All posts by Brian Walton

Brian Walton runs The Cardinal Nation, covering the St. Louis Cardinals and minor league system.

The Cardinal Nation’s April 2025 Pitcher of the Month – Brandt Thompson

photo: Brandt Thompson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Opening his professional career with a bang, Palm Beach right-handed starter Brandt Thompson put together the top overall pitching performance in the St. Louis Cardinals system in April, in our view.

It is time to select The Cardinal Nation’s first Pitcher of the Month for 2025. This article covers pitchers across all levels of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system during April.

As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher 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.

Guidelines and demographics

To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during April. 42 of 72 total pitchers made the first cut. To reach the list of nine finalists, an ERA below 2.00 was required. The group consists of three starters and six relievers.

One did not allow an earned run all month and two others had ERA’s below 1.00.  But as you will see below, there is more to our process than just selecting the pitcher with the lowest ERA.

The finalists represent all four full-season levels of the organization currently playing, from Low-A Palm Beach up through Triple-A Memphis. The Beach Birds lead the pack with four finalists, followed by the Redbirds with three. Double-A Springfield and High-A Peoria had just one finalist each.

Youth is being served as two finalists are 22 years old and four more are 23.

Counting Stats

In the following table, the finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.

Pitcher Tm W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
Michael Gomez Mem 0 0 0.00 7 0 0 10.2 2 1 0 0 7 9 0.84
Mason Burns PB 2 0 0.87 7 0 1 10.1 7 1 1 1 5 16 1.16
Benjamin Arias Peo 0 0 0.90 5 0 0 10 7 2 1 0 8 7 1.50
Tekoah Roby Spr 1 1 1.06 4 4 0 17 10 3 2 1 6 16 0.94
Jason Savacool PB 2 1 1.50 5 5 0 24 16 7 4 0 7 21 0.96
Brandt Thompson PB 1 0 1.56 4 4 0 17.1 18 6 3 0 1 16 1.10
Andre Granillo Mem 3 0 1.59 7 0 0 11.1 8 2 2 1 4 18 1.06
Zack Weiss Mem 1 0 1.64 7 0 1 11 4 2 2 2 5 15 0.82
Nolan Sparks PB 1 0 1.88 4 1 1 14.1 10 4 3 0 8 17 1.26

That Memphis reliever Michael Gomez allowed no unearned runs on just two hits is exceptional. His seven walks issued are less impressive, however.

Mason Burns

16 strikeouts in just 10 1/3 innings by Palm Beach’s Mason Burns quickly caught my eye. His 0.87 ERA wasn’t bad, either.

Though his 0.90 ERA is ever so close to Burns’, Peoria’s Benjamin Arias walked more batters than he struck out.

The next three finalists are starters – Springfield’s Tekoah Roby and Palm Beach teammates Jason Savacool and Brandt Thompson. Each has pluses and minuses. Walks were a bit high for Roby and Savacool, while Thompson issued just one all month. However, the latter was more hittable.

Andre Granillo

Memphis reliever Andre Granillo always has the strikeouts, but his relatively low walk count of four may be his most encouraging April stat.

His teammate Zack Weiss yielded two home runs, but the fact they were both solo shots kept the 33-year-old among the finalists. Still, his WHIP of 0.82 was the best of the group.

Palm Beach’s Nolan Sparks is the only one of the nine to start a game and collect at least one win and one save during April. Versatility is good, but his 1.88 ERA is the highest among the finalists.

Advanced stats

Here are additional statistics from the nine finalists in the same ascending ERA sequence.

Pitcher IP K/9 BB/9 K/BB BAA BABIP WHIP ERA FIP
Michael Gomez 10.2 7.6 5.9 1.3 0.063 0.087 0.84 0.00 4.31
Mason Burns 10.1 13.9 4.4 3.2 0.206 0.353 1.16 0.87 3.43
Benjamin Arias 10 6.3 7.2 0.9 0.189 0.233 1.50 0.90 5.17
Tekoah Roby 17 8.5 3.2 2.7 0.172 0.220 0.94 1.06 3.62
Jason Savacool 24 7.9 2.6 3.0 0.195 0.262 0.96 1.50 2.94
Brandt Thompson 17.1 8.3 0.5 16.6 0.265 0.346 1.10 1.56 2.14
Andre Granillo 11.1 14.3 3.2 4.5 0.190 0.304 1.06 1.59 2.76
Zack Weiss 11 12.3 4.1 3.0 0.111 0.105 0.82 1.64 4.74
Nolan Sparks 14.1 10.7 5.0 2.1 0.189 0.278 1.26 1.88 3.12

With double-digit rates, Granillo, Burns, Weiss and Sparks led the strikeout parade, with the former’s 14.3 Ks per nine innings best of the best. Arias, Gomez and Savacool all had strikeout rates under 8.0 per nine.

No one was anywhere near Thompson’s super stingy 0.50 free passes per nine innings.  The next best was Savacool at 2.6.

Three walked five or more batters per nine innings, hurting their chances considerably. They are Sparks, ERA leader Gomez and Arias.

It is impossible to ignore Thompson’s strikeout to walk ratio of 16.0. Small sample or not, that is some impressive pitching. The only other finalist above 3.2 is Granillo at 4.5. ERA leader Gomez brought up the rear at just 1.3.

Michael Gomez

Eight of the nine pitchers held opposing hitters to a collective batting average under .207, with Gomez (.063) the best of the best. Standing out like a sore thumb is Thompson at .265. But wait!

BABIP (batting average on balls in play) helps explain why Thompson is an outlier. His .346 BABIP suggests some bad luck was in play. Same for Burns at .353.

On the other hand, the amazingly low .087 BABIP from Gomez and .105 mark by Weiss are not sustainable. The two had considerable good fortune that should balance out (with poorer results) over time. Even Roby will have a hard time keeping a BABIP as low as .220.

FIP or fielding independent pitching really puts these April results in a different light. Several of the finalists have FIPs that are three or four runs higher than their ERA.

The pitcher with both the lowest FIP (by more than half a run per nine innings) and the closest ERA (1.56) and FIP (2.14) is the control artist Thompson.

Jason Savacool

Others with notable FIPs are Granillo (2.76) and Savacool (2.94).

When considering all results, Thompson is our choice as The Cardinal Nation’s April Pitcher of the Month.

Brandt Thompson

About the winner

Not many 17th round draft picks open the professional phase of their career as has Thompson. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, the former Missouri State University Bear is not intimidating physically, but as noted above, his initial numbers with Palm Beach really stand out.

In his four April starts for the Beach Birds, the 22-year-old averaged 4 1/3 innings, not allowing any earned runs in his first and last outings of the month. In the others, he was charged with just one and two runs, respectively.

Among our finalists, only teammate Nolan Sparks is younger, by one month. Thompson is 22 years and nine months old.

Thompson began his collegiate pitching with two seasons at North Iowa Area Community College. He ranks eighth in school history with 112 career strikeouts.

In his following two seasons with the MSU Bears, Thompson went 11-7 with 159 strikeouts and 49 walks in 162 innings and was an All-Missouri Valley Conference selection both years (2023 and 2024).

Just prior to the 2024 draft, Thompson also pitched in the collegiate Northwoods League. He posted a 3.00 ERA, struck out 30 and issued just two free passes in 24 innings.

Companion article

Palm Beach has swept our major awards for April, with catcher-first baseman Josh Kross the top hitter in the system for the month. Check out his results and those of our finalists here:

The Cardinal Nation April 2025 Player of the Month – Josh Kross

What is next?

The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections as April Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order and download the PDF today or order your printed book copy to ship the next business day.

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order TCN’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2025 Week 4

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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Cardinal Nation April 2025 Player of the Month – Josh Kross

photo: Josh Kross (Palm Beach Cardinals)

By a considerable margin, The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during April is Palm Beach first baseman-catcher Josh Kross, who bested eight other finalists.

This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during April across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of eight runners up are highlighted.

Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 38 hitters in the system qualified. Nine further separated themselves with OPSes above .850, but just one was over .913 and in fact, he was well over that mark. Adding the fact that this individual had two more home runs and seven more RBI than the next closest player in the system made this a very easy decision.

Palm Beach first baseman-catcher Josh Kross is our runaway April winner.

Demographics

Triple-A Memphis dominated the finalist list with five, while Double-A Springfield had two. The two Class-A squads, Peoria and Palm Beach, trailed with one apiece.

Having said that, I should add that the five Memphis finalists range in age from 26 to 29. None are homegrown Cardinals, with infielder Cesar Prieto acquired in trade. The others were depth additions who are contributing. However, Jose Barrero is currently with St. Louis, so that matters, too.

While as a team, Palm Beach is doing fine offensively, High-A Peoria is once again struggling with the bats, a problem last season, as well.

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 same sequence in both tables, in descending OPS order.

Basic stats

April hitter Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
Josh Kross# PB 19 85 73 18 21 6 2 6 29 1 0 6 15 0.288 0.377 0.671 1.048
Jose Barrero Mem 23 101 87 15 26 5 1 4 13 5 1 14 27 0.299 0.396 0.517 0.913
Michael Curialle Peo 15 63 55 12 15 4 2 2 11 2 0 4 16 0.273 0.365 0.527 0.892
Ramon Mendoza Spr 16 63 49 11 13 1 1 2 10 0 1 13 12 0.265 0.429 0.449 0.878
Ryan Vilade Mem 25 97 84 12 26 8 0 2 14 2 1 11 19 0.310 0.392 0.476 0.868
Matt Lloyd* Mem 18 72 58 9 17 4 1 1 19 2 1 13 16 0.293 0.417 0.448 0.865
Bryan Torres* Mem 22 82 65 9 20 1 0 2 5 3 2 16 13 0.308 0.444 0.415 0.860
Jeremy Rivas Spr 19 84 70 14 18 3 0 4 16 5 0 13 19 0.257 0.381 0.471 0.852
Cesar Prieto* Mem 24 97 86 18 25 5 2 3 15 2 2 7 16 0.291 0.351 0.500 0.851
# switch hitter
* LHH

Jose Barrero

Barrero’s April 28 promotion to St. Louis was justified as the shortstop-center fielder fell just short of a .300/.400/.500 line that included four home runs. Only Kross compiled a higher OPS than Barrero’s .913 mark.

Like Barrero, Triple-A infielder Cesar Prieto had 10 extra-base hits which included two triples.

Ryan Vilade

Also from the Redbirds, Ryan Vilade matched his two teammates’ 10 extra-base hits, with his eight doubles tying for the system lead in April. Vilade’s .310 batting average topped our finalists and was second highest in the organization.

Close behind is another Memphis hitter Bryan Torres, with a .308 batting average and an always impressive total of more walks (16) than strikeouts (13).

The other finalist sharing that distinction is Springfield’s Ramon Mendoza at 13 free passes taken against 12 Ks.

Jeremy Rivas

Another Double-A standout, Jeremy Rivas, holds the distinction of being our youngest finalist at 22 years, one month. That is one month younger than Kross. What stands out most about the infielder’s April is his four home runs. Coming into 2025, Rivas hit just eight long balls in 1,394 career at-bats.

At 29, Matt Lloyd is the other bookend as our oldest finalist. But he got the job done with 19 runs driven in over 18 games with Memphis. Lloyd’s RBI total was third-most in the organization last month.

Advanced stats

April hitter Tm PA BB% K% ISO BABIP wRC+
Josh Kross# PB 85 7.1% 17.6% 0.384 0.283 182
Jose Barrero Mem 101 13.9% 26.7% 0.218 0.393 146
Michael Curialle Peo 63 6.3% 25.4% 0.255 0.351 142
Ramon Mendoza Spr 63 20.6% 19.0% 0.184 0.314 147
Ryan Vilade Mem 97 11.3% 19.6% 0.167 0.375 135
Matt Lloyd* Mem 72 18.1% 22.2% 0.155 0.381 138
Bryan Torres* Mem 82 19.5% 15.9% 0.108 0.360 143
Jeremy Rivas Spr 84 15.5% 22.6% 0.214 0.298 135
Cesar Prieto* Mem 97 7.2% 16.5% 0.209 0.328 126

(For clarity, the players are in the same sequence as the earlier table. Thanks to Fangraphs for the data.)

As we get into additional stats, we see that good fortune in the guise of a high BABIP (.360 to .393) especially benefited four of the Memphis finalists – Barrero, Lloyd, Vilade and Torres. At .351, Peoria’s Michael Curialle also is notable for this reason.

Most interestingly, the clear exception was Kross, who excelled despite some BABIP misfortune at .283.

Ramon Mendoza

Mendoza, Torres and Vilade stood above the finalists in walk rates, with Mendoza’s most exceptional at 20.6%.

Curialle, at 6.3%, posted the lowest walk rate among finalists, with Kross and Prieto not much better at 7.1% and 7.2%, respectively.

Toughest to strike out was Torres at 15.9%, followed by Prieto (16.5%) and Kross (17.6%).

At the other end of the spectrum, Barrero (26.7%) and Curialle (25.4%) struck out in more than a quarter of their April plate appearances.

Michael Curialle

In Isolated Power, ISO, no one was in the same area code as Kross’ .383, but coming in above .200 were Curialle (.255), Barrero, Rivas and Prieto.

In weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), Kross is once again tops by a huge margin with an exceptional 182, 82% above his league average. The next-closest four were clumped in the 140’s.

When all is said and done, Kross’ exceptional month across the board gives him the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s April Player of the Month.

Josh Kross

About the winner

Cardinals scout Jason Bryans deserves special credit for finding Kross and convincing the organization to select him in the sixth round in 2024, at 171st overall. Born in Georgia and graduated from high school in Ohio, Kross played for three different college programs in three seasons, finishing with the University of Cincinnati in 2024.

Though the switch-hitter batted just .216 in his Palm Beach debut late last summer, Kross drew attention due to his advanced eye. He drew 15 walks against 16 hits and 10 strikeouts in his first 94 professional plate appearances.

Back with the Beach Birds to open 2025, Kross got out of the gates quickly, earning Florida State League Player of the Week honors for the period of April 8-13.

Amazingly, Kross had at least one RBI in 16 of his 19 games, including seven games with multiples. His highlight was a six-RBI performance when he hit for the cycle on April 15.

Josh Kross (Palm Beach Cardinals)

To summarize, for the month, Kross led Cardinals farmhands in home runs, RBI, slugging, OPS, ISO and wRC+. And in most cases, no one was close. Kross also tied for first in runs scored (18) and tied for second in doubles with six.

Finally, Kross also led the system in April in a sometimes painful and infrequently reported stat. He was hit by five pitches!

Congratulations to Palm Beach’s cleanup hitter, Josh Kross.

Just missed

With an .846 OPS, Springfield middle infielder JJ Wetherholt just missed our finalist cut line. The 2024 first rounder appeared in only 14 April contests due to a stomach ailment that caused him to miss over a week. Red-hot before his time out, Wetherholt is 0-for-8 as the designated hitter since his return.

Catcher Jimmy Crooks did not make the Memphis finalist five, but his 22 RBI in 21 April contests deserve special notice. Among Cardinals minor leaguers, only Kross drove in more runs. Crooks’ four long balls also tied for second most in the system.

Memphis infielder Jose Fermin led the organization with eight stolen bases (in nine attempts) and his eight doubles tied Lloyd for tops in the system.

Outfielder Miguel Ugueto, who moved up to Springfield mid-month, had been off to an exceptional start with Peoria. Overall, the 22-year-old’s .333 April batting average led qualifying Cardinals farmhands.

What is next?

On Friday, look for The Cardinal Nation’s April Pitcher of the Month article, the companion to this one.

Also, the Cardinals organization should name their own selections of April Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order and download the PDF today or order your printed book copy to ship the next business day.

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order TCN’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Peoria Chiefs Notebook – 2025 Week 4

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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – April 23, 2025

photo: Sem Robberse (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by analyst Kyle Reis for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.

Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in approximately 30 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle return to the subject of injuries to pitching prospects, as Sem Robberse became the fourth Triple-A starter on the shelf. That led to a discussion of system depth, not only with starters, but also with relievers and position players. Against the backdrop of St. Louis’ inconsistencies, the ongoing journeys of Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker and the potentially high expectations for JJ Wetherholt were covered.

Check out Kyle’s work at Birds on the Black and his very popular Prospects After Dark interactive podcasts. He is also one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order and download the PDF today or order your printed book copy to ship the next business day.

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order TCN’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2025 Week 3

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Cardinals Sign C Andy Yerzy to Minor League Contract

photo: Andy Yerzy (USA TODAY Sports)

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed catcher Andy Yerzy to a minor league contract, assigning the 26-year-old to the roster of Triple-A Memphis.

Down one catcher (Ivan Herrera) at the Major League level, the St. Louis Cardinals added another depth backstop to the organization on Wednesday. They signed journeyman catcher Andy Yerzy to a minor league contract and assigned the 26-year-old Canadian to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

Andy Yerzy

This time around, Yerzy was only a free agent for two days, having been released this Monday by the Cincinnati Reds from their Double-A Chattanooga roster. He had re-signed with the Reds this January. Yerzy became a free agent last fall after spending most of 2024 with the Brewers Double-A Biloxi affiliate.

Yerzy finished the 2023 season in the independent American Association with the Kansas City Monarchs, where the Toronto-area native was teammates with current Memphis Redbirds catcher-first baseman Gavin Collins.

That August, Yerzy had been released by the Reds the first time after signing with them in March 2023.

In 2016, Yerzy was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round, 52nd overall. He rose as high as Double-A with the Snakes before departing after the 2022 season as a minor league free agent.

In 563 plate appearances over 143 career Double-A contests, the left-handed hitter logged a line of .213/.330/.389/.719. He also has played in six Triple-A games. Defensively, Yerzy’s career caught stealing rate is 28.1%.

Where does Yerzy fit?

The Redbirds have carried three catchers to date this season, led by prospect Jimmy Crooks and backed up by Collins. The third catcher was Yohel Pozo before he was called up to St. Louis to backfill for Herrera.

When the organization was at full health this spring, the Cardinals also had in the catching mix veteran backstop Chance Sisco, who they released on March 19.

Yerzy also offers a bit of roster insurance. When Herrera returns, if the Cardinals do not want to keep Pozo on the 40-man roster, he could leave the organization rather than return to Memphis.

Wade Stauss

The Cardinals temporarily brought catcher Wade Stauss up to Memphis when Pozo left, but they returned him to Springfield’s Development List on Wednesday when Yerzy was added to the Triple-A roster.

In addition to catching, Yerzy can also play first base, like his old-new teammate Collins.

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 has been updated for the regular season and is accessible from the same menu as the team rosters.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book today!

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order TCN’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Tuesday, April 15 Transaction Dozen

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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Two Cardinals Named League Bests to Open 2025

photo: Max Rajcic (Springfield Cardinals)

Max Rajcic is the Texas League Pitcher of the Week and Cade McGee is the Florida State League Player of the Week for the first weekend of the season, from April 4-6.

Though it was a short three-game weekend as the Double-A and Class-A leagues began play on Friday across Minor League Baseball, two St. Louis Cardinals have been recognized for their sprint out of the gates in 2025.

Springfield Cardinals release

Minor League Baseball announced on Monday that Springfield Cardinals starting pitcher Max Rajcic has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 31 – April 6. This is the second time in his career that he has won a Pitcher of the Week award, last occurring in the Florida State League on June 4, 2023. He is the first pitcher in the Texas League to be honored with this award this season.

Max Rajcic

Rajcic made his 2025 season debut against the Wichita Wind Surge on Sunday in game one of a doubleheader. The Cardinals number 23 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline fired five scoreless innings allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out four. The righty earned his first win of the season as Springfield blanked Wichita 5-0. In addition to nailing down the series win, Rajcic’s performance led the Cardinals to their 700th all-time victory at their home ballpark Hammons Field.

Rajcic is now in his second full season with Springfield after pitching in just one postseason game for the club in 2023. In 2024 he led the team with 131.0 IP (47.1 more than the next pitcher Alex Cornwell), 131 strikeouts and ten wins. Rajcic is a five-pitch starter who recently added a sinker to his repertoire (four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, changeup). 2025 marks his third season in the Minor Leagues, all with St. Louis. He was named the 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year in his first season after being drafted in the sixth round out of UCLA.

McGee honored by FSL

Cade McGee

Palm Beach Cardinals third baseman Cade McGee has been named the first Florida State League Player of the Week for 2025. McGee, St. Louis’ 2024 ninth round draft pick from Texas Tech, slugged three extra-base hits (two home runs and a double) in the team’s first three games. The highlight was his walk-off two-run home run to conclude a four-run ninth inning comeback win over Fort Myers at Roger Dean Stadium on Sunday.

In his first 13 plate appearances, McGee has four hits and two walks for an early slash line of .364/.462/1.000/1.462 plus two stolen bases in two attempts.

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 has been updated for the regular season and is accessible from the same menu as the team rosters.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book today!

All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

Order TCN’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Where are The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospects to Open 2025?

Not yet a member?

Subscribe to 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.

© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Lose Herrera for a Month or More

photo: Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals placed catcher Iván Herrera on the 10-day injured list, with Yohel Pozo added to the 40-man roster and promoted from Memphis.

On Monday, April 7, the St. Louis Cardinals placed catcher Iván Herrera on the 10-day injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee suffered in Sunday’s doubleheader Game 1 in Boston. Manager Oliver Marmol disclosed that Herrera will be out for at least a month.

Iván Herrera

The 24-year-old had been one of the hottest hitters on one of MLB’s hottest hitting teams.  Herrera’ three-home run outing on Wednesday against the Angels was the first by a catcher in team history. In 24 plate appearances over seven games, he slashed .381/.458/1.048/1.506.

Yohel Pozo

The Cardinals selected the contract of Yohel Pozo from Triple-A Memphis as Herrera’s roster replacement.  The 27-year-old Venezuelan will back up Pedro Pagés. Pozo was signed as a minor league back in January.

With Memphis, Pozo was off to a fast start, going 7-for-21 (.333) including two home runs with six RBI in five games.

Zack Thompson

To make room for Pozo on the 40-man roster, pitcher Zack Thompson was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. The lefty suffered a shoulder strain in spring training and is out indefinitely.

Update

Wade Stauss

On Tuesday morning, the Cardinals activated catcher Wade Stauss from Springfield’s Development List and reassigned him to Memphis as backfill for Pozo.

Stauss, 26, opened the season in inactive status so will make his 2025 debut when he first appears with Memphis. In a similar reserve situation, Stauss appeared in 15 games with the 2024 Redbirds, batting .147.

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 has been updated for the regular season and is accessible from the same menu as the team rosters.

Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book 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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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

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