All posts by Brian Walton

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

St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix – 2023-2024 Off-Season

NOTE: As of 2/13/24, this version of the roster matrix is no longer current. It reflects changes during the 2023-2024 off-season. It should now be considered a historical reference document. For the active roster matrix during 2024 spring training, click here.

This newest Roster Matrix covers the St. Louis Cardinals and the minor league system, including the MLB Cardinals and their four full-season affiliates plus two rookie level teams – during the 2023-2024 off-season.

For reference, the previous matrix outlined all organizational transactions during the 2023 regular season from the start of short season play through its conclusion. As there are no injured lists during the off-season, refer to that prior matrix for those players who ended 2023 on the shelf.

Free agents, both major league and minor league, will be removed as they declare, starting five days after the conclusion of the World Series.

A refresher

If you are new to The Cardinal Nation and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:

As the 2023-2024 off-season began, the St. Louis Cardinals had 219 players under contract from top to bottom, including 34 players on the 40-man roster. 40-man members are called out in bold.

The matrix places each of the 219 by position at his assigned level in the system as well as by position.

The matrix is updated whenever transactions occur.

Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization plus a decade of history.

(Do not be concerned about the order of the players’ names within position. It has no relative significance.)

Looking ahead and back

Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right (click on the magnifying glass icon) or use the menu at the left of the page: “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” > “TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MATRIX”.

While you are using that menu, note TCN’s full rosters and player pages for every level and every player in the Cardinals system. These rosters remain in sync with the Roster Matrix and carry biographical information on all players.

St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Peoria Chiefs
Palm Beach Cardinals
Florida Complex League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals

For details behind prior years’ rosters and transactions (back to 2009), check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization Roster Matrix, via the following link.

Link to previous matrices

Transactions

11/2: New matrix. 40-man roster at 34 players. Organization total: 219 players.

11/3: RHP Drew VerHagen declared free agency. Five players off 60-day IL. Ps Wilking Rodriguez, Packy Naughton, Guillermo Zuniga, IF Brendan Donovan, OF Dylan Carlson. 40-man roster at 38. New organization total: 218 players.

11/5: RHR Riley O’Brien acquired from Sea, assigned to Mem. 40-man roster at 39. New organization total: 219 players.

11/6: UT Jared Young claimed off waivers from CHC, assigned to Mem. 40-man roster full. New organization total: 220 players.

11/6: Mem 2B Irving Lopez, Spr RHP Jose Martinez declared minor league free agency. New organization total: 218 players.

11/13: StL RHR Wilking Rodriguez outrighted, declared free agency. 40-man roster at 39. New organization total: 217 players.

11/14: Mem LHS Connor Thomas designated for assignment. StL LHR Packy Naughton outrighted to Mem. Mem RHS Sam Robberse, Adam Kloffenstein, Spr C Pedro Pages added to 40-man roster. 40-man roster is full.

11/16: LHP Connor Thomas outrighted to Mem.

11/17: Four players non-tendered – RHPs Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford, C Andrew Knizner and UT Juan Yepez. New organization total: 213 players. 40-man roster now at 36.

11/20: FA RHS Lance Lynn signed. New organization total: 214 players. 40-man roster now at 37.

11/21: Free agent RHS Kyle Gibson signed. FA RHR Wilking Rodriguez signed to a minor league contract with an NRI. New organization total: 216 players. 40-man roster now at 38.

11/27: FA RHS Sonny Gray signed. New organization total: 217 players. 40-man roster now at 39.

11/28: FA RHP Michael Correa signed, assigned to DSL. New organization total: 218 players.

12/2: 2023 drafted Ps Quinn Mathews, Charles Harrison, Christian Worley assigned to FCL Cardinals.

12/6: RHR Ryan Fernandez taken from BOS in MLB phase of Rule 5 Draft. IF Johnfrank Salazar from BOS (Palm Beach), SS Miguel Villerroel from TEX (PB), RHR Benito Garcia from NYM (Spr) in Minors phase of Rule 5 Draft. 40-man roster full. New organization total: 222 players.

12/8: StL OF Tyler O’Neill to Bos. RHR Nick Robertson from Bos to StL. RHS Victor Santos from Bos to Mem. New organization total: 223 players. 40-man roster remains full.

12/15: FA RHP Alan Reyes signed to minors contract, assigned to Peo. New organization total: 224 players.

12/20: FA IF/OF Matt Lloyd signed to minors deal, assigned to Spr. New organization total: 225 players.

1/3/24: C Gavin Collins, RHR Joe Corbett signed to minors deals. Assigned to Mem. New organization total: 227 players.

1/5: RHR Andrew Kittredge acquired from Tampa Bay for OF Richie Palacios.

1/10: 27 non-roster players invited to St. Louis spring camp. They are designed below by (NRI).

1/15: 11 international players signed. RHPs Gabriel Chinchilla,
Branneli Franco, Jesus Garcia, Ryan Rodriguez, Earle Zulueta,
1B Christian Saenz, SSs Cristofer Lebron, Yairo Padilla, OFs
Brayan Amaroso, Edward Guribe, Yaxon Lucena.
New organization total: 238 players.

1/16: Minors FA LHP Nick Raquet signed, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 239 players.

1/19: Free agent UT Matt Carpenter signed. Contract of RHR James Naile sold to Kia Tigers of the KBO. 40-man roster remains full.

1/22: Minors FA C Jonathan Morales signed, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 240 players.

1/26: FA RHR Josh James signed to minors contract, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 241 players.

1/29: 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas claimed off waivers from Angels. Mem OF Moises Gomez designated for assignment. New organization total: 242 players. 40-man roster remains full.

2/1: FA RHR Keynan Middleton signed. 40-man roster move pending. New organization total: 243 players.

2/2: OF Moises Gomez cleared waivers, outrighted to Mem. Will still go to camp as NRI.

2/3: RHR Guillermo Zuniga designated for assignment. 40-man roster full.

2/7: RHR Guillermo Zuniga traded to Angels for cash considerations. New organization total: 242 players. 40-man roster remains full.

2/12: FA RHR Jason Bosiokovic signed to a minors contract, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 243 players.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 2/12/24)

St. Louis (34) 40-man (40)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Mikolas Joh King (L) W Contreras Goldschmidt Donovan Winn Arenado Nootbaar
Liberatore (L) Middleton I Herrera L Baker Gorman Carlson
Z Thompson (L) Helsley M Carpenter Fermin Edman
Matz (L) Romero (L) Kennedy Burleson
Rom (L) G Gallegos Walker
Lynn Pallante Siani
Gibson Robertson
Gray Fernandez (R5)
Kittredge
Memphis (33)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
McGreevy (NRI) Roycroft Raposo (NRI) J Young Dunn Moore Koperniak (NRI)
Graceffo (NRI) Leahy (NRI) Crooks (NRI) A Rivas Prieto (NRI) M Gomez (NRI)
C Thomas (L NRI) Loutos (NRI) Collins Saggese (NRI)
Robberse Black Morales
Kloffenstein Granillo (NRI)
Hansen (L) Roach
Santos (NRI) Sawyer (NRI)
O’Brien
Naughton (L NRI)
W Rodriguez (NRI)
Corbett
Raquet
James
Bosiokovic
Springfield (29)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Hence (NRI) R Garcia Pages Redmond Torres Gamboa (NRI) Buchberger LJ Jones
Lunn Svanson Stauss (NRI) Mendlinger Antico
Roby (NRI) Ralston Antonini (NRI) R Mendoza Scott (NRI)
Pereira Pope Lloyd
Komar Shreve
Rajcic (NRI) Trogrlic-Iverson
Cornwell (L) E Nunez
Gragg
B Garcia
Peoria (26)
P P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Hjerpe (L NRI) Jos King Tarlow Yeager Moquete J Rivas (NRI) Tovalin Church
Love N Heredia (L) McKeithan Rotondo
T Baker D Rodriguez Linarez (NRI) Iadiserria
Mills GJ Rodriguez M Hernandez Kretzschmar
Paniagua Marrero LC Rodriguez
Bedell Reyes
Arias
Palm Beach (35)
P P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Mautz (L) Hayes Bernal (NRI) Sullivan Richardson Harris Curialle Jo Baez
Davila H Gomez Loaiza Friedrick Paige Espinoza Salazar Cho
G Salas Cuenca Adkison Villarroel Davis
Rincon Jacobson S Hernandez (NRI) Levenson
Lin Bradt Jobert
W Ortega Cordoba
Calderon
Showalter
Saladin
Carpenter
Winquest
FL Complex (38+1)
P P (from DSL) C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Willis Sequera R Heredia S De La Rosa Y Guerrero R Guzman R Cabrera
Villanueva Fabian LA Rodriguez A Encarnacion Grant Y Ramos
Giulianelli B Lopez J Guerrero Mejia Pino
Clemente Beltre (L) F Taveras
Arnold Cuello Honeyman
L Taveras (SL) Yanez J Suarez
Lynch (L) M Martinez M Vargas
(1st year 2024) (1st year 2023)
Mathews (L) Menes
Harrison Savacool
Worley Gastelum
Odle
Kubrick
Henderson (L)
DSL (36)
P (2022/prior) P (1st year 2023) C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Severino Paulino Asprilla B Taveras A Batista D Rojas Roquez
Ynfante E Carrera Atocha Junco Y Pena
Oliver R Lopez C Lopez Velasquez
Y Herrera (L) K Ramirez Caraballo Almonte
Galvez Y Batista (L) Arthur
Suriel Ja Baez Gil
X Cruz
P (1st year 2024) Mack (L)
Correa G Vargas
S Rojas (L)
A Bolivar
Moran
J Hernandez
K Perez
G  Martinez
International signed (11)
P P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Chinchilla R Rodriguez Saez Lebron Amaroso
Franco Zulueta Padilla Guribe
J Garcia Lucena

Codes
(IL): injured list
(TI): temporarily inactive list
(PL): paternity leave
(RL): restricted list
(SL): suspended list
(L): left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#): for teams, the number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (IL+TI+PL+RL+SL) players

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Victor Scott in His Own Words

Now Available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes 292 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 copy today! (The printed books are sold out.)

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

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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 on Twitter.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Victor Scott in His Own Words

From the Arizona Fall League, St. Louis Cardinals center field prospect Victor Scott discusses his three stops in 2023, including his current assignment in the AFL, progress in his first 16 months as a professional and much more in an exclusive interview.

This content is for paid members only. Join The Cardinal Nation today!
Register
Already a member? Log in here

TCN’s 2023 Cardinals Minor League Comeback Player of the Year

Prior to his subpar 2022, Luken Baker was always far above league average offensively. With a 2023 wRC+ that was a whopping 102 points higher than in 2022 and 39 points higher than his best year prior, the big first baseman is adding The Cardinal Nation’s Comeback Player of the Year to his many honors.

This content is for paid members only. Join The Cardinal Nation today!
Register
Already a member? Log in here

Cardinals Arizona Fall League Notebook – October 28, 2023

photo: Victor Scott (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Scottsdale Scorpions lost to the Salt River Rafters on Friday as three Cardinals played. TCN Player of the Day Victor Scott went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two steals, two RBI and a run scored. Jeremy Rivas went 2-for-3 and scored twice. Edwin Nunez allowed a run in two innings.

Results from the game played Friday, October 27.

Scottsdale Scorpions 5, Salt River Rafters 6

Three St. Louis Cardinals saw action in the Scorpions win over the Rafters. Victor Scott and Jeremy Rivas started in the field. Edwin Nunez pitched the final two innings.

Center fielder Scott led off and was 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored. In his first at-bat, Scott struck out. In the third, he singled and drove in a run, then stole a base but was caught stealing home.

Scott launched a solo home run in the fifth inning. He laid down a bunt single in the seventh and stole second but was left stranded.

Victor Scott

Jeremy Rivas was the shortstop and hit ninth. He was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. In his first appearance at the plate in the third inning, Rivas tripled and scored on a single by Scott. In the fifth, Rivas flied out to center field.

Rivas drew a walk in the seventh and later scored on a wild pitch. In the ninth, Rivas grounded into a double play to end the game.

Jeremy Rivas

Edwin Nunez pitched in relief. He threw the final two innings of the game and gave up one run on one hit. The run was the final score for Salt River as Nunez took the loss.

Scottsdale is 12-9 on the season and is in second place, one game back of the Surprise Saguaros.

Thursday’s game:  at Surprise Saguaros, Davis Daniel RHP (1-0, 1.69) vs. Carson Spiers RHP (2-1, 4.50) 2:30 CT.

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

TCN’s 2023 Cardinals Minor League Comeback Pitcher of the Year

Now Available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes 292 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 copy today!

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

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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.

Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Suffer Armed Robbery at Dominican Academy

photo: Cardinals Dominican Academy (St. Louis Cardinals)

A group of armed thieves broke into the St. Louis Cardinals Dominican Republic complex, stealing money, cell phones, jewelry and baseball equipment.

St. Louis Cardinals release

This morning (Friday, October 13), between 12:30 am and 4:00 a.m., Atlantic Time, a group of armed thieves penetrated the St. Louis Cardinals Dominican Republic complex.  The thieves stole money, cell phones, jewelry, and baseball equipment.

“This was scary on many fronts.  Our players and staff were shaken up but not harmed.  No one was injured, and we will reassess our security provisions immediately,“ said St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak. 

Local authorities were called as soon as possible and convened on the premises to investigate.

Brian Walton’s take

The news was broken by international journalist Francys Romero on Friday morning.

The Cardinals often have a fall instructional league camp, which may explain why players were present at the facility, located in Boca Chica.

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

2023 Peoria Chiefs Player of the Year

Now Available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes 292 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 copy today!

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

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2023 Palm Beach Cardinals Season Review

photo: Palm Beach manager Gary Kendall, interpreter James Bae, Won-Bin Cho (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals’ Low-A Palm Beach affiliate had the best first half record in the Florida State League East Division, and with a very different roster, was in the race until the end in the second half as well. The Beach Birds excelled primarily due to their young and talented starting pitching, led by FSL Pitcher of the Year, Max Rajcic.

2023 results

The Palm Beach Cardinals represent the St. Louis Cardinals in the Low-A Florida State League’s East Division. There are 10 teams in the FSL – four in the East and six in the West. The teams usually play in their MLB affiliate’s spring training facility. Spring training ballparks tend to be larger than most minor league parks which helps this league be pitching oriented.

The regular-season schedule began on April 6 and ended on September 10. Each team was scheduled for 132 games, but due to inclement weather, five of the Beach Birds’ games were canceled. Playing 127 games, Palm Beach logged an almost even split of 64 wins and 63 losses.

To create two postseason entrants in each division, the season is split into halves with the two winners advancing. With a 37-28 record before the break, the Cardinals took the division by 2 ½ games over neighbor Jupiter (Miami), punching their playoff ticket.

In the second half, the Beach Birds and Hammerheads again battled for the lead. With a late 7-3 surge, Jupiter won the division by six games as the skidding second-place Cards lost eight of 10 in September.

That lack of momentum continued into the playoffs as the Cardinals were swept by Jupiter two games straight, losing both extra inning contests by a single run. Details on the playoff series:

Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2023 Playoff Edition

Palm Beach finished the regular season with a home record of 30-33 and road mark of 34-30. However, the usually clear line between home and away was severely blurred in 2023 due to the renovation of Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium. This caused several home series to be moved to opponents’ stadiums with Palm Beach batting last.

From August 1 through the end of the season, both Palm Beach and Jupiter relocated to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in nearby West Palm.  That facility is the spring home of the Astros and Nationals, but neither organization competes in the Florida State League.

For the season, the Beach Birds had a +13 run differential while logging a losing record against opponents with a winning record (27-34). They were 6-5 in extra inning contests (but 0-2 in the playoffs) and were 19-19 in one-run games (again 0-2 in the postseason).

Coaching staff

Gary Kendall (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The 2023 Beach Birds were led by veteran manager Gary Kendall, in his second year in the Cardinals system. The long-time skipper in the Baltimore Orioles organization also guided the 2022 Palm Beach club into the postseason and was The Cardinal Nation’s Manager of the Year.

Giovanni Carrara was also back as the pitching coach for the Beach Birds after moving up from the Florida Complex League Cardinals prior to the 2022 season. Carrara was a relief pitcher primarily for the Dodgers for 11 MLB seasons from 1995-2006 and has coached in the Cardinals system since 2015.

Willi Martin served as the hitting coach this season after playing the same role at Peoria last year. Hired for the 2020 season that was not held due to COVID, Martin had been scheduled to work as the fourth coach at Springfield.

Former St. Louis outfielder and 2022 Florida Complex League hitting coach Bernard Gilkey was also on the staff with Manny Santamaria the affiliate fellow, focusing on video and technology. Campbell Quirk was back from 2022 as strength and conditioning coach and Jeff Case also returned as trainer.

Stats view – hitting

32 players made at least one plate appearance for Palm Beach in 2023, excluding St. Louis rehabber Paul DeJong. 16 had at least 100 PAs and eight took 200 or more. The three constants were infielder Michael Curialle (457 PAs), outfielder Won-Bin Cho (452) and infielder Lizandro Espinoza (413).

Michael Curialle

In the 10-team FSL, Palm Beach hitters averaged 21.2 years of age, sixth oldest in the league and just above the 21.0 average.

The offense was a middle of the pack unit, fifth in runs scored at 4.97 per game.  The Beach Birds were seventh in hits (985), fourth in doubles and home runs (214 and 39) and sixth in stolen bases (155) with a good success rate of 79%.

The hitters were sixth in walks (589) and eighth in strikeouts (1151). Their slash stats were .241 (fourth) / .348 (fifth) / .360 (eighth) / .708 (seventh).

Stats view – pitching

As usual, pitching was the strength of the Beach Birds, but there was a wide gulf between the excellent starters and the subpar relievers.

A total of 31 pitchers took the mound for the Cardinals in 2023, slightly below last season when 34 pitchers appeared. However, only 14 of them threw at least 20 innings for Palm Beach and just five reached 70 IP.

The Beach Birds staff averaged 21.6 years of age, the youngest in the league which averaged 22.2.

The team ERA of 4.44 was fifth, but their batting average against of .241 was only eighth. They allowed 96 home runs, tied for third most, and they were last in strikeouts by a fair margin with 1085. Just ahead of the Cardinals, the ninth-ranked squad had 1142 Ks with the league leader at 1278.

However, Cards pitchers walked the fewest number of batters. In fact, their total of 472 was a whopping 81 walks less than the second-best staff. This huge advantage in free passes issued made for a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.3 to 1, again best in the FSL.

Starting pitchers logged an aggregate ERA of 3.91, the lowest in the league. Their batting average against of .232 was third lowest. They walked the second fewest number of batters at 198 and were second in strikeouts at 585. 11 different pitchers started at least one game for the Beach Birds, but just five made more than 10 starts.

However, the relievers struggled. Their 5.11 ERA was ninth of 10 as opposing hitters averaged .253 against them, the highest in the league. A positive was their FSL-low walk total of 274, but their meager strikeout total of 500 was dead last, an eye-popping 145 fewer than the ninth-ranked bullpen. They earned 26 saves against 18 blown opportunities, with their conversion rate of 59.1% typical for the level.

Stats view – defense

A year after they had the best fielding percentage in the league at .977, the 2023 Cardinals dropped to eighth at .969. The defense committed 138 errors. They completed 256 double plays and allowed 17 passed balls.

Leonardo Bernal

Catchers for Palm Beach, led by prospect Leonardo Bernal, allowed a league low 121 stolen bases and caught 44 runners stealing. The caught stealing rate of 27% was fourth best in the FSL.

Roster considerations

As Kendall points out, every year in the Florida State League is made up of three seasons in one. First, there is the opening day roster. Then, as promotions to Peoria were earned or injury replacements were needed, new players joined the team from extended spring training as backfill. In July, a new wave of players from the draft became first-time professionals with the Beach Birds, with another batch of incumbents promoted upward.

To help put the churn into context, just 10 players from the 30-man opening day roster remained active as the season closed, six pitchers and four position players. In between, there were 106 transactions as many of the other 20 roster spots changed multiple times.

Many moves were upward to Peoria, but even more were made up of young players up from the Florida Complex League receiving their first taste of full season baseball. As noted in our FCL Season Review, some stuck with Palm Beach but others were returned to rookie ball for more seasoning. Of course, the new draftees were also activated once signed.

Key roster moves

In-season promotions to Peoria included reliever Gustavo Rodriguez (April), relievers Roy Garcia and Chris Gerard and infielders Javier Bolivar and Brody Moore (May), reliever Edwin Nunez, starter Max Rajcic, infielder R.J. Yeager and outfielder Alex Iadisernia (June), and reliever Joseph King, catcher Carlos Linarez and outfielder Chris Rotondo (July).

Edwin Nuñez

In July, 13 newly signed players were assigned to Palm Beach – OF Chase Davis (1st round), OF Zach Levenson (5), RHP Jason Savacool (6), SS Dakota Harris (11), OF Brayden Jobert (12), 1B William Sullivan (13), 2B Tre Richardson (15), RHP Tyler Bradt (16), 2B Trey Paige (17), C Graysen Tarlow (19), C Chase Adkison (free agent), 1B Ross Friedrick (FA) and OF Kade Kretzschmar (FA).

Chase Davis

Joining Palm Beach at the trade deadline was right-hander Zack Showalter, acquired from Baltimore as part of the Jack Flaherty trade. However, after just one short outing, Showalter went onto the injured list. He was later joined by another trade acquisition, catcher Sammy Hernandez from Toronto (by way of the FCL Cardinals).

Zack Showalter

On August 10, the team suffered a major loss when prospect catcher Leonardo Bernal suffered a season ending injury. Hernandez was his replacement.

In September, several Beach Birds received a brief taste of higher-level ball to conclude their 2023s. Pitcher Benjamin Arias, catcher Graysen Tarlow and outfielder Kade Kretzschmar went to Peoria and pitcher Pete Hansen temporarily jumped all the way to Memphis.

At the end of the season, pitchers Jose Moreno and Hayes Heinecke were released. In August, Australian catcher Jake Burns was also let go. July releases included outfielder Adanson Cruz, catcher Jose Zapata and infielder Brandon Hernandez. Former second round draft pick, outfielder Tre Fletcher was released in May.

Award winners

At the conclusion of the season, the Cardinals received three league All-Star nods, all starting pitchers. Max Rajcic is the FSL Pitcher of the Year and Pete Hansen and Hancel Rincon were also recognized as being among the best in the league.

Max Rajcic

Pete Hansen

Hancel Rincón

TCN Top Prospects

During the 2023 season, Palm Beach featured 12 of The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospects in the Cardinals organization. They include (August rankings) #8 prospect Leonardo Bernal, #9 Chase Davis, #12 Brycen Mautz, #14 Max Rajcic, #15 Pete Hansen, #17 Won-Bin Cho, #18 Jonathan Mejia, #24 Joshua Baez, #25 Edwin Nunez, #28 Zack Showalter, #39 Zach Levenson and #50 Sammy Hernandez.

Joshua Baez

What is next?

Much more detail on the Palm Beach 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 players and pitchers across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The Peoria Chiefs Team Review is next up.

The Cardinal Nation’s Team Recaps and Top Players of 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Release Nine as Minor League Seasons End

Now available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes a record 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2023 Dominican Summer League Cardinals Season Review

photo: Cardinals Dominican Academy (St. Louis Cardinals)

At .321 (17-36), the rookie-level Cardinals Dominican Summer League club posted the second-worst record in team history, On the young roster, the hitters struggled more than the pitchers compared to the league.

The Dominican Summer League Cardinals concluded 2023 in seventh place in the nine-team South Division for the second time in the last three years and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. It was a major backslide from their 2022 results, which included a winning record and a fourth-place finish.

The rookie-level Cards ended 2023 24 games out of first place, compared to 7 1/2 games behind in 2022. As a footnote, the 2022 club benefitted from the consolidation of the two DSL Cardinals clubs from 2021. That seemed to have no impact in 2023. Fray Peniche has managed the club throughout.

The 2023 Cardinals club’s .321 winning percentage (17-36 record) was historically bad. Specifically, it is the organization’s second-worst season record since they entered the DSL in 2005. Only the 2014 team, which limped home at .314, was worse. And it was very close. With just one more loss, the 2023 team would have set a new DSL Cardinals futility record.

This summer’s Cards finished significantly below .500 at home (10-15, .400) and especially struggled away (7-21, .250). Not surprisingly, they had a particularly difficult time facing opponents with winning records, going just 8-26 (.235), but the Cardinals did not have a positive record against losing teams, either, with a 9-10 (.473) mark.

The planned 56-game schedule opened on June 5 and concluded on August 22, with three games canceled along the way. The season began roughly as the Cardinals were just 4-14 in June. They went 7-14 in July but finished relatively better, going 6-8 in August. For the season, the Cards were 3-3 in extra innings, but just 5-10 (.333) in one-run decisions.

As has been customary for the DSL Cardinals over time, pitching was the 2023 team’s relative strength, as evidenced by their run differential of -94 for the season (223 scored vs. 317 allowed).

Offense

The Cards were the 12th-youngest offense in the 50-team DSL at an average age of 17.5 years. In comparison, the league offenses ranged from 17.1 to 18.6 years old.

Statistically, the performance of the 2023 Cardinals offense, coached by Luis Cruz and Wesslye Cuas, was dismal.

The Cardinals were tied for 46th of 50 in runs scored (223). They were 49th in batting average (.211) and on-base percentage (.322), 45th in slugging (.317) and 48th in OPS (.639). The DSL Cards were tied for 32nd with 72 doubles and tied for 17th with 32 home runs. They were 48th with only 38 steals but were caught just nine times for a very good success rate of 80.9%.

Strikeouts were a major problem for Cardinals hitters as they were punched out 562 times, the most in the league by 19 Ks. They were not much better at taking walks with 213, ranked 43rd (eighth fewest) in the DSL.

Cardinals Dominican Academy (St. Louis Cardinals)

Pitching

At an average of 17.8 years of age, Cardinals pitching was third-youngest in the DSL, with the league ranging from 17.6 to a high of 19.8.

Stepping aside for a moment, the Cardinals organization often attributes poor results in the minors at least in part to the relative youth of their players. In the 2023 DSL, age is clearly a factor.

Even with their youth, the DSL staff were relatively more successful than their hitting teammates. Despite their 5.04 ERA, ranked 30th, the Cardinals’ ERA was lower than the league average of 5.45. (This draws even more attention to the futility of the offense.)

Led by pitching coaches Bill Villanueva and Wilman Madera, Cardinals hurlers were 12th in strikeouts (461) and just above the middle of the pack, 21st, in walks issued (267). Their batting average against of .261 was 11th highest in the DSL. With 22 long balls allowed, the Cardinals tied for 30th (20th fewest). Their pitchers were relatively wild, with a count of 62 hit batters, tied for 13th.

Disappointingly, the starters were below average – 36th with an ERA of 4.78, 38th in WHIP at 1.48, with the fifth-highest batting average against at .277. Because they don’t often go five innings (averaging fewer than 3 1/3 innings per start), DSL Cardinals starters won just four games all season (against 19 losses).

The relievers’ ERA of 5.21 was middle-of-the-pack, 24th place. Their WHIP was just 36th at 1.70, due in part to the 15th (tied) most free passes issued (196). They yielded a batting average against of .251, which was 22nd highest in the DSL.

Defense

The 2023 Cardinals defense was the among the league’s worst – at least in terms of errors (89, 12th) and with a collective .950 fielding percentage (44th). On a more positive note, the catchers were seventh best in the DSL with a 36% caught stealing rate (41 of 74).

Large but static roster

With a roster that was usually full at 35 players in number, Peniche had to be challenged by getting everyone regular action. At least, the roster was very static. Just 36 different individuals took the field for the 2023 DSL Cardinals – 19 pitchers and 17 position players.

Another measure of the inexperience of the Cardinals is that of the 36, 22 were signed in 2023 – 10 hitters and 12 pitchers.

Once extended spring training was complete, there were no in-season promotions of DSL players upward to the Florida Complex League.

St. Louis Cardinals Dominican academy clubhouse (St. Louis Cardinals)

Transactions

As the season began in early June, right-handed pitcher Estaban Contreras and outfielder Carlos Carmona were released.

With the active roster so tight, the Cardinals made good use of the 60-day injured list. Outfielder Xavier Cruz, shortstop Yoerny Junco plus right-handed pitchers Diego Dominguez and Junior Chirinos spent the season on the 60-day IL until Chirinos was activated in early August.

In addition, three of the 2023 class of international signees, all right-handed pitchers, did not appear in game action. Cruz and Andrew Bolivar also spent the year on the 60-day while 17-year-old Reiner Lopez was neither placed on the IL nor played.

The much-heralded Cardinals commitment of 16-year-old Cuban shortstop Luis Manuel Leon was not translated into a signing for unknown reasons.

Once the 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 infielders Marcelo Perez and Elias Reynoso plus the aforementioned pitcher Diego Dominguez.

Of course, at the other end of the totem pole, some of the best performing 2023 DSL Cardinals will move up in the spring to eventually play for the 2024 Florida Complex League Cards.

All-Star duo

Yordalin Peña

For the second consecutive year, outfielder Yordalin Pena was named a DSL All-Star. He was joined on the National League squad for the mid-season game by pitcher Yadiel Batista.

Yadiel Batista

The Cardinals had no post-season DSL All-Stars, either pitchers or hitters, in 2023.

What is next?

Much more detail on the DSL 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 Florida Complex League Cardinals Team Review is next up.

The Cardinal Nation’s Team Recaps and Top Players of 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2023 Playoff Edition

Now available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes a record 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Saggese is Texas League MVP; Pages and Redmond also All-Stars

photo: Thomas Saggese (Springfield Cardinals)

The second-half division winning Springfield Cardinals have three Texas League All-Stars in awards announced by the league on Tuesday, September 26.

Catcher Pedro Pagés, first baseman Chandler Redmond and second baseman Thomas Saggese were named to the 16-member 2023 Texas League All-Star Team. Saggese was also selected as the Double-A league’s Most Valuable Player.

Thomas Saggese

Overall, at Double-A in 2023, Saggese slashed .318/.385/.551/.936 with 25 home runs and 107 RBI. The 21-year-old led the Texas League in batting average, RBI, OPS, hits (158), extra base hits (60) and total bases (274).

In his 33 games after joining Springfield, the second baseman was even better, batting .331 with an OPS of 1.065 and earning Cardinals system-wide Player of the Month honors for August.

Saggese, The Cardinal Nation’s eighth-ranked prospect, was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2020 Draft by the Texas Rangers. The Cardinals acquired Saggese with others in a trade with Texas just before the July 31st deadline for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.

After five weeks with Springfield, on September 8, Saggese was promoted to Triple-A Memphis, where he finished the season.

Saggese is the S-Cards’ third Texas League MVP in the last four seasons, following outfielders Moises Gomez (2022) and Dylan Carlson (2019). (The 2020 season was not played.)

The California native is also the Cardinals organization’s third league “best of ” player for 2023, joining Midwest League Pitcher of the Year Ian Bedell and Florida State League Pitcher of the Year Max Rajcic.

Pedro Pagés

The 25-year-old Pages was first among Texas League qualified catchers in batting average (.267), hits (113), RBI (72), doubles (23), walks (59), on-base percentage (.362), slugging (.443) and OPS (.805), and was second in home runs (16).

Playing in 117 of Springfield’s 138 games, Pages had a league-best .992 fielding percentage and a league-high 47 runners caught stealing in 123 attempts (38.2% rate). The native of Venezuela caught the most innings in the league at 731, 51 innings more than the next closest catcher.

Pages is The Cardinal Nation’s 36th-ranked prospect.

Chandler Redmond

In 2023, Redmond led all of Double-A with 31 home runs. The 26-year-old ranked among league leaders in eight categories, including home runs (1st), RBI (3rd, 92), total bases (2nd, 228), extra-base hits (3rd, 50), walks (3rd, 81), runs (3rd, 88), slugging percentage (6th, .503) and OPS (6th, .878).

Redmond helped drive the S-Cards into the playoffs by finishing the regular season strongly. The Maryland native was named the Texas League Player of the Week for the period ending August 27.

The left-handed slugger is only the second player in Springfield history with more than 30 home runs in a single season and is second on the team’s all-time long ball list with 57. Late in the season, he also became the franchise’s all-time leader in RBI with 196.

Redmond is The Cardinal Nation’s 43rd-ranked prospect.

(A tip of the cap to the Springfield Cardinals for player stat rankings listed above.)

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2023 Playoff Edition

Now available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes a record 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.

https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/

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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.

© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.