photo: Roberto Espinoza, umpires and Astros FCL manager (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie level Jupiter-based Florida Complex League club posted its fifth consecutive losing record and fifth straight fifth place finish. The young pitchers carried the offensively challenged club, led by All-Star Nelfy Ynfante.
The year has changed but the story remains the same. The Florida Complex League Cardinals concluded 2024 in last place in the East Division. It was their fifth consecutive fifth-place finish and fifth consecutive losing record. Their win-loss total was 20-33 (.377).
The rookie-level Cards ended 2024 18 1/2 games out of first place, compared to 15 games behind in 2023 despite improving slightly from their 17-33 (.340) mark in 2023. Yet, a distant last place is still last place. Roberto Espinoza has managed the club since 2021.
The 2024 Cardinals club’s .377 winning percentage was their fourth worst in the 17 seasons since the organization rejoined the predecessor Gulf Coast League in 2007. Only the 2023 team, the 2019 club (.370) and the 2008 team (.309) lost with more regularity.
This summer’s Cards logged a .500 record at home (13-13) but especially struggled away (7-20, .259). Not surprisingly, they had a particularly difficult time facing opponents with winning records, going just 3-11 (.214), but the Cardinals did not have a positive record against losing teams, either, with a 17-22 (.436) mark.
In 2024, the planned 56-game schedule ran a month earlier than in past years. Opening Day was on May 4 and concluded on July 25, with three games canceled along the way.
The makeup of the FCL roster has changed in recent years and even more so in 2024 because the players drafted this July were not ready to play by the time the season ended. The FCL has become mostly a feeder from the Dominican academy and secondarily, a place for rehabbers to work up to speed in a lower-pressure environment.
The season began ok as the Cardinals were 10-11 in May. From there, it went downhill rapidly, as it took them two full months to win their next 10 games. June was especially rough at 5-13 before they concluded the schedule in July with a 5-9 mark. For the season, the Cards were 2-2 in extra innings, but a terrible 3-14 (.176) in one-run decisions.
The Cardinals logged only two winning weeks all season – their first (4-2) and their last (2-1). They were especially dominated by the first-place Marlins, losing 10 of 12 to the Fish.
As has been customary for the FCL Cardinals over time, pitching was the 2024 team’s relative strength with offense far below league average, with one item of evidence their run differential of -12 for the season (243 scored vs. 255 allowed).
Offense
The Cards were the third oldest offense in the 15-team FCL at an average age of 19.8 years. In comparison, the league offenses ranged from 18.6 to 20.0 years old, averaging 19.3 years of age.
The additional age of the hitters did not seem to help. Statistically, the performance of the 2024 Cardinals offense, coached by Erick Almonte, was dismal.
The Cardinals were 10th of 15 FCL teams in runs scored (243). They were 14th in batting average (.211), last on-base percentage (.314), 12th in slugging (.325) and 12th in OPS (.638). The FCL Cards were 14th with 59 doubles but tied for fourth with 35 home runs. They were 10th with 82 steals and caught 21 times for a decent success rate of 79.6%.
Strikeouts were a major, major problem for Cardinals hitters as they were punched out 587 times, the most in the league by a whopping 52 Ks. They just as bad at taking walks with 207, fewest in the FCL.
Pitching
At an average of 20.5 years of age, Cardinals pitching was sixth youngest in the FCL. The 15 teams ranged from the youngest at 19.7 to the oldest at 21.7. The league average pitcher was 20.7 years old.
Even with their youth, the FCL Cardinals staff were considerably more successful than their hitting teammates. The 4.16 team ERA ranked third, substantially lower than the league average of 4.61. (This draws even more attention to the futility of the offense.)
Led by pitching coach Dernier Orozco, Cardinals hurlers were fourth in strikeouts (510) and also issued the fourth fewest walks (235). With 26 long balls allowed, the Cardinals tied for eighth. Their pitchers totaled just 38 hit batters, fifth fewest, and their 59 wild pitches tied three staffs for third fewest in the league.
The starters were about average – seventh with an ERA of 4.33 and fifth in WHIP at 1.38, but their batting average against at .247 was the fifth highest in the league. Partially because they don’t often go five innings (averaging fewer than 3 2/3 innings per start), FCL Cardinals starters won just four games all season (against 18 losses).
The bullpen ERA of 4.10 was fifth lowest and their WHIP was sixth at 1.49. Cards relievers issued the ninth most free passes (153) and struck out the sixth most (206). They yielded a batting average against of .235, which was sixth lowest among FCL bullpens. The overall record of the relief staff in 2024 was 16-15.
Defense
The 2024 Cardinals defense was the among the league’s worst – at least in terms of errors (95, second most) and with a collective .949 fielding percentage (second to last). On a more positive note, the catchers were fourth best in the FCL with a 31% caught stealing rate (37 of 120).
Large but static roster
With a roster that was usually full at 35 players in number, Espinoza had to be challenged by getting everyone regular action. At least, the roster was fairly static. Just 42 different individuals took the field for the 2024 FCL Cardinals – 20 position players and 22 pitchers. (One of the latter was Memphis rehabber Packy Naughton.)
As extended spring training concluded, nine players were formally promoted from the 2023 DSL to the 2024 FCL. They are Ps Juan Severino, Nelfy Ynfante, Ronny Oliver, Yordy Herrera, Jovi Galvez and Yadiel Batista, C Heriberto Caraballo, SS Arfeni Batista and OF Yordalin Peña.
Key transactions
Pitchers Jacob Odle and Bruno Lopez spent the season on the 60-day IL as did hurler Christian Worley (7-day IL). After throwing just five relief innings, Miguel Martinez was moved to the full season injured list.
As is often the case, some FCL players were brought up to Low-A Palm Beach to fill gaps, and reverse (downward) transactions also occurred.
In May, RHPs Luis Gastelum, Hunter Hayes and Hunter Kublick were among those moved up to Palm Beach. Catcher Chris Lopez was a rare in-season promotion from the DSL. RHP Randel Clemente and infielder Anyelo Encarnacion were demoted.
In June, outfielder Luis Piño was returned to the FCL from Palm Beach and outfielder Travis Honeyman and Encarnacion moved up. Former catcher turned pitcher Roblin Heredia was released.
Outfielder Jose Suarez earned a promotion to the Beach Birds in July and stepped right into the Low-A lineup. Also moving up were pitchers Clemente and Leonel Sequera. In August, while Palm Beach was still playing, Ynfante and Caraballo joined them from the FCL roster.
Once the FCL season was over, the Cardinals began to make roster room for the players coming off the 60-day as well as for the 2024 signing class by releasing 11 players over a several week period. They are RHPs Omar Yanez, Victor Villanueva, Wilmer Ortega, Alexander Beltre and Ettore Giulianelli plus catchers Justin Guerrero and Luis A. Rodriguez, first baseman/outfielder Miguel Vargas, second baseman Samil De La Rosa, third baseman Raul Guzman and outfielder Felix Taveras.
Correspondingly, nine members of the Cardinals 2024 draft class joined the FCL roster, but they are all pitchers who were not activated.
At the other end of the pipeline, some of the best performing 2024 DSL Cardinals will move up in the spring to eventually play for the 2025 Florida Complex League Cards. Those moves began early, as in late August/early September, top DSL hurler Keiverson Ramirez and DSL All-Star catcher Rainiel Rodriguez were reassigned to the FCL.
All-Star selection
The Cardinals had one 2024 post-season FCL All-Star, pitcher Nelfy Ynfante, their first cross-league honoree since 2021.
Ynfante, 19, made 11 starts and two relief appearances in his first year in the FCL after two DSL seasons. In 2024, the 6-foot-3, 168-pounder posted a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA. In 52 innings, the native of the Dominican Republic struck out 62 against 17 walks.
Among league qualifiers, Ynfante was third in ERA and first in strikeouts. As noted above, he finished the season in the Palm Beach bullpen.
What is next?
Much more detail on the FCL Cardinals’ top hitters, relievers and starting pitchers is coming as we select the best of the best in upcoming articles in this series.
Check out The Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results and top hitters and pitchers across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The Palm Beach Cardinals Team Review is next up.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
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Cardinals Release Five from Triple-A Memphis
This week, the Arizona Fall League released its 2024 schedule for each of the six AFL teams as well as organizational assignments, which rotate annually. In 2024, St. Louis Cardinals prospects will be a part of the Glendale Desert Dogs.
League play begins on October 7th, with the Desert Dogs’ opener the next afternoon. For the first time in my memory, selected games will be played on Sundays. There will also be some contests on Mondays, so there will be no days this year in which no games are played, though every club is off at least one day per week.
Now available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide 
At the time the owners agreed to the Players Association’s request for a 26th active player during the season to continue beyond the unique COVID circumstances of 2020, the September roster maximum was slashed from the theoretical 40 to a hard limit of 28.