The St. Louis Cardinals’ increased focus on Player Development is clear as they doubled their coach/instructor count in STEP Camp from 2024 to 2025. Of the 44 players invited, almost half are members of The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospects for 2025.
All posts by Brian Walton
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 11, 2025
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Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 10, 2025
Cardinals Sign Rob Kaminsky Again
photo: Rob Kaminsky (St. Louis Cardinals)
The St. Louis Cardinals signed left-handed relief pitcher Rob Kaminsky to a minor league contract for 2025.
If what follows feels like a repeat of other recent signings by the St. Louis Cardinals, it is.
As spring camps are opening across baseball this week, fringe players hoping for a major league contract are lowering their requirements to find a home for 2025.
The Cardinals continue to add players to the outer fringe of their roster and just beyond. The latest came on Sunday, February 9, with the signing of left-handed relief pitcher Rob Kaminsky to a minor league contract. There was no mention of a non-roster invitation to Spring Training in the announcement by the team, so we can assume it was not offered.
Kaminsky, 30, should be a familiar name to Cardinals fans. He will be on his third stint with the organization starting when he was taken in the first round of the 2013 Draft with a compensatory pick awarded for the departure of Kyle Lohse.
Kaminsky spent his first two and a half seasons in the Cardinals system as a dominant starting pitcher. In his first full year in the minors, he posted a 1.88 ERA in Class-A before tallying a 2.09 ERA in High-A in the first half of 2015. That summer, he was traded to Cleveland for a former all-star first baseman/outfielder, Brandon Moss.
In the Indians’ minor league system, Kaminsky moved to relief and struggled with a variety of injuries including forearm soreness and a sprained elbow ligament that kept him out for an entire season.
The Cardinals brought back Kaminsky as a minor league free agent prior to the COVID-interrupted 2020 season. The left-hander achieved his Major League dream, making his debut in August, but a month later, he was outrighted off the 40-man roster.
In 4 2/3 over five outings with St. Louis, Kaminsky yielded three runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks. He fanned three. He returned to free agency following the 2020 World Series.
In 2021, Kaminsky pitched in Triple-A for the Phillies before his release in August. He signed another minor league contract with the Mariners for 2022 and left as a free agent following the season.
After pitching for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Kaminsky re-signed with the Mariners. The pattern continued as he qualified for free agency that fall. After opening 2024 with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, he rejoined Seattle’s system that June. Back to free agency he went following the 2024 season.
To this point, Kaminsky’s only MLB experience came with St. Louis in 2020. He holds a career 3.50 ERA over 225 minor league appearances and is likely to serve as depth with Memphis in 2025.
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2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects – The Departed
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 7, 2025
Cardinals Sign Veteran Pitcher Nick Anderson to Minors Deal
photo: Nick Anderson (USA TODAY Sports)
As spring camps are opening across baseball next week, fringe players hoping for a major league contract are lowering their requirements to find a home for 2025.
So it is for the St. Louis Cardinals, who continue to add players to the outer fringe of their roster and just beyond. The latest came on Friday, February 7, with the signing of right-handed relief pitcher Nick Anderson to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.
Anderson will receive $1.1 million if he makes the Cardinals opening day roster. His contract includes a clause that allows another team to add him their Opening Day roster if he doesn’t make St. Louis’. (This seems unlikely to happen, in my opinion.) These details were reported by Ari Anderson.
Anderson has appeared in 165 MLB games across five seasons for Miami, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and most recently Kansas City. When healthy, the 2012 32nd round draft pick by the Brewers has been excellent.
In 158 1/3 major league innings, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder posed a 3.18 ERA and logged 39 holds and 10 saves. Anderson has strong career peripherals, with a 31.6% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate.
However, his healthy time has been very limited. The 34-year-old has a long injury history, having been unable to throw more than 36 innings in any season since his 2019 MLB debut. Anderson’s list of maladies include a shoulder strain, internal brace procedure (instead of Tommy John surgery), plantar fasciitis, back strain and forearm discomfort.
If Anderson can break the pattern and pitch regularly, he could give the Cardinals another set up weapon, perhaps helping to cover for the loss of 2024 standout Andrew Kittredge.
Yet, even if Anderson makes the St. Louis roster at some point and contributes in 2025, he looks to be a one-and-done player. With well more than five years of service time, he will likely return to free agency in the fall.
At The Cardinal Nation, Anderson has been placed on the Triple-A Memphis roster.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 5-6, 2025
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Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 5-6, 2025
Cardinals Acquire Utilityman Michael Helman
photo: Michael Helman (Minda Haas Kuhlman
On Thursday, February 6, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired 40-man roster utility player Michael Helman from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. The news was first announced by Katie Woo of The Athletic late Thursday.
Helman, 28, is a right-handed hitter drafted by the Twins in the 11th round in 2018. He joined the 40-man roster and made his MLB debut last September. In nine games for Minnesota, Helman went 3-for-10, including two doubles.
In between, Helman played in 477 minor league games, including 195 at Triple-A. The 6-foot, 195-pounder has put in time at every infield and outfield position, with the most at second base and center field.
The Cardinals are loaded with options at the former, but not at the latter. So Helman could play a role in the Cardinals 2025 centerfield derby with Michael Siani and Victor Scott. His right-handedness is a positive.
At Triple-A in 2024, Helman slashed .271/.350/.487/.837 in 314 plate appearances. He hit 14 home runs and went 12-for-13 in steal attempts. His Triple-A OPS in his 2023 debut was .902.
Ironically, Helman may have lost his job with the Twins due to their signing of former Cardinals center fielder Harrison Bader this week.
St. Louis’ 40-man roster had one opening, which Helman has taken. He has all three minor league option years remaining, so could go up to MLB or down to Triple-A as needed.
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© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 4, 2025
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – February 3, 2025
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – January 31, 2025
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – January 30, 2025
Two Dozen from 2024 Cardinals Spring Camp Not Back for 2025
Cardinals Sign P Zack Weiss to Minor League Contract
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp – January 28-29, 2025
Cardinals Add a Triple-A Player and Subtract One
Cardinals Minor League Development Camp Opens
21 New Invitees to 2025 Cardinals Camp
Cardinals Welcome Nick Raquet Back on Minor League Deal
photo: Nick Raquet (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals have bolstered their veteran pitching depth at Triple-A with the re-signing of left-handed reliever Nick Raquet to a minor league contract for the 2025 season.
Last season, his first in the organization, the 29-year-old split his time between Memphis and Springfield. Raquet opened at Double-A and was promoted to Triple-A in early May.
Raquet’s overall record was 2-9 with six holds and a 4.80 ERA. The Pennsylvania native struck out 73 but walked 38 in 84 1/3 innings of long relief. In eight appearances with Springfield, his ERA was 0.56, but it grew to 5.80 in 27 outings for Memphis.
Originally Washington’s third-round draft pick in 2017 from William and Mary, Raquet reached no. 16 on the organization’s prospect rankings per MLB Pipeline before his eventual release in the spring of 2020. Raquet returned to college and then entered the business world for a year before resuming his professional ball career in 2023 with York of the independent Atlantic League.
Raquet first joined the Cardinals as a minor league free agent signing on January 16, 2024. As the Triple-A season concluded, the Cardinals released Raquet and several others before they departed anyway as free agents.
Raquet was not invited to St. Louis’ 2025 big-league spring training camp, reaffirming his continued role as minor league depth from the left side.
Other lefties potentially in the Memphis bullpen mix are Packy Naughton (if healthy), Drew Rom (if moved to relief), Rule 5 addition Oddanier Mosqueda and Alex Cornwell.
For transaction and roster information
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
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!
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Subscribe to 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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© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Uniform Number Changes for 2025
Cardinals Winter Warm-Up AGM Panel Recap
Wednesday With Walton and Reis – January 22, 2025
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 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
Due to popular demand, last week’s guest, Kyle Reis, is the new co-host, and he will join Brian each Wednesday. In an extended podcast, the two share their top impressions from the three-day St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up. Subjects include John Mozeliak, the DeWitts, Oliver Marmol, Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado (of course), Sonny Gray, Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan and many, many others.
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 pre-order your printed book copy for February 1 mailing.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Pre-Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Interview: New Cardinals AGM of Player Development and Performance Rob Cerfolio
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© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Interview: New Cardinals AGM of Player Development and Performance Rob Cerfolio
Cardinals Winter Warm-Up – In Their Words: Monday, 1/20/25
photo: Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up charity event at Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village concluded on a chilly Monday with the final group of presentations and autograph signings.
The limited schedule of final day presentations in the main tent included a double-header DeWitt session with Chairman Bill DeWitt, Jr. and President Bill DeWitt III and a separate session with manager Oliver Marmol.
Autograph sessions with three current Cardinals players were scheduled on Monday: Miles Mikolas, Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras. However, Mikolas was a late scratch from the event.
Among Cardinals alumni signing on Monday were Trevor Rosenthal, Andy Benes, Alan Benes and Matt Adams. Tony La Russa was unable to attend.
Typically, before or after they sign, the individuals meet with team physicians and are brought to the media area for a question-and-answer session.
Following are my notes from selected interviews held during the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Monday, January 20, 2025. Along with my summary is the audio and/or video (thanks to Kyle Reis for the latter) for those who want to listen to or watch the full content. There is 1 1/4 hours of it!

Oliver Marmol (27:11)
Players are the ones on the field. Lots of questions about reset. Players pretty confident, good energy. Compete, win, make their mark.
Assuming Arenado will be here. Gorman is ready for anything.
Brant Brown brings energy for everyone. Speaks to different batters differently based on need. Jordan took to it. Get back to comfort level and build from it.
Will need to have patience with young players. Not light switch that can be turned off and on.
Players want to know you care about them. I love that kid (Winn). Loving guys away from field enables tough conversations about on-field things.
It is a good thing the team on the field will be different. Players encouraged by clarity of the reset.
The studiousness of catchers earned respect of the pitchers.
Siani was not on radar in spring training 2024. Longer runway given (due to injuries to others) and provided better offense before injury. If his playing time had been cut off, we wouldn’t have seen his emergence.
Burleson’s underlying metrics looked good even when his numbers sucked.
Being fun and good are a good combination for Nootbaar. Toolsy player. Count on his energy.
Health issues could pop up with starters the first week of camp. Will have Liberatore stretched out and go from there. Zack Thompson fits into this bucket, too.
Likes the way Mathews thinks and approaches the game. Doesn’t care what others think. Sure of himself.
Bloom cares. Has a plan forward. Collaborative meetings with he, Mo and Marmol. Also collab with minors, sharing programs.
Contreras told him about staying, “This is how much I care about this team.” Will split between first base and designated hitter. Spent several days in Jupiter with Stubby Clapp and Jose Oquendo working at first base.
Quoted Gray who said new direction “was needed”.
Pallante is confident. Proved he belongs. Showed him confidence by not pulling him too early.
There are times when you want to develop the bench, but you have to pick spots. First time up, Baker was nervous. Second time, he just took an at-bat.
Hungry. Have opportunity to shock a lot of people.
Build pen by having a strategy to move them from low leverage to tie game in sixth to seventh, etc. Help them process pressure.
Audio:
Video:
Oliver Marmol https://t.co/NHBak2cbEj
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 20, 2025

Lars Nootbaar (17:09)
My role with Nolan Arenado is to be his friend. He is working and looks good.
Ensure health. Trained differently. Check boxes for nutrition, having body in right place, agility, speed, explosiveness. Be a kid again and stop running into walls.
Being yourself is best way to help team. Guys can see through if you are not. Makes it tough to jell. Don’t be different guy every day. Be consistent.
On youth, excited, looking forward to it. I’m only 27. Haven’t experienced a lot of playoffs.
To achieve potential, do work, stay on field. That is when best results happen. Understand when to have limitations without taking away aggression.
Young players similar in age, interests and get along. No hiding anymore. We have to be ready.
Nolan and Goldy took a lot on the chin. I didn’t step up. I am ok now, with Pedro, Donnie and others.
Brownie (Brant Brown) has been great. He is a hitting rat (highest praise). Sent him a lot of video. He knows a lot I don’t.
In 2021-2022, had Jeff Albert. Used to go at it. It was great as a young guy. Turner (Ward) was the assistant so that transition was easy. Haven’t met Brown yet, but he already knows me.
Gray and Contreras staying means everything. Was getting mixed signals late in season so asked Contreras. He said he wants to be here. We will still lean on them as they’ve had peaks and valleys in careers.
Audio:
Video:
Lars Nooooooootbaar https://t.co/62DL7eeNv9
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 20, 2025

Willson Contreras (14:15)
Two factors in staying.
- First thing I said when I signed here is that I wanted to see the team better than when I came.
- I love my teammates. Stick with them. Would be easy (to leave), coward. I like challenges.
On moving to first base, knew it would come. Looking to stay healthy. Thought about it and it would create a better roster. Need Pages’ defense and Herrera’s offense.
Oli does a great job communicating with guys.
I love challenges. People doubting us as a team. Know team can turn around and play deep into October.
Working at first base with Clapp and Oquendo. Not difficult, but not easy. I am a good athlete.
Try to be best player. Don’t want to step on toes of catchers, but will help.
Minors are important to have World Series team. Homegrown talent.
Challenge to stay and prove people wrong. Team needs to have right mindset to go day-to-day.
This year will be better. Will have more time to spend with position players. I will talk most on team. Will talk to others on mindset. Really excited.
Brother (William) said that I cannot be mean anymore. Will have to be nice to everybody at first base. Told me I was among best catchers for a long time.
Pretty sure I am emergency catcher. Ordered equipment. Will join catchers in mound conferences with pitcher as the first baseman. Need to keep mind in game. After 12 years catching, think of the game as a catcher and pitcher.
Audio:
Video:
Willson Contreras https://t.co/eHQbHEnzrt
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 20, 2025

Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III (30:57)
Jr. Always been draft and develop guy. Path since bought team. Time to build next championship team.
Do not want to lose money on a yearly basis. Have had years they’ve made and lost money. Team debt has gone up. Stadium renovation. Baseball is not an easy business. Have done good job pulling money back into product. Be realistic about where you are in cycle.
Effort to make best team we have. Higher draft picks and loss of them hurt. System is as good as it has been for a while. Happy with fifth draft pick. Complained about system last year.
III. Said payroll is down. Focus on controllables. Chaim building farm system. Might have one of largest 3-4 spending pools in entire draft.
Making changes to keep fan experience top priority. Messaging consistent with where we are. Term “rebuild” does not apply. Need to set foundation guys for future. Have success, then add incremental. Hope fans stay with us.
Jr. Evaluate payroll year to year. Big markets can put money in every year. Mid markets cannot. It’s a revenue game, then spend more money. Not starting from scratch. Sacrificed draft picks in past (to sign free agents). Cannot continue.
Marmol came up in system. Done good job.
They do what is best for team. Fans have opinions. They are knowledgeable. Some want to spend. Not poised to compete. Find balance to have opportunity to have competitive team each year.
III. Watching innovation across the league. Realign staff in business functions to better identify customers. Customized experience. AI tools. Anuk Karunaratne fresh perspective from Toronto.
Chaim calibrating to other teams. How elite farm system works.
Jr. It is a risk business. No magic success formula. Won 83 games (in 2024) and that worked pretty well once before.
Don’t need to make further trades if no Arenado trade. Prefer to go with younger players. Arenado prefers to be with team with top chance of winning the championship.
Hard to say what strategy will be for next year (2026). Confident that if team progresses, fans will come.
III. Interested in subscriber numbers for direct to consumer FanDuel Sports offering. Large area outside core with access to multiple teams. Lot of them couldn’t get games before.
Jr. (asked if they waited too long). No. Had Goldy and Arenado. Now get draft choices back.
Player development investment greater than increased staffing. Also infrastructure, technology.
III. Jupiter complex enhancements. Weight room, meeting rooms, dining rooms, new systems for hitting and pitching.
Jr. Dad had saying on desk, “Get the players and the rest will take care of itself.” Now added, “and develop them”. We were a little behind and have fixed it.
III. 2026 ticket sales are TBD. Grace period for renewals still open. Core group is back. Hope to achieve better numbers. Working to clean up secondary market. Surplus last year. Reduce that to protect season ticket holders.
Direct to consumer product price not locked down but expect it to be around $20 per month.
Jr. If current process plays out, payroll will be back to before. (Said traditionally in bottom third of MLB top 10.)
III. Goal is to have down cycles few and far between. Need to have cost-controlled players to supplement. Trying to build a 20-year success model again. Don’t know if they can do but are trying.
Audio:
Video:
Familia DeWitt https://t.co/hfvLxO2sSq
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 20, 2025
Earlier related articles
Cardinals Winter Warm-Up – In Their Words: Saturday, 1/18/25
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Insight on Cardinals’ 2025 Player Development and Performance Assignments
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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. Pre-order your PDF or 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!
Pre-Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
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 Winter Warm-Up – In Their Words: Sunday, 1/19/25
photo: Jordan Walker (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Sunday’s Day 2 of the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up charity event at Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village offered an increased blast of cold as a blustery welcome to the contingent of Cardinals fans attending.

Among the popular presentations on the main stage included a panel discussion with assistant general managers Moises Rodriguez, Rob Cerfolio and Randy Flores.
Autograph sessions with these current Cardinals were scheduled on Sunday, usually the event’s busiest day: Jimmy Crooks, Luken Baker, Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews, Michael Siani, Matthew Liberatore, Jose Fermin, Ryan Loutos, Alec Burleson, Zack Thompson, Masyn Winn, Matt Koperniak, Andre Pallante, Pedro Pages, Riley O’Brien and Jordan Walker. Ryan Fernandez did not attend due to travel problems.
Cardinals alumni signing Sunday included Bengie Molina, Mitch Harris, Ricky Horton, Brad Thompson, Xavier Scruggs and others.
Typically, either before or after they sign for fans, the players meet with team physicians and are brought to the media area for a question and answer session. Some players also have fan and kids-only Q&A sessions.
Following are my notes from selected interviews held during the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Following my summary is the audio for those who want to listen to the full content. Video has been added thanks to Kyle Reis.

Quinn Mathews (25:45)
First visit to St. Louis.
Throwing every other day in Southern California. Last season, focus was on building velocity. This year, preparing for spring training one month earlier. Duration of season got to him physically and mentally. Need to get 7-8 weeks more out of body.
As a kid, didn’t want to be a pro player. Wanted to be an investment banker.
Don’t have goals. Don’t believe in them. Wants what is best for organization.
Lost curveball in second half of 2024. Shape lost. Became a three-pitch guy. Wants to be able to use it early in count.
Has chip on shoulder every year. 2023 was being passed over in draft. 2024 was not being drafted earlier. Proved some wrong. September end did not go as well as he thought it should. Some think I am not as good as I think I am.
Liked Jon Lester when young. Pitch and compete, not overpowering. Later, Max Fried, tall and lanky. Better stuff than me. Never met him.
Stunk on Opening Day 2024 walked something like six batters. Stanford and College World Series had him prepared. Similar memories as Jimmy Crooks (Oklahoma).
On youth movement, Detroit’s oldest player last year was 28. Maybe I can help StL sooner.
Changes in player development focus not seeing yet. Lifting program didn’t change, which was his biggest focus in the offseason.
Mom pushed academics. Stanford high standards. As pro, first time to go 100% into baseball.
Velocity is cool. It helps but doesn’t make you a great pitcher. Trial by error, make mistakes and learn.
Slider stuff started to change during season. Horizontal break shrunk but added velo helped success against right-handed hitters.
Likes crypto. It’s my pastime. Mom took most of money (signing bonus) and put it in safe stuff. But I put small chuck in Bitcoin.
On BA Pitcher of the Year, if you need validation, then you will struggle. Still had 10 bad starts out of 28. Need self-confidence and had great catchers and defense behind him.
Crooks is “the man”. My top guy as a human being. Hit it off.
McGreevy taught him to stay true to yourself. Detail oriented prep for next start. Learned from him.
The baseballs changed from AA to Triple-A. Automated balls and strikes were great in Low-A, but Triple-A zone smaller. Hitters win more challenges.
Audio:
Video:
Quinn Mathews https://t.co/vo52Z0IZoT
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Ryan Loutos (8:13)
Wintered in Elmhurst, IL. Was engaged. Winter prep same as always.
Threw more sliders and changeups later in 2024. Has very low spin rates, 1600-1700 RPM. Have to be creative in creating movement. Four-season still his best pitch.
Lowering arm slot to get ground balls. Changeups to get left-handed batters better, away from them.
As closer at Memphis, refined mental game. Feel pressure and execute pitches.
Expect to be in long relief with St. Louis. Opportunity is there. Confident in what he can do.

Jose Fermin (5:39)
Went to winter ball to work on outfield play but ended with minor glute inflammation. He is 100% now. Team asked him about OF, but he wanted to do it before. Played it in Triple-A and liked it. Haven’t worked with Jon Jay yet.
Training in Tampa.
Goal in spring training is to win it all. Team looks different in 2025 with focus on younger guys. We’re ready.
Main focus in hitting is to stay behind the ball. There is more velocity in MLB pitching.
Defensively prepared to move all over. Takes balls at 2B, SS, 3B and OF.

Zack Thompson (9:39)
Nomadic offseason. St. Pete Beach then Sarasota. Threw outside every day. Reconnected with college pitching coach which led him to Sarasota facility. Ball is coming out well, delivery smooth.
In 2024, didn’t plan on leaving after one month and not coming back. Had rough first month. Worked rest of year to get stretched out. Lost weight, lost range of motion. Affected his performance. Lowest hanging fruit was to work on movements.
Have had opportunities here, but didn’t take it and run with it. Mental game, three years of ups and downs. Stick to work. Kicked in face at times with Memphis. Stay with it.
Didn’t know how to be a reliever until MLB. Tricky to switch but have experience with it.
Changing way to use lower half. Was too much on right hip.
His wave of players have come and gone in some cases. Next wave is coming – Mathews, McGreevy, Graceffo, etc… All the guys he came up with have been able to stick. Weird shift.
Audio:
Video:
Zack Thompson https://t.co/C7qyA3ampk
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Luken Baker (8:33)
Offseason workouts at TCU. Focus on consistency, refine and improve. 2023 was his first tough year. 2024 learned how much one at-bat could change outcome of games. Have the preparation down. Good to see what he is doing is working.
Didn’t have a lot of RBI in 2023, so worked hard to focus on getting RBI. Take better at-bats with RBI focus and other numbers tick up, too.
Make practice harder than game. Pitchers give just one pitch to hit per at-bat. All at-bats are the same if you treat them that way.
We have a lot of really good players. Think we’re going to win a lot of ballgames.
Audio:
Video:
Luken Baker https://t.co/N6H84ggoyU
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Masyn Winn (17:25)
Has home in Jupiter, went to Houston for holidays. Working on speed with track coach. Wants to steal 30-40 bases. Turn singles to doubles and doubles to triples.
Doing treadmill drill with machine off called hamster runs. Lot of stretching, sprinting and work on acceleration.
His 2024 started strong. Had a couple of rough patches as expected. Needs to make fewer errors. Like to improve on 15 home runs and improve on everything.
Team still has Sonny and hopefully still Nado. What Sonny says goes. Have chemistry from last season and building on that.
Walker still best player he saw in minors. Hope he will be middle of the order batter. He wants to make his Mom and Dad proud.
St. Louis welcomed me with open arms. Would like to be guy who plays in same city for a long time like Yadi.
Losing is worst feeling in the world. Will compete and hate the guy on the other side.
Hardest thing making adjustments is making other adjustments. Opponents now have had a year to review his results. Need to make adjustments on the fly.
“Contreras is a dog, man.” Plays like 24 years old. Plays angry. He was our best hitter by a large margin last year when healthy.
Defensively, his first step acceleration can be better. Lateral quickness is like stolen base skill.
For batting, mechanically needs to get off the back leg, per coach Brendan Allen.
Oliver Marmol is great. Not afraid to tell you what you don’t want to hear. Also offers praise.
Can’t think of another person I’d rather play on the left side with. I earned his respect last year and relationship went to new level. One of favorite teammates ever.
Success as two-strike hitter is because scared to strike out.
Still thinks about pitching every day. They put Crawford in instead because they knew I wouldn’t throw 45.
The back is great. They figured out how to keep it healthy last year.
Audio:
Video:
Masyn Winn https://t.co/kinq8CrZ10
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Michael Siani (8:45)
Worked in Sarasota and Bradento with IMG after Thanksgiving. Wants to take quality at-bats. Improved middle to late season hitting to all fields.
Keeping same mindset that I belong. Show abilities in different ways. Felt like I deserved to be here. Knew I had it in me.
Can help team in multiple areas. Making adjustments key. Bounce off veterans and coaches. Consistently getting at-bats important.
Great to compete with Victor Scott. Put best foot forward.
His brother is in the Pirates system. Special to work with him in the offseason.
Audio:
Video:
Michael Siani https://t.co/qVmDKAvNTU
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Jimmy Crooks (9:40)
Gets along very well with Quinn Mathews. He’s the dude. Made my job easier. He is a left-handed pitcher for a reason (quirkiness).
Working with hitting coach in Wichita, Kansas. Didn’t know about swing path until turned pro.
Takes pride in catcher defense. See all the field. Position players. Be big brother to pitchers. Separates hitting from defense.
New catching coordinator should help a lot. Already had Zoom with Ethan Goforth.
Hitting approach is gap to gap and run into a couple. Hadn’t done well against LHP. Worked on it in 2023-2024 offseason.
Showed more power in 2H 2024. Separated hands.
Victor Scott was his roommate in Peoria. Would try to throw him out 100 of 100 stolen base attempts. Might not get him every time.
Will be happy wherever my feet are at.
Audio:
Video:
Jimmy Crooks https://t.co/DUrqW5yNyQ
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Michael McGreevy (10:04)
Super happy with 2024. Year started slow, great coaches and flipped script. Didn’t think he’d make St. Louis but from June 1 on, the season turned around. Pitching coach Darwin Marrero has been his mentor. Made strides with cutter. Consistent location.
Better diet and sleep. Improved body mass.
175 innings pitched in 2024. Improved each year (he cited annual totals from memory). Goal for 2025 is 200 IP.
Mathews ran out of gas at end of season and lost his mind. Tried to help him.
Pitched in relief in college and did when arrived with St. Louis initially. Will play any role. Wants to get outs.
Definitely does not want to have slow start in 2025. Come into camp hot.
Audio:
Video:
Michael McGreevy https://t.co/6BUVsYgcF2
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025


Jordan Walker and Riley O’Brien (18:43)
JW: Focus on getting back to 2023 swing. Working with Brant Brown on it. Get more contact. Hand placement is greatest thing. Hands were too far back. Hands were closer to body in 2023. Second part is to get into lower half like in 2022. Find out what feels best for me.
Jupiter is wonderful. 70 degrees all the time. Hitting with Mike Antico, and Pedro Pages before winter break. Will start live BP when back in Florida.
RO: Elbow injury led to lost time in 2024. Offseason focus is to get body healthy. Strengthen shoulder and forearm.
JW: Wasn’t happy with offense last year. Worked with Jon Jay a few times, but main focus is offense. Made second half changes last year that were not for the better. Open stance. Brown asked him what he saw and how he felt. Liked that.
I like hitting. Always have. Liked my weight at end of season. Maintain flexibility. Feel more fluid.
Hope one day to be leader. Donnie has it locked up for young guys. Learn from him and Sonny.
I want to produce. Have high standards. Pitchers are smart. Making adjustments. Learn pitchers’ tendencies and how they attack. Made chances for worst in 2024. Brown brought metrics and data. Have driven ball in RF gap before – so why not in 2024?
RO: With healthy season, can have big impact out there. Kittredge was big guy to lean on. Second year, have friends, no stress. Focus on work.
JW: Energy brought by new coaches, Brown and Jay. Winn has positive outlook through ups and downs. Being in each other’s corner is important. Look up to him. Great motivator.
Super excited to face pitchers next week.
Audio:
Video:
Jordan Walker https://t.co/NjrAf9DZfp
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Matt Koperniak (7:22)
Playing for manager Albert Pujols in winter ball was eye opening. Just wanted to play more.
Trying to get stronger, faster. More bat speed helped power increase. Focused on more elevation.
Versatility helps. Get comfortable at each outfield position. Played most in left. A little in center last year. More in right.
Got close with Nick Raposo. Both are northeast guys.
Audio:
Video:
Matt Koperniak https://t.co/O7kRfqZsku
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Alec Burleson (16:21)
Bought house in Greenville, NC. First time played more than 150 games in 2024. Maintain training, weight.
Make point to produce all season. Felt was struggling at back of 2024 season. 2024 was learning experience. Really pleased with first half.
Learned from Lance Lynn, Goldy. He, Donovan and Gorman took it in last year. Talked to them a lot. Want to figure out best way to get guys to jell. Donovan is a pro. Like he has been in league 10 years. Encouraging others. Learn from him.
On reset, like Sonny Gray said, we will be better than people expect. Sonny will stay on top of it.
Feels more natural and comfortable at first base but will play outfield if they need him for a day or two. Will play anywhere but hope he doesn’t have to pitch again.
Don’t go up looking for walks. Not a focus. Tried it but wasn’t good at it.
Coming into 2024, it didn’t look like he would have opportunity but started opening day. Going into 2025, have more confidence. I can do it with a high level of consistency.
On reset again, will be an unconventional locker room. That is a challenge. Get guys to pull together and buy in. Players are ready to play.
Went with Donovan to Gorman’s wedding. Hit with Brown while down there. Brown sent Gorman videos. This is his fifth year playing with Gorman. Gorman is pretty excited.
Need Contreras in lineup every day. Masyn and I on top, he’s no. 3.
Told Brown he doesn’t need a lot of info to be ready to hit.
Audio:
Video:
Alec Burleson https://t.co/4XDRvp4uWN
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025

Andre Pallante (11:43)
Made a lot of progress with sinking fastball. Happened when optioned out. Looking forward to full spring training to see how it works.
Working on all four pitches. Have thrown two pens already. Keep throwing pens and build endurance. Hard to work on four pitches in pens.
Velocity, location improves later in games. Grateful for opportunity to start.
Arbitration is a very small part. Agent takes care of it. Will play out.
Got out of 24-Hour Fitness, where he trained last three year. Working with athletes in other sports, soccer and football. More explosive.
Goal is 200 innings. Preparing for that.
Super proud. Path had bumps. Learned from mistakes.
Wants to increase two-seam usage up in zone. Wants another pitch vs. left-handed batters. Instead of 95% fastballs. Also plan for changeup later but will establish four-pitch baseline first.
Kyle Gibson taught him to plan between starts. Wainwright mental side, never gave up. Lynn said to be the same person all the time.
Audio:
Video:
Andre Pallante https://t.co/X6czVVfK1h
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 19, 2025
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