St. Louis Needs Drive Numerous Downstream Roster ChangesBetween backfilling numerous recent injuries with the major league squad and the September 1 MLB roster expansion, Triple-A Memphis was down to 22 active players. So, the organization executed eight corresponding moves on Tuesday.
photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)
The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during August is Rainiel Rodriguez, who topped seven other finalists. The Springfield catcher led in hits, doubles, home runs (tied), batting average, slugging, OPS, lowest strikeout rate, isolated power and wRC+.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month, our final one for 2026. Considered were offensive results during August across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of seven runners-up are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 41 hitters in the system qualified. Eight are separated with an OPS above .900, including four over 1.000, but only one over 1.200.
Our clear August winner is Springfield catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, who doubles the system’s top prospect.
Demographics
All four full-season levels in the system are represented this month. Double-A Springfield dominated the finalist list with four while Triple-A Memphis had two. Peoria and Palm Beach placed one each.
The finalist position mix is made up of four infielders, two outfielders and two catchers.
Ages range from a 26-year-old (Nolan Gorman) to two teens, one 18 (Sebastian Dos Santos) and one 19 (Rodriguez).
Returning finalists from July are Colton Ledbetter, Jesus Baez and Rodriguez. In a true measure of all-summer consistency, the latter two were also finalists in June.
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
| August hitter | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Springfield | 21 | 100 | 89 | 21 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0.393 | 0.440 | 0.809 | 1.249 |
| Jesús Báez | Springfield | 21 | 96 | 86 | 19 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 27 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0.337 | 0.375 | 0.698 | 1.073 |
| Tai Peete | Peoria/Sgf | 20 | 95 | 87 | 25 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 8 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 0.356 | 0.411 | 0.598 | 1.008 |
| Sammy Hernandez | Peoria | 20 | 84 | 66 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 0.288 | 0.429 | 0.576 | 1.004 |
| Sebastian Dos Santos | Palm Beach | 19 | 80 | 58 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0.276 | 0.450 | 0.534 | 0.984 |
| Colton Ledbetter | Memphis | 21 | 86 | 76 | 18 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 0.329 | 0.395 | 0.566 | 0.961 |
| Tre Richardson III | Springfield | 20 | 81 | 68 | 18 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0.309 | 0.420 | 0.515 | 0.934 |
| Nolan Gorman | Memphis | 17 | 75 | 63 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0.222 | 0.347 | 0.556 | 0.902 |
In the primary sort of OPS, at 1.249, Rodriguez is a whopping 176 points above the next closest finalist. We could stop right here, but we need to recognize other strong performances last month, too.
Next closest in OPS at a very strong 1.073 is Rodriguez’ Springfield teammate, infielder Jesus Baez. The two make quite a formidable power tandem for the Double-A club.
The next group, also above 1.000, is made up of another Double-A hitter, outfielder Tai Peete (1.008), who was promoted to Springfield on August 4, and his former teammate, Peoria catcher Sammy Hernandez (1.004).
Dos Santos, Ledbetter, Springfield infielder Tre Richardson III and then-Memphis third baseman Gorman round out the finalist list, all with OPSs between .900 and 1.000.
Rodriguez was not only the clear extra-base hit leader at 21, it doubled almost every other finalist except Baez (13) and Peete (11). Same with Rodriguez’ 10 doubles as no one else in the system had more than eight. Peete tied for the organization lead in three-base hits with two. Teammates Rodriguez and Baez each swatted a system-best nine long balls with Gorman at seven the only other farmhand with more than five.
Special recognition goes to catcher Hernandez, who led finalists with nine steals, but that was second in the system to Memphis’ Victor Scott’s 13.
In slugging, Rodriguez finished well in the lead at .809. To underline how exceptional that is, only one other hitter in the organization finished above .600 in SLG, Baez at .698.
Five of the eight finalists hit .300 or better for the month with Rodriguez standing highest at .393. Next was Peete at .357. Gorman batted just .222 in August, yet he was still promoted to St. Louis near the end of the month.
In his first full month in A-ball, Dos Santos edged Rodriguez for the OBP lead, .450 to .440. Not surprisingly, Gorman brought up the rear, though walks contributed heavily to his decent .347 OBP.
The .300/.400/.500 line was exceeded by only three – Rodriguez, Peete and the underrated Richardson.
One finalist had more walks than strikeouts, with Hernandez at 18 vs. 16. Dos Santos was also exceptional at 18 each.
Baez led in RBIs with 27. No one else in the entire system had more than 19 except Rodriguez with 22.
Advanced stats
The following table is oriented by wRC+, from high to low.
| August hitter | Tm | Age | PA | BB% | K% | BB/K | ISO | BABIP | wRC+ |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | Springfield | 19 | 100 | 6.0% | 12.0% | 0.50 | 0.416 | 0.371 | 204 |
| Sebastian Dos Santos | Palm Beach | 18 | 80 | 22.5% | 22.5% | 1.00 | 0.259 | 0.316 | 160 |
| Jesús Báez | Springfield | 21 | 96 | 5.2% | 13.5% | 0.38 | 0.360 | 0.299 | 159 |
| Tai Peete | Peoria/Sgf | 20 | 95 | 8.4% | 21.1% | 0.40 | 0.241 | 0.429 | 155 |
| Sammy Hernandez | Peoria | 22 | 84 | 19.0% | 16.7% | 1.14 | 0.288 | 0.292 | 153 |
| Colton Ledbetter | Memphis | 24 | 86 | 10.5% | 24.4% | 0.43 | 0.237 | 0.404 | 146 |
| Tre Richardson III | Springfield | 24 | 81 | 14.8% | 23.5% | 0.63 | 0.206 | 0.391 | 143 |
| Nolan Gorman | Memphis | 26 | 75 | 14.7% | 37.3% | 0.39 | 0.333 | 0.250 | 128 |
As we get into these additional stats, we see that good fortune in the guise of an exceptionally high BABIP (.400 or better) significantly benefited three of our finalists. Peete was at .429, followed by Ledbetter at .404. Next was Richardson at .391.
Standing out like a sore thumb at the other end was Gorman’s somewhat unlucky .250 August BABIP. This partially explains his terrible batting average. It didn’t hurt his slugging, though it is interesting to note that Gorman had no doubles during the month. Homers or bust!
The walk rates of Dos Santos (22.5%) and Hernandez (19.0%) were admirable. As such, it was not surprising that the two also stood tallest in walk-to-strikeout ratio at 1.14 and 1.10, respectively.
On the less positive side, three finalists posted walk rates of under 10%. Baez, Hernandez and Peete brought up the rear at 5.2%, 6.0% and 8.4%, respectively.
Then again, the toughest to strike out was Rodriguez at 12.0%, followed by Baez (13.5%).
At the high end of the K spectrum, Gorman was in his own world with a 37.3% K rate. That he still managed to place among the finalists is surprising. Next was his Memphis teammate Ledbetter at 24.4%.
Baez, Gorman and Peete brought up the rear in BB/K ratio, with all three in the .38 to .40 range. Ledbetter was close at .43.
In Isolated Power, ISO, the top three should not be surprising. Rodriguez was the highest by far at .416. Significantly behind but still very good are Baez (.360) and Gorman (.333).
In the all-encompassing weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measure, Rodriguez stood alone on top (204) with a huge gap to Dos Santos (160) and Baez (159). Still, the latter two had good enough results to win in many months. Rodriguez was just that much better than everyone else.
About the winner
The meteoric success story of the Cardinals’ number one prospect and Top 30 prospect across MLB is already well-known.
In August, Rodriguez led in hits, doubles, home runs (tied), batting average, slugging, OPS, lowest strikeout rate, isolated power and wRC+. In some cases, the catcher’s lead over the second-best finalist was significant. Oh yes, Rodriguez was also second in the system in RBI and OBP.
During August, the catcher from the Dominican Republic was twice named the Texas League Player of the Month. For the season, Rodriguez leads the Double-A circuit in batting average and OPS at 19 years of age. He is the second youngest everyday player in the TL.
What more is there to say?
Springfield’s Rainiel Rodriguez deserves the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s August Player of the Month.
Ironically, the then-18-year-old received our same recognition in August 2025. In fact, this is Rodriguez’ fourth TCN Player of the Month selection in barely two years as a professional. The others were in May 2025 and June 2024 (his first month as a professional). All four were earned at different levels in the system, with the reminder that Rodriguez has excelled while always being younger than his peers.
Talk about consistent success!
How did July’s winners perform in August?
The Cardinal Nation’s choice as July Player of the Month was Springfield’s Jack Gurevitch. The Cardinals organization split their honor between Gurevitch and Memphis catcher Leonardo Bernal.
Though neither was an August finalist, they continued to perform well. After an early month slump, Gurevitch finished with a .759 OPS. Bernal came in right behind at .748, and most notably, received his first-ever promotion to the majors to open September.
What is next?
Next up, look for The Cardinal Nation’s August Pitcher of the Month article, the companion to this one.
Also, the Cardinals organization should name their own selections of August Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Now 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
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The final copies of the printed book are on closeout for 20% off.
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Change Roster Expansion Approach in 2026Two first-time MLB players as the rumored additions to the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster on Tuesday, September 1 are very different from how roster expansion was handled in recent years.
This year, eight St. Louis Cardinals prospects will be a part of the Arizona Fall League’s Peoria Javelinas. Team assignments and schedules have been announced with player rosters to come.
The Arizona Fall League has released its 2026 schedule for each of its six teams as well as organizational assignments, some of which rotate annually. This year, St. Louis Cardinals prospects will be a part of the Peoria Javelinas.
Other organizations staffing the Peoria roster are the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds. Home games are played at Peoria Sports Complex, the spring home of the Mariners and Padres.
Here are all the AFL team assignments:
Get to know the teams behind the logo. Here are your 2026 Arizona Fall League team assignments! pic.twitter.com/L2nienz2u2
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) August 24, 2026
League play begins on Saturday, October 3rd, as Peoria hosts Mesa, and the schedule runs through November 11. Most weeks, there will be no contests on Sundays with other scattered days off. There are three league games most other days, with one or two day games and two or one night games. All action will be streamed via the league website.
The Fall Stars Game, pitting National vs. American Leaguers, will be played on Sunday night November 8th. The Home Run Derby will be held the previous evening, on Saturday, November 7th. Both will be held at Salt River Fields.
The new playoff format introduced in 2025 continues. All six AFL teams participate. The top two seeds receive a first-round bye as the other four squads face off in two single-game elimination games on Thursday, November 12. The two Thursday winners will play the top two seeds in Friday’s Semifinals with the Championship Game on Saturday, November 14. The latter two contests will be held at Peoria Sports Complex. The finals will be viewable on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB App.
The Javelinas’ schedule is here:
Rosters for the clubs and coaching assignments for the AFL’s 34th season have not been released. No longer are rosters announced as early as Labor Day. In 2025, the players invited to the AFL were disclosed on September 10. So, it may be several weeks until we have those very important details.
The eight Cardinals who competed for the 2025 AFL Glendale Desert Dogs are pitchers Chen-Wei Lin, Tyler Bradt, Randel Clemente, D.J. Carpenter and Darlin Saladin, catcher Graysen Tarlow and outfielders Travis Honeyman and Miguel Ugueto.
What is next
In upcoming articles and podcasts, we will discuss candidates from both the pitching and position player populations who might be chosen to represent the Cardinals this fall.
Once play is underway in October, The Cardinal Nation will post free daily recaps of all Javelinas AFL games including box score links, as we do annually. That way, you can easily follow Cardinals prospects’ results in the desert.
As has been the case for two decades, I will be present for a week of the AFL with interviews, photos and eyewitness reports exclusively for paid members of The Cardinal Nation. Join today!
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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.
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
How Do Cardinals Farm System Rankings Compare Over Time?How does MLB’s current no. 2 farm system stack up against the St. Louis Cardinals group that was no. 1 in 2013?
Cardinals Announce Dominican Summer League Internal Player AwardsLast week, prior to the conclusion of the 2026 Dominican Summer League Cardinals season, nine internal award winners were announced at a team meeting.
Lefty Prospect Ixan Henderson’s Season is OverOn Wednesday, August 19, St. Louis Cardinals player development announced 12 player transactions. The season ends for one prospect as a former Triple-A standout returns to the organization.
Cardinals Promote Two Top 20 ProspectsHeading into the new week of action across the system, St. Louis Cardinals player development announced six player transactions on Tuesday, August 18. Top 20 prospects Yairo Padilla and Trevor Condon are among those moving up.
Risers, Fallers and Differences of Opinion on Cardinals Prospects – August 2026Highlighting those who jumped up or fell eight or more spots on The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List for August, and the key differences between individual rankings from Kyle Reis and Brian Walton.
Joshua Baez Gets “The Call”Slugging outfield prospect Joshua Baez is being promoted to St. Louis for the first time on Saturday.
The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – August 2026 DetailsBrian Walton and Kyle Reis detail which players in the St. Louis Cardinals are rising and falling in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 for August. Trade acquisitions, draft picks and incumbents alike are on the move!
photo: Tanner Franklin and Jason Isringhausen (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals player development’s choices as the top Pitcher and co-Players of the Month for July are right-hander Tanner Franklin plus infielder Jack Gurevitch and catcher Leo Bernal. The trio of winners were announced via social media on Thursday, August 13.
Our Minor League Pitcher of the Month is RHP Tanner Franklin!
Franklin, 22, posted a 2.95 ERA (6 ER/18.1 IP), 0.98 WHIP, and 24 SO while allowing only 13 H across four starts with Peoria.
The #STLCards No. 6 ranked prospect allowed one run or less in three of his four starts,… pic.twitter.com/cLTTiEi8pb
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) August 13, 2026
Gurevitch becomes just the 4th #STLCards minor league to hit 10+ HR with at least 17 XBH, 25 RBI, and a .300 average in a single month since 2005, joining Josh Phelps (July 2008), Adolis García (July 2018) & Moisés Gómez (April 2022).
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) August 13, 2026
Our co-Minor League Player of the Month is C Leo Bernal!
Bernal, 22, slashed .338/.389/.754 with 6 HR, 7 doubles, a triple and 24 RBI with a 1.143 OPS in July. He registered an extra-base hit in 12 of his 17 games played, with 8 multi-RBI games.
The switch-hitting, Panama… pic.twitter.com/N6AMNMG1I2
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) August 13, 2026
Brian Walton’s take
This the second time this season that Gurevitch shared the organization’s Player of the Month honors (also in April when he was with Palm Beach).
On August 1 and 2, The Cardinal Nation selected Memphis lefty Quinn Mathews and now-Springfield infielder Gurevitch as our July honorees.
Compare stats for the month across the four winners and other finalists in these two articles.
The Cardinal Nation’s July 2026 Pitcher of the Month – Quinn Mathews
The Cardinal Nation July 2026 Player of the Month – Jack Gurevitch
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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.
Closeout sale of remaining printed books 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 Release Last Reminder of Tyler O’Neill TradeAmong the transactions announced by the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, August 11 is the release of a pitcher who came over from Boston in the 2023 trade for Tyler O’Neill.
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!
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.
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!
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© 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.
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© 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!
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 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.
