the first round also!
The sweet spot is college juniors, as is always the case, with 15. The Cardinals selected one sophomore, and made five selections who are either seniors or graduate students.
Initially, I thought the latter was a high number, perhaps signaling considerable cost savings. However, the 2025 senior total was one higher at six.
Then again, 2025 was the first year in a very long time in which the Cardinals kept total spending underneath the allocation and did not use the allowable five percent overage.
Let’s see what happens between now and the July 27 signing deadline.
For more
Return to this article at The Cardinal Nation often on Sunday afternoon and evening as information about all St. Louis’ day 2 draft picks will be posted shortly as soon as possible after they are made.
To reference the Cardinals’ new draft class on an ongoing basis here at The Cardinal Nation, each player will have a profile located on a holding team called “DRAFT UNSIGNED PLAYERS”. This can be accessed at the bottom of the drop-down menu in the red column in the left menu called “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” or click here.
St. Louis’ selections – 2026 Draft Day 2
Fifth round, 146th overall – Cal Randall – P
UCLA, junior
6’4/235 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Discovery Bay, California
Randall is known for arm strength and velocity. The UCLA junior relies heavily on his fastball, which comes from a low release point. It averages 97 mph and can touch 101. The big reliever also has a slider/cutter in the low 90s.
In 2026, Randall logged a 3.19 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 19 walks across 31 innings in 34 appearances.
Like many who throw hard, Randall’s future success may hinge on improving his control.
There is a difference of opinion between Baseball America and MLB Pipeline regarding Randall. BA ranked him their no. 122 draft eligible prospect, but Pipeline put him at no. 218.
The pool amount for this pick is $501,300.
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Mike Garciaparra MLB Draft Video: LINK
Sixth round, 175th overall – Owen Henne – SS
Seton Hill University, junior
6’3/188 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Wexford, PA
This was a pick out of left field by the Cardinals as Henne was not among BA’s Top 500 draft prospects nor did he make Pipeline’s Top 250. Likely the organization will get some cost savings with this selection.
Henne spent his first three seasons at Division II Seton Hill and committed to West Virginia University for his senior season. With good bat-to-ball skills, Henne hit .401 in 42 games for the Griffins this spring. He drew 20 walks compared to just 17 strikeouts.
The right-handed hitter then competed in the MLB Draft League this summer for the West Virginia Black Bears, where he slashed .302/.486/.528/1.014 in 16 games. Walks and strikeouts were equal at 11.
Defensively, Henne has been a shortstop, but may be a utility player as he moves through the system.
The pool amount for this pick is $383,400.
Owen Henne slides over the middle into the outfield and fires to first to start the sixth with a 🕸️ 💎! 🐻
📊 https://t.co/YVatTeN503
📺 https://t.co/365D9tq9TU@WVBlackBears | @HenneOwen pic.twitter.com/5nWf8hSOPe— MLB Draft League (@mlbdraftleague) July 4, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Jim Negrych
Seventh round, 204th overall – Derek Schaefer – P
Arizona State, junior
6’3/210 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Cave Creek, AZ
Schaefer spent his freshman year at Tennessee before moving closer to home at Arizona State for the last two springs.
He pitched in the Cape Cod League in 2025, logging a 3.86 ERA in eight relief appearances. Schaefer struck out 23 but issued 18 walks in 28 innings.
As the Sun Devils’ closer in 2026, he picked up nine saves while striking out over 11 batters per nine innings. Schaefer’s ERA was 5.88, however. His strikeout to walk count was 42 to 14.
The right-hander’s fastball is in the 93-96 mph range and he has a low-80’s curveball.
Schaefer was unranked by MLB Pipeline and was 403rd on Baseball America’s top 500 draft eligible prospects.
The pool amount for this pick is $302,300.
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Matt Grangetto
Eighth round, 234th overall – Luke Harrison – P
University of Texas, graduate student
6’2, 220 pounds
Bats/Throws: L/L
Hometown: Friendswood, TX
Harrison is unique as he played at Texas this spring as a graduate student. As a result, he is one of the older players drafted at 23.
This season at UT, Harrison made 16 starts and had three relief outings. His ERA was 4.10 and he walked 35 batters.
MLB Network draft commentators twice labeled Harrison as a “finesse lefty”. As far as I am concerned, 100 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings speaks to more than finesse.
Harrison reportedly has six pitches with his cutter his best secondary, along with a slider, curve and changeup (and two fastballs).
The pool amount for this pick is $241,000. His signing should be a cost-saver for the Cardinals.
Luke days out 🤘#HookEm | @luke_harrison18 pic.twitter.com/QCRqoNtBPF
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) December 22, 2025
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Pete Parise
Ninth round, 264th overall – Jayden Lobliner – C
University of San Diego, senior
5’10/200 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: St. Charles, IL
Lobliner may have an unusual name, but it may be familiar to local fans, as he hails from St. Charles, IL.
He began his career at Kansas State but spent his junior and senior campaigns at San Diego.
Lobliner’s forte is his defense, as he has a plus arm and was recognized as the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both 2025 and 2026.
Lobliner played four seasons of summer ball, most recently slashing .156/.255/.289/.544 in 14 games for Elizabethton in 2025.
The right-handed batter showed some power in 2026 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and slugging .539 in 51 games for the Toreros.
Lobliner was not ranked among BA’s top 400 or Pipeline’s top 250 draft prospects.
The pool amount for this pick is $210,600. As a senior, Lobliner’s signing bonus leverage is low.
.@JAYDEN_LOBLINER PLAYS THE HERO ON SENIOR DAY!
ONE LAST TRIP TO LOB CITY TO WALK IT OFF 😤#TorerosWin pic.twitter.com/2AuO2eVxRa
— San Diego Baseball (@USDbaseball) May 17, 2026
Daily Reminder. No theft allowed in Lob City.
That's 1️⃣1️⃣ runners caught stealing for @jayden_lobliner in 2026!
📺: https://t.co/g3JNnihRDh
📻: https://t.co/zwCU4rUuIn
📈: https://t.co/jYXU0TczTW#GoToreros pic.twitter.com/ILGz4Qv0Db— San Diego Baseball (@USDbaseball) May 16, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Chris Rodriguez
10th round, 294th overall – Nick Bonn, P
Cal Poly, senior
6’1, 160 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Laguna Beach, CA
Slender at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, Bonn was a starter in his second season at Pepperdine as a sophomore. He transferred to Dallas Baptist for his junior year and shifted to relief.
Bonn’s third collegiate stop was Cal Poly in 2026, where his 17 saves topped Division I. He struck out 50, walked 21 in 49 2/3 innings and posted an ERA of 3.44.
Bonn has a 95-97 mph fastball with a sweeper at 82-85 and a splitter.
The pool amount for this pick is $197,400. As the third straight senior/grad student to close out the top 10, Bonn should sign for a relatively low bonus, providing the Cardinals additional cost savings. It should be interesting to see how the extra cash is deployed.
Catching up from the weekend:
Cal Poly senior Nick Bonn earned his second save of the LA Regional in the championship game, entering with traffic and shutting out Saint Mary’s over two clean innings. (Full video ⬇️)
He’s incredibly efficient with his lower half, creating elite… pic.twitter.com/331TQMe703
— Matthew Knauer (@matthewk36711) June 2, 2026
CAL POLY MADE IT LOOK EASY!
The Mustangs sweep through the LA Regional to make their first Supers ever 👏 pic.twitter.com/fQB3gBAiY9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 1, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Mike Garciaparra
11th round, 324th overall – Jacob Haley – P
University of South Alabama, junior
Height/wgt: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Huntsville, AL
In his junior season in 2026, the right-handed pitcher (who also played briefly on the infield) made nine appearances in relief. Haley struck out 20 hitters across 14 2/3 innings pitched, a 12.7 K/9 rate. He walked just five and logged a 3.08 ERA for the Jaguars.
Haley had Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Keanan Lamb
12th round, 354th overall – Drew Horn – P
Middle Tennessee State, junior
5’11/185 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Smyrna, TN
Horn had a 7.32 ERA in his 10 appearances (eight starts) during his senior season after posting a 1.75 ERA in eight starts in 2025. In 2026, he struck out 41 and walked 14 in 35 2/3 innings.
The right-hander’s career highlight occurred in 2025, when he threw a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts (see video below).
Horn started his college career with Walters State Community College in 2023 (redshirt) and 2024.
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: TC Calhoun
13th round, 384th overall – Matthew Thomas – OF
Cal State Northridge, junior
6’3/205 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Garden Grove, CA
Thomas began his collegiate years with two seasons at Cal.
He transferred to Cal State Northridge and had a breakout junior season. Thomas was a 40-40 man (runs and RBI), only the third in school history since 2010 and his 142 total bases were the most at the school since 2004.
Thomas received All-Big West First Team Honors in 2026. His nickname is “Chewy”.
Matthew Thomas of @CSUNBaseball made a strong case during his MLB Draft Combine BP. 111 MPH EV, 448 FT home run. Quick hands generating plus power. No. 214 on the @JustBB_Media Top 250 MLB Draft prospects.
🎥: @cdorney pic.twitter.com/xxWkF8GRAh
— The College Baseball Show (@CollegeBSBShow) June 24, 2026
Newcomer Matthew Thomas had a historic season, posting most total bases (142) since 2004, while becoming third @CSUNBaseball player (Simons, Tarlow) since 2010, to post 40 runs and 40 RBI in same season.
He caps off 2026 with All-Big West First Team Honors. pic.twitter.com/kJl2EiFObd— Baron "Suge" Zemo (@GhizalHasan) May 19, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Mike Garciaparra
14th round, 414th overall – Jaden Alba – P
Arizona State University, junior
6’3/225 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Alba pitched three seasons for the Sun Devils of Arizona State. He was primarily a reliever in 2024 and 2026 and was usually a starter in 2025. His ERAs for the three seasons are: 7.36, 5.58 and 6.52, for a 6.20 collegiate average.
In 2026, the right-hander fanned 59 but issued 25 free passes in 49 2/3 innings. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Alba is larger than most other pitchers taken by the Cardinals in Day 2.
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Matt Grangetto
15th round, 444th overall – Brian Garmon II – P
University of South Alabama, senior
6’2/215 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Cumming, GA
Garmon began with two years at Georgia State followed by two springs with South Alabama. But his innings pitched at his latter stop with the Jaguars totaled under 20.
In his senior year, he made 13 relief appearances over 11 innings with a 4.09 ERA. In this very limited action, Garmon struck out eight and walked three. Hitters batted a collective .340 against his offerings. His 2025 ERA was 8.31, again in very limited action (8 2/3 innings).
Garmon competed in the 2026 MLB Draft League showcase with a 2.45 ERA, again in light work, 3 2/3 innings.
FB 90-93 Top 94.8
CH 85-88
SL 78-81
6.69 ERA
36.1 IP
34 SO
.246 BAVG
22 APP
Led team in APP in relief pic.twitter.com/cOPyK6ZXxs— Brian Garmon II (@Brian_Garmon5) June 6, 2024
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Keanan Lamb
16th round, 474th overall – Dallis Moran – P
Stetson University, junior
6’1/185 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: St. Amant, LA
Despite having just finished his junior year, Moran is well traveled. The Louisiana native began in 2024 at Nicholls State then moved to Chipola College for 2025.
After pitching for Stetson University (Florida) in 2026, Moran committed to Kansas State for 2027. Perhaps he won’t end up joining the Wildcats.
In 28 innings in 20 appearances for the Hatters this season, Moran struck out 43 and walked 18 on his way to a 5.40 ERA.
Moran also pitched effectively in the MLB Draft League in 2026, with a 2.08 ERA over 10 appearances with 18 strikeouts against five walks in 13 innings. His velocity was reportedly reaching 96 mph.
I will be entering the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining
FB: 92-95, 18-20 IVB 8-10 HB
(2400-2500 RPM)
(-3.8 TOZ VA)
CB: 77-79, -17/-20 IVB -10 HB
(2850-3100 RPM)
CUT: 86-88
CH: 84-86
SL: 80-82Metrics and Stats in thread below.@Jadenhardin5 pic.twitter.com/9Wrkbge2EP
— dallis moran (@DallisMoran) June 24, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Josh Lopez
17th round, 504th overall – Jacob Johnson – 3B
St. Mary’s College (CA), junior
6’1, 183 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Danville, CA
Johnson moved to St. Mary’s after transferring from Cuesta Junior College following the 2025 season. St. Mary’s was also the source of another third baseman drafted by the Cardinals long ago, Patrick Wisdom. However, while the Cards list Johnson as a third sacker, he was the Gaels’ designated hitter in 2026.
Johnson’s 2026 season was solid as he posted a .338 batting average on 71 hits including 15 doubles and 15 home runs. The latter was second most in the West Coast Conference.
Johnson (6-for-15) helped St. Mary’s take down no. 1 UCLA twice to eliminate the Bruins and make the program’s first ever NCAA regional final.
Following the season, Johnson was named to the ABCA All-West Region First Team.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2190202298218962
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Stacey Pettis
18th round, 534th overall – Gabe Camacho – OF
University of California San Diego, junior
6’1/220 pounds
Bats/Throws: L/L
Hometown: Encinitas, CA
Camacho began with the University of the Pacific in 2024, where he hit 10 home runs as a freshman. For Cal San Diego in 2025, he hit .307 and posted a 1.004 OPS.
That summer, he played in the wood bat Cape Cod League and found the going tougher. Camacho’s slash line of .253/.340/.286/.626 included just two extra base hits in 103 plate appearances.
Though the Cardinals list him as an outfielder, Camacho was exclusively the first baseman for Cal San Diego in 2026.
Though his slugging went up from .546 to .576 from 2025, his OPS dipped slightly to .979. Camacho was first in the Big West Conference in RBI (54), runs scored (51), home runs (16) and hit by pitches (27). His long-ball count set the school’s Division 1 record.
Among Camacho’s 2026 honors were spots on the Big West Championship All-Tournament Team and All Big West First Team.
Make it 3⃣ for Gabe!!
📺 https://t.co/8Balp8E1ns#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/GrGhQoANot
— UC San Diego Baseball (@UCSDbsb) May 24, 2026
🚨RECORD SETTER🚨
Gabe Camacho has set the Tritons D-I single season record with his 1️⃣6️⃣th HOMERUN📺https://t.co/fW26TvOake
📊https://t.co/pLkqsVi5tz#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/BHWwFIogO2— UC San Diego Baseball (@UCSDbsb) May 16, 2026
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY24JB3Eumw/
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Chris Rodriguez
19th round, 564th overall – Clayton Freshcorn – P
Texas A&M, junior
6’0/180 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Hometown: Walker, TX
As a junior in 2026, Freshcorn was an All-American as the Aggies’ closer with 12 saves. In 54 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.82 ERA to go with 56 strikeouts and just six walks.
He spent his freshman season at McLennan Community College (TX).
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Pete Parise
20th round, 594th overall – Kollin Ritchie – OF
Oklahoma State University – junior
6’2/228 pounds
Bats/Throws: L/R
Hometown: Atoka, OK
Ritchie was in this situation before, drafted by the Orioles in the 19th round in 2023 before attending Oklahoma State.
For 2026, he was expected to be taken in the first four rounds but was not. MLB Pipeline ranked Ritchie the 84th best prospect in the draft, while BA had him 110th.
The plus power is real as Ritchie went deep 31 times in 2026 (fourth in Division 1). He had 20 multi-RBI games and finished the year ranked in the top 12 nationally in home runs (31), total bases (185), runs (81), slugging percentage (.804) and RBIs (75).
He is a career .302/.432/.671/1.103 hitter with 53 home runs in 156 games, with a 20.7% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate.
The left-handed hitter’s bat speed is impressive as he posted a 107.9 mph 90th percentile exit velocity this spring. But he also has swing and miss tendencies, as do most power-over-average hitters.
Ritchie struggled in the Cape Cod League in 2024 and 2025, but it is likely a moot point.
He profiles as a corner outfielder as a professional but also has some experience at the infield corners and in center field.
While Ritchie had to be considered a huge longshot to sign, the very slim chances were squashed by the player on Sunday evening.
Still, if the Cardinals get stuck with a lot of excess money, they might try to change his mind prior to the July 27 signing deadline.
Kollin Ritchie, who taken in the 20th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, just announced he’s returning to Stillwater for his senior season. Massive news for #OkState. pic.twitter.com/LPG4HFCt0T
— Zachary Lancaster (@zlancaster91) July 12, 2026
Update from Cardinals Media Relations
Signing Scout: Dirk Kinney MLB Draft Video: LINK
What is next?
Check back at The Cardinal Nation often as player signing information trickles in over the upcoming days.
Earlier article
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Trevor Condon (Lake Point Sports)
On Saturday afternoon July 11th, the St. Louis Cardinals named their first seven selections during Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft, encompassing the first four rounds.
The first four rounds of the 20-round 2026 Major League Baseball Draft were held on Saturday afternoon, July 11 in Philadelphia. For the sixth (and perhaps final) year, the draft is 20 rounds and held a month later than traditionally, now as part of MLB’s All-Star Weekend.
Starting Sunday morning July 12th, rounds 5-20 will complete the annual exercise.
The St. Louis Cardinals did not fare well in the draft lottery, with their initial pick 13th overall in the first round. For the rest of the draft, the Cardinals will select eighth based on inverse 2025 won/loss record (though that can change in early rounds due to pick forfeitures by other teams).
The Cardinals gained three additional Day 1 selections, increasing their total to an MLB-high of seven. The first bonus pick is in Competitive Balance Round A, 32nd overall, and is based on market size and revenue.
The other two extra picks were acquired in trade, at 68th and 72nd overall, residing between the second and third rounds. These Competitive Balance Round B selections were awarded to the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays and came to St. Louis in the Brendan Donovan trade.
The Cardinals have been assigned a pool total of $16,612,300 to cover the signing bonuses for their 13 players selected in the first 10 rounds plus any bonuses greater than $150,000 for draftees selected in rounds 11-20. St. Louis’ pool total is fifth largest in MLB.
The Cardinals organization’s 16 picks in the third through 20th rounds will be made on Sunday, starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time.
To reference the Cardinals’ new draft class on an ongoing basis here at The Cardinal Nation, each player will have a profile located on a holding team called “DRAFT UNSIGNED PLAYERS”. This can be accessed at the bottom of the drop-down menu in the red column in the left menu called “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” or click here.
St. Louis’ selections – 2026 draft day 1
First round, 13th overall – Trevor Condon, OF
Etowah High School, Georgia
5’11, 175 pounds
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Hometown: Etowah, GA
Condon, 18, was a University of Tennessee commit from Georgia, where he was a two-time state champion. Not big in size, the outfielder draws positive comparisons to Cubs all-star Pete Crow-Armstrong due his high motor and multiple tools.
The left-handed hitter’s bat-to-ball skills are lauded as is his ability to get the barrel of his bat on high-end offerings. Power may be his last skill to fully develop.
Condon has elite, plus-plus speed and provides plus a strong arm and standout defense in center field.
Pre-draft, Condon was the 16th-ranked eligible prospect according to Baseball America. MLB Pipeline had him 13th.
The pool amount for this pick is $5,661,300. While a solid choice, this could be a money-saving selection to redeploy on later selections.
Still, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN labeled Condon “the biggest steal of the draft,” believing that the teen can overcome concerns by some about his size, 5-foot-11, 175 pounds.
Following Ryan Mitchell, taken 55th overall in 2025, Condon is the second prep outfielder selected by the organization early in the draft in the last two years.
Trending toward being a first-round pick in July?
One of the risers into the top 30 on Baseball America's MLB Draft rankings is Trevor Condon, who barreled this 96 mph fastball for a double.
2026 high school center fielder from Georgia and a Tennessee commit. pic.twitter.com/JGkdkhdF4u
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) May 5, 2026
Update: Condon points from Cardinals Media Relations
Competitive Balance Round A, 32nd overall – Tegan Kuhns, P
University of Tennessee, sophomore
6’3, 193 pounds
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Hometown: Gettysburg, PA
Kuhns, a draft-eligible sophomore, was highly sought after in the 2024 Draft, but reportedly turned down seven-figure inquiries to attend Tennessee.
After a mixed freshman year in 2025, the now-21-year-old broke out in the wood bat Cape Cod League showcase, posting an ERA of 1.35 and striking out over 13 batters per nine innings. Kuhns continued to improve this spring at UT with a 3.56 ERA in 81 innings over 14 starts, with a 31% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate.
Kuhns’ fastball is 93-96 mph and tops out at 98-99, but can be hittable if not elevated. He also has a plus curveball but still needs a reliable third offering. Changeup and slider are contenders.
Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline ranked Kuhns as the no. 25 prospect in this draft class, so his selection at no. 32 overall does not seem unreasonable.
The pool amount for this pick is $3,044,600.
Update: Kuhns points from Cardinals Media Relations
Second round, 50th overall – Rocco Maniscalco – SS
Oxford High School, Alabama
6’2, 192 pounds
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Hometown: Oxford, AL
Maniscalco, a Mississippi State commit, reclassified late to enter the 2026 Draft. The Alabama native does not turn 18 years of age until next May.
The Prep All-American shortstop has elite arm strength, hitting 97 mph at the recent MLB Draft Combine, where he was a standout. Maniscalco dropped on draft boards after a rough start to his senior season with the bat but improved as the spring progressed.
Baseball America and MLB Pipeline have a major disagreement about Maniscalco. Pipeline ranked him 49th in this draft class, but BA placed him at no. 100.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,982,700.
Update: Maniscalco points from Cardinals Media Relations
Competitive Balance Round B, 68th overall – Andrew Williamson – OF
University of Central Florida, junior
6’0, 195 pounds
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL
The three-year outfield starter at UCF had a breakout 2025, hitting .315 with 13 home runs. Williamson followed up with a line of .322/.442/.645/1.087 with 16 home runs and 48 RBI in 2026.
The left-handed hitter also has a positive track record with the wood bat, with good bat speed and some pop to right field, though there are questions about his ability to handle elite breaking stuff.
Williamson possesses an above average arm and can play center field if needed, but likely profiles in the corner.
BA and MLB Pipeline have similar views of Williamson’s draft standing, with BA ranking him 48th, while Pipeline placed him 52nd among eligible players.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,285,500.
Update: Williamson points from Cardinals Media Relations
Competitive Balance Round B, 72nd overall – Dawson Montesa – P
University of West Virginia, junior
6’1, 185 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Hometown: Glendale, NY
Montesa pitched two seasons at Division II Adelphi, and set the school’s single season record in strikeouts with 105 in 72 1/3 innings.
In 2026 in the Big 12, Montesa posted a 5.38 ERA in 19 appearances including 15 starts. He fanned 92 in 77 innings but walked 44 and yielded 13 home runs.
The right-hander features a fastball at 94-95, topping out at 98 with a curveball in the upper 70’s.
Montesa is young for his class at just age 20 and is considered to be athletic for his position.
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America both had Montesa far outside their Top 100, with Pipeline ranking him 161st and BA at 138th in the draft class. So, this is a money-saving pick for the Cardinals.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,174,300.
Update: Montesa points from Cardinals Media Relations
Third round, 86th overall – Caden Ferraro, 1B
Texas Tech University, junior
6’0, 215 pounds
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, CA
For the second consecutive draft, the Cardinals selected a college first baseman in the third round, following Jack Gurevitch in 2025. Ferraro was primarily an outfielder at Texas Tech, though the Cardinals announced him as a first sacker.
The left-handed hitter was a national champion as a junior college player at Blinn College before joining the Red Raiders.
With ability to make consistent contact, Ferraro slashed .374/.481/.604/1.085 OPS with eight home runs and 46 RBI for Texas Tech in 2026.
Per BA, Ferraro came in as the no. 112 player in this draft, while MLB Pipeline had him at no. 143, some distance from the 86th overall pick.
The pool amount for this selection is $943,600.
Update: Ferraro points from Cardinals Media Relations
Fourth round, 114th overall – Dee Kennedy – SS
Kansas State University, junior
5’11, 190 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Kennedy began his college career with a year at Texas before spending the last two seasons at Kansas State. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline called him the “most improved college player in 2026”, with his dramatic junior year uptick due in part to improved vision following LASIK surgery.
The shortstop was a Cape Cod League All-Star before setting K-State’s single-season home run record with 20 in 2026 and an OPS of 1.194. Plate discipline could improve a bit against off-speed offerings.
Kennedy has solid speed (22-of-26 in steals in 2026) and some arm strength, though some scouts project him as a second baseman eventually. He also has experience at third base.
Taking BA and MLB Pipeline as a reference, Kennedy should have been taken sooner than 114th. He was 79th per Pipeline and 93rd according to BA in this draft class.
The pool amount for this selection is $684,300.
IT'S GRAND SALAMI TIME AGAIN@kennedee27 hits his 2nd homerun of the day and 2nd grand slam of the weekend pic.twitter.com/6sCsNIHYXQ
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) February 15, 2026
Update: Kennedy points from Cardinals Media Relations
What is next?
Check back at The Cardinal Nation for the remainder of Saturday’s selections and return on Sunday for details of Day 2 of the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Shuster Clears Waivers AgainOn Friday and Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced nine transactions across their minor league system including the return of reliever Jared Shuster to Memphis – sort of.
photo: JJ Wetherholt (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Per a Friday afternoon report first from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the St. Louis Cardinals have come to terms with rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt on an eight-year contract.
BREAKING: Rookie standout JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a long-term contract extension that will buy out multiple years of free agency, sources tell ESPN. Wetherholt, 23, has been tremendous and is the latest rookie to land a nine-figure contract.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2026
Subsequent reports have pegged the total value as $112.5 million, comparable to other early-career contracts being given across MLB.
Here is how JJ Wetherholt 8yr $112.5m deal with #STLCardinals looks next to the most recent similar deals…seems like fair market contract for both sides:
Kevin McGonigle 8yrs, $150m
Konnor Griffin 8yrs, $140m
Jackson Merrilll 9yrs, $135m
Roman Anthony 8yrs, $130m
Pete…— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) July 10, 2026
The deal does not include any team or player options, per this report.
BREAKING: Star rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt and St. Louis Cardinals in agreement on 8-year, $112.5m deal. No options.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 10, 2026
In return for significant up-front money and cost certainty, Wetherholt commits to remaining with the Cardinals three years past the normal six-year free agency window.
Update – St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that the team has agreed to an eight-year contract extension with rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt that will keep the 2024 1st round draft choice in the organization through the 2034 season.
Wetherholt, 23, has excelled in his debut season, beginning with a thrilling Opening Day and carrying that through with All-Star worthy play as a rookie.
“Since joining the Cardinals two years ago, JJ has impressed in every aspect,” said Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. “He is a dynamic player who produces in every facet of the game, and a true professional who is consistent, prepared, and hard-working. Equally as important, he’s a great teammate who wants to win, and he represents the organization with class both at the field and away from it. We are proud of the person JJ is and the player he continues to become, and are pleased to enter into this commitment with him. JJ is a very important part of what we are building, and we look forward to winning together for many years.”
The lefty hitting Wetherholt, playing as an everyday second baseman and leadoff batter, has produced at a high level with a .267 batting average, 13 home runs, 36 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 87 games played while leading the majors with his steady defensive play where he leads all Major League second sackers in defensive bWAR (1.5), Runs Prevented (12) and Outs Above Average (16).
Wetherholt, who ranks 4th among all National League position players with his 3.9 bWAR, owns the 2nd best runs created total (63) for N.L. second basemen and he has produced 22 hits to lead off a game, the most by a Cardinals rookie since 1985 N.L. Rookie of the Year Vince Coleman collected a franchise rookie-record 44.
JJ has already hit a Cardinals rookie record four lead-off home runs this season and his 27 multi-hit games through the team’s first 92 games are 2nd only to the 32 that Albert Pujols collected in the team’s first 92 games of his 2001 rookie campaign.
Wetherholt’s 13 home runs are the most ever by a Cardinals rookie second baseman and he’s one round-tripper shy of setting the franchise rookie mark for home runs as a lead-off batter.
The Mars, PA native, and West Virginia University alum, was the 7th overall MLB Draft selection in 2024 and was named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year and the Texas League (AA) Most Valuable Player in 2025.
Just the beginning. pic.twitter.com/k44r1mnVRH
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 11, 2026
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Add Reliever Luis GastelumAmong transactions made on Wednesday, July 8, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted Luis Gastelum to the majors for the first time.
Cardinals Adjust Rosters for Twin-Bill Pitching DepthHeading into Tuesday’s doubleheader with first place Milwaukee, the St. Louis Cardinals added two innings-eaters from Triple-A. Other moves followed across the system.
photo: Brayden Smith (Palm Beach Cardinals)
The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during June is Palm Beach infielder/outfielder Brayden Smith, who edged out 11 other finalists. Smith led in wRC+, was second in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases and fourth in OPS.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during June across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of runners-up, a.k.a. finalists, are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 52 hitters in the system qualified. There were more strong contenders than usual, with 12 separating themselves with an OPS above .950, including four over 1.000 and four others over 1.100.
In a bit of a surprise, our June selection is Palm Beach infielder/outfielder Brayden Smith.
Demographics
Triple-A Memphis led the finalist list with three, while Double-A Springfield received two finalists from High-A Peoria during the month, doubling their total. Low-A Palm Beach and the Dominican Summer League Cards were represented by two each, with one finalist from the rookie level Florida Complex League.
The finalist position mix is made up of five infielders, three catchers, two outfielders and two infielder/outfielders.
Reminder
Please remember, this is NOT the “Player of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here, either.
We will take two views of the data. The first look will be basic stats, followed by rate stats. Names are listed in the first table in descending OPS order and in the second, by wRC+, Weighted Runs Created Plus.
Basic stats
| June hitter | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Miguel Hernández | FCL | 18 | 73 | 55 | 18 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0.327 | 0.493 | 0.655 | 1.148 |
| Bligh Madris | Mem | 22 | 88 | 71 | 20 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0.310 | 0.443 | 0.704 | 1.147 |
| Sebastian Rojas | DSL | 17 | 79 | 65 | 17 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0.385 | 0.456 | 0.677 | 1.133 |
| Brayden Smith | PB | 20 | 87 | 73 | 16 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 0.370 | 0.460 | 0.658 | 1.117 |
| Tre Richardson III | Peo/Spr | 20 | 83 | 69 | 23 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0.304 | 0.422 | 0.667 | 1.088 |
| Jesús Báez | Peo/Spr | 17 | 74 | 65 | 16 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0.323 | 0.378 | 0.708 | 1.086 |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Spr | 21 | 96 | 80 | 22 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0.338 | 0.448 | 0.575 | 1.023 |
| Luis Estrella | DSL | 18 | 83 | 69 | 17 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 10 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.434 | 0.580 | 1.013 |
| Joshua Báez | Mem | 23 | 103 | 93 | 20 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 4 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0.290 | 0.320 | 0.677 | 0.998 |
| Ryan Campos | Spr | 20 | 87 | 73 | 16 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0.342 | 0.437 | 0.562 | 0.998 |
| Ryan Weingartner | PB | 22 | 97 | 84 | 21 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 12 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 0.298 | 0.381 | 0.583 | 0.965 |
| César Prieto | Mem | 20 | 86 | 70 | 14 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0.343 | 0.430 | 0.529 | 0.959 |
In OPS, 18-year-old Miguel Hernandez almost doubled his very meager May output in an outstanding June. In his second month in the US, the infielder edged 30-year-old Bligh Madris of Memphis, 1.148 to 1.147.
The extra-base hit leaders both came from Triple-A where Joshua Baez led Madris, 16 to 14. In fact, June was Baez’ second consecutive month with 16 XBH.
A new name to watch, 17-year-old DSL catcher Sebastian Rojas, was tops across the entire Cardinals system in doubles (10).
Baez was first in June home runs, again his second straight month of leadership with 10 long balls. Impressive! Next were Madris and another up-and-comer, Palm Beach infielder Ryan Weingartner, at seven apiece.
In slugging, another player coming into his own, infielder Jesus Baez, led the system at .708 and earned a promotion from Peoria to Springfield in the process. Next was Madris at an also strong .704, good enough to lead the organization for most months.
Ten of the 12 finalists hit over .300 in June with Rojas standing highest at .385. Next was Palm Beach infielder/outfielder Brayden Smith at .370.
Nine of the 12 posted an OBP over .400 or better with Joshua Baez (.320) far, far below the others. Hernandez was the leader at .493, with Smith next at .460.
The .300/.400/.500 line was not a high bar in June, with all but three finalists exceeding that target. Joshua Baez and Weingartner missed due to BA and OBP and Jesus Baez fell short in OBP. All 12 slugged over .500.
Only one of the finalists had more walks than strikeouts. Memphis infielder Cesar Prieto at 11-to-10 is a regular in the category, though Hernandez at 16-to-17 was also close.
Baez led the system in June RBIs with 27 (in just 23 games). Jesus Baez and DSL outfielder Luis Estrella are the only others in the organization with more than 20, having driven in 21 each.
Another player who moved up to Springfield from Peoria during the month, infielder/outfielder Tre Richardson, stole a perfect 15 bases in 15 attempts. Smith was second among finalists and tied for third in the system with 10 steals (in 12 tries).
Advanced stats
| June hitter | Tm | Age | PA | BB% | K% | BB/K | ISO | BABIP | wRC+ |
| Brayden Smith | PB | 22 | 87 | 12.6% | 19.5% | 0.6 | 0.288 | 0.423 | 193 |
| Bligh Madris | Mem | 30 | 88 | 18.2% | 22.7% | 0.8 | 0.394 | 0.341 | 188 |
| Miguel Hernández | FCL | 18 | 73 | 21.9% | 23.3% | 0.9 | 0.327 | 0.412 | 175 |
| Tre Richardson III | Peo/Spr | 24 | 83 | 15.7% | 25.3% | 0.6 | 0.362 | 0.341 | 167 |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Spr | 19 | 96 | 14.6% | 20.8% | 0.7 | 0.238 | 0.400 | 164 |
| Jesús Báez | Peo/Spr | 21 | 74 | 6.8% | 18.9% | 0.4 | 0.385 | 0.304 | 159 |
| Sebastian Rojas | DSL | 17 | 79 | 10.1% | 12.7% | 0.8 | 0.292 | 0.400 | 157 |
| Ryan Campos | Spr | 23 | 87 | 12.6% | 21.8% | 0.6 | 0.219 | 0.412 | 157 |
| Ryan Weingartner | PB | 21 | 97 | 12.4% | 19.6% | 0.6 | 0.286 | 0.305 | 152 |
| César Prieto | Mem | 27 | 86 | 12.8% | 11.6% | 1.1 | 0.186 | 0.361 | 141 |
| Joshua Báez | Mem | 23 | 103 | 3.9% | 26.2% | 0.1 | 0.387 | 0.283 | 139 |
| Luis Estrella | DSL | 17 | 83 | 12.0% | 27.7% | 0.4 | 0.246 | 0.429 | 136 |
Four finalists are still teenagers. At 17 years old, DSL players Estrella and Rojas are our youngest finalists. Next is Hernandez at 18 and Double-A catcher Rainiel Rodriguez at 19.
At 30, Madris is the other bookend as our oldest finalist with Prieto next at 27.
Good fortune in the guise of a very high BABIP (.400 or better) benefited half of our finalists. Exceptionally high were Estrella (.429), Smith (.423) and Hernandez and Springfield catcher Ryan Campos (.412 each). At a normal .304/.305 were Jesus Baez and Weingartner with Joshua Baez a tad unlucky at .283.
Hernandez (21.9%), followed by Madris (18.2%), stood highest among the finalists in walk rate.
On the less positive side, two finalists, both Baezes, posted a June walk rate under 10%. Joshua was lowest at 3.9% with Jesus at 6.8%.
Toughest to strike out was Prieto at 11.6%, followed by Rojas (12.7%).
At the high end of the K spectrum, Estrella fanned at a 27.2% rate, with Joshua Baez next at 26.2% and Richardson at 25.3%.
In Isolated Power, ISO, Madris was first at .394, with the Baez boys right behind. Joshua’s ISO was .387 and Jesus’ was .385.
In weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), Smith was clearly on top at 193 with Madris next at 188. While others had good marks, their wRC+s dropped off from there.
In summary, Smith led in wRC+, was second in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases and fourth in OPS. This was not a slam dunk decision, as other finalists also had statistical advantages.
The most significant concern is probably Smith’s very high BABIP, but he was not alone in that concern. Perhaps he won’t be able to repeat with a more reasonable BABIP, but his June results speak for themselves.
Brayden Smith receives the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s May Player of the Month.
About the winner
On April 6, 2026, St. Louis dealt 30-year-old lefty Nick Raquet, who had been designated for assignment, to the Baltimore Orioles for High-A corner outfielder/second baseman Smith.
Smith, 22, had been selected by the O’s in the 13th round of the 2025 draft after one season with Oklahoma State. Prior to that, he played for Iowa Western Community College.
As a professional in limited action at Low-A in 2025 and one game at High-A in 2026, the left-handed hitter was 11-for-58 (.190) with 19 strikeouts and 13 walks.
Interestingly, rather than keep Smith at High-A, the Cardinals assigned him to Low-A Palm Beach.
That may have been a good plan, as at the end of May, Smith was sitting right on the Mendoza Line, batting .200 (28-for-140). Just seven of those hits went for extra bases.
Then came June and the tremendous breakout detailed above by Smith, including Florida State League Player of the Week honors for the period of June 23-29.
By the time the 2026 draft class reports later this month and many position players are activated at Palm Beach, Smith seems a good candidate to move up to Peoria.
How did May’s winners do in June?
Then-Peoria outfielder Won-Bin Cho was the May Player of the Month according both The Cardinal Nation and the Cardinals organization. On June 23, the 22-year-old was promoted to Double-A Springfield.
In the Texas League, Cho quickly discovered his power translated to the higher level, with four home runs and 10 RBI in his first seven games. He also has two singles and three walks for an early Double-A line of .240/.321/.720/1.041.
Related article
The Cardinal Nation’s June 2026 Pitcher of the Month – Luis Gastelum
What is next?
The Cardinals organization should name their own selections of May Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Luis Gastelum (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
With the lowest ERA, FIP and WHIP, third highest strikeout rate, third lowest walk rate plus second highest strikeout to walk percentage among 11 finalists, Memphis RHR Luis Gastelum compiled the top overall pitching performance in the St. Louis Cardinals system in June.
It is time to select The Cardinal Nation’s June Pitcher of the Month. This article covers hurlers in all roles across every level of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.
As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not the major factors here.
Guidelines
To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during June. 56 of 108 active pitchers made the first cut. To reach the list of 11 finalists, an ERA below 2.50 was required. This group consists of four starters and seven relievers.
Five finalists, all relievers, allowed no more than one earned run all month resulting in ERAs under 1.00. But one stands alone with a perfect ERA of 0.00. Two others, both starters, had strong ERAs between 1.29 and 1.35. But as always, there is more to our process than just selecting the pitcher with the lowest ERA.
The finalists represent five of the six levels in the system with the only exception being the rookie ball Florida Complex League. Memphis leads the pack with three finalists, with the other four clubs featuring two finalists each. The two-finalist teams include the Dominican Summer League Cards.
Counting Stats
In this first table, the finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.
| June pitchers | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
| Luis Gastelum | Mem | 1 | 0.00 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 12.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0.65 | |
| Scott Blewett | Mem | 0.75 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 1.58 | ||
| Dylan Driessen | PB | 0.82 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 1.46 | ||
| Nelfy Ynfante | Spr/PB | 1 | 1 | 0.82 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1.00 | |
| Juan Santillán | DSL | 1 | 0.84 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 0.84 | |
| Nate Dohm | Peo | 1 | 1.29 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 1.29 | ||
| Cade Crossland | PB | 2 | 1 | 1.35 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 31 | 1.25 | |
| Beiker Rodríguez | DSL | 5 | 1.69 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1.19 | ||
| Bobby Olsen | Peo | 2 | 1.74 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0.97 | |
| Quinn Mathews | Mem | 3 | 2.05 | 5 | 5 | 26.1 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 31 | 0.80 | ||
| Mason Molina | Spr | 2 | 2.45 | 5 | 5 | 29.1 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 0.89 |
Working in relief for Memphis, Luis Gastelum is dominating International League hitters and his teammate Scott Blewett also had an impressive month. While being more hittable than Gastelum, Blewitt was the only other qualifying pitcher in the system with an ERA under 1.00.
Three pitchers, all starters, tied with a finalist-high 31 strikeouts (and the overall system lead as well). That Cade Crossland accomplished this in just 20 innings (compared to 26 1/3 for Quinn Mathews and 29 1/3 by Mason Molina) really catches one’s eye. However, Crossland’s 18 walks tied for the most in the organization during June.
Palm Beach reliever Dylan Driessen’s 0.82 ERA is his second straight month under 1.00, tied in June by Nelfy Ynfante, who accomplished this pitching up two levels. The latter has since been returned to Palm Beach from Springfield.
Juan Santillan crafted a 0.84 ERA in June as the DSL season was in full swing.
Among starters, Peoria piggybacker Nate Dohm had a major turnaround at 1.29 after a couple of rough months, and despite the walks, Crossland came in at a strong 1.35.
The DSL’s Beiker Rodriguez at 1.69 and Peoria’s Bobby Olsen at 1.74 also completed the month with ERAs under 2.00.
The final two finalists had ERAs over 2.00, but they carried a full starters’ workload. They are Mathews and Molina, with the latter having just earned a promotion to join the former in Memphis’ rotation.
Molina joins Driessen as the only repeat finalists from May.
Almost half the finalists, five, logged June WHIPs under 1.00, led by Gastelum at 0.65. The others are Mathews, Santillan, Molina and Olsen.
Advanced stats
Here are additional statistics from the 11 finalists in ascending FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) sequence.
| June pitchers | Age | IP | K/BB | K% | BB% | K-BB% | BAA | BABIP | WHIP | ERA | FIP |
| Luis Gastelum | 24 | 12.1 | 5.3 | 35.6% | 6.7% | 28.9% | 0.122 | 0.200 | 0.65 | 0.00 | 1.95 |
| Scott Blewett | 30 | 12 | 3.2 | 29.1% | 9.1% | 20.0% | 0.280 | 0.452 | 1.58 | 0.75 | 2.15 |
| Bobby Olsen | 24 | 10.1 | 5.3 | 39.0% | 7.3% | 31.7% | 0.184 | 0.286 | 0.97 | 1.74 | 2.95 |
| Dylan Driessen | 21 | 11 | 1.8 | 29.2% | 16.7% | 12.5% | 0.200 | 0.308 | 1.46 | 0.82 | 3.37 |
| Beiker Rodríguez | 19 | 16 | 4.0 | 17.4% | 4.3% | 13.1% | 0.242 | 0.296 | 1.19 | 1.69 | 3.55 |
| Mason Molina | 22 | 29.1 | 6.2 | 27.0% | 4.3% | 22.7% | 0.196 | 0.247 | 0.89 | 2.45 | 3.67 |
| Cade Crossland | 22 | 20 | 1.7 | 37.8% | 22.0% | 15.8% | 0.109 | 0.188 | 1.25 | 1.35 | 3.98 |
| Nate Dohm | 23 | 14 | 2.0 | 23.7% | 11.9% | 11.8% | 0.216 | 0.278 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 4.56 |
| Nelfy Ynfante | 21 | 11 | 1.5 | 18.8% | 12.5% | 6.3% | 0.119 | 0.125 | 1.00 | 0.82 | 4.88 |
| Quinn Mathews | 25 | 26.1 | 2.4 | 31.6% | 13.3% | 18.3% | 0.096 | 0.085 | 0.80 | 2.05 | 4.90 |
| Juan Santillán | 19 | 10.2 | 2.2 | 25.0% | 11.4% | 13.6% | 0.108 | 0.120 | 0.84 | 0.84 | 5.62 |
Olsen (39.0%) topped Crossland (37.8%) and Gastelum (35.6%) with exceptional June strikeout rates. At the other end of the strikeout spectrum are Rodriguez (17.4%) and Ynfante (18.8%).
The stingiest finalists in issuing walks are Molina and Rodriguez, both at 4.3%, followed by Gastelum at 6.7%. Below Crossland at 22%, five other finalists issued free passes at a 10% rate or higher.
It is impossible to ignore Molina’s leading strikeout to walk ratio of 6.2, though Gastelum and Olsen at 5.3 are right behind. What makes that the most amazing to me is that Molina’s May mark of 1.6 was the absolute worst among finalists just one month ago.
This month, bringing up the K:BB ratio rear are Ynfante, Crossland and Driessen, all under 2.0.
Subtracting BB percentage from K percentage can be even more telling. Standing far among the others are Olsen (31.7%) and Gastelum (28.9%). Ynfante (6.4%) was deep in the cellar in this measure.
Mathews (.096) is the only finalist to hold opposing hitters to a collective batting average under .100, with Santillan, Crossland, Ynfante and Gastelum at .122 of lower. International League hitters batted a collective .280 against Blewett’s offerings.
In Blewett’s defense, he was by far the unluckiest finalist in BABIP (batting average on balls in play) at .452. At the other end were unsustainable low BABIPs below .200 by Santillan, Ynfante and Crossland, but especially Mathews at just .085!
FIP or fielding independent pitching puts these June results into perspective. Every finalist has a FIP over more than one run per nine innings higher than his ERA and many are two or three runs higher.
However, the top two finalists in ERA are also the top two finalists in FIP – Gastelum and Blewett. Further, Gastelum is the only finalist with a sub-2.00 ERA and a sub-2.00 FIP.
Considering all results, Gastelum is our selection of The Cardinal Nation’s June Pitcher of the Month.
Gastelum logged the lowest ERA, FIP and WHIP, third highest strikeout rate, third lowest walk rate plus second highest strikeout to walk percentage among the 11 finalists.
About the winner
Gastelum, 24, is hardly unknown to Cardinals fans, having been named our system-wide Relief Pitcher of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.
Now, the right-hander from Mexico is knocking on the door to the majors. In fact, Gastelum has been hot longer than just during the month of June. Since May 17, he has not allowed a run, earned or unearned, a current streak that includes 16 appearances over 20 1/3 innings. Gastelum struck out 27 against five walks and eight hits.
This season, the change up specialist has worked in a setup role, retiring 25 of 33 first batters faced, stranding 15 of 17 inherited runners and showing no split bias whatsoever (.175 BA vs. lefties and .179 vs. righties).
For the season, Gastelum leads Memphis in wins (7) and ERA (2.45).
He is throwing his four-season fastball a third of the time in 2026 and his ability to make it a dependable big-league offering could go a long way in determining his ceiling.
Gastelum is currently The Cardinal Nation’s 26th ranked prospect.
How last month’s winners fared
The St. Louis Cardinals selected reliever Max Rajcic as their May Pitcher of the Month across the system, whereas our choice was Jacob Odle. The latter had dominated at Low-A Palm Beach for the first two months of the season, and on May 26, the 22-year-old right-hander received a well-deserved promotion to Peoria.
Since joining the Chiefs, Odle made five starts with a 4.09 ERA. His batting average against is a solid .197, but 16 walks and five home runs in 22 innings have worked against him in his early going at the High-A level.
Rajcic had a rough start to the month of June with Memphis, charged with six earned runs in six innings. However, that apparently didn’t matter. On June 18, the 24-year-old received the call to St. Louis. He has since allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings in his first big-league-stint, which is continuing.
What is next?
Next up, look for The Cardinal Nation’s June Player of the Month article, the companion to this one.
The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections as June Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Peoria Chiefs Notebook – 2026 Week 13The High-A Peoria Chiefs went 3-3 at Beloit before closing June at home with a close loss to first-place Wisconsin. In the Beloit series, Chiefs starting pitchers posted a strong 2.41 ERA, led by the pairing of Nate Dohm and Ty Van Dyke.
Baker’s Dozen Moves for the New Week Across the Cardinals SystemOn Tuesday, June 30, the St. Louis Cardinals announced 13 player transactions, affecting all six US-based team rosters.
