photo: Cooper Hjerpe (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 discuss the recent injuries to pitching prospects Cooper Hjerpe and Quinn Mathews and potential impacts. Josh Kross’ Florida State League Player of the Week award is noted and several recent standouts at each level are highlighted. They close with a return to the St. Louis attendance topic as Kyle shares his different point of view.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Jason Isringhausen, Matthew Liberatore (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 discuss St. Louis pitching including Matthew Liberatore as well as two potential bullpen reinforcements/replacements. Kyle explains why Cade McGee and Josh Kross may be important to the future of the farm system. Pitchers reviewed include Michael McGreevy, Max Rajcic, Luis Gastelum, Gerardo Salas, Zack Showalter, Mason Burns and 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 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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Clockwise from upper right – Steffen White, Nathan Pomerenk, Jacob Stoffle, Mark Wagner, Michael Goff
With the St. Louis Cardinals’ four full-season minor league clubs having officially taken the fields Friday, April 4 for the first time in 2025, The Cardinal Nation is once again bringing you along via our local reporting coverage that continues all season and into the fall.
Here, every day is Minor League Day! For over two decades, TCN has been your one-stop home for St. Louis Cardinals system-wide information – headlined by a team of reporters who are working at the games!
Our writers reside in the cities where their Cardinals affiliate clubs are located and are credentialed media at their local ballparks. They share their first-hand insight with members on an immediate basis for breaking news and on a regular schedule for in-depth reports.
Covering the Cardinals’ four full-season clubs are experienced reporters and writers – Nathan Pomerenk for Triple-A Memphis, Jacob Stoffle at Double-A Springfield, Mark Wagner at A-Advanced Peoria and Steffen White for Class-A Palm Beach. You can read more about all four here.
The Cardinal Nation’s reporters give you the scoop directly from the ballpark on what is happening with their club: player movement, role changes, injuries, who is hot and not and more – going beyond what you can learn from simply reading box scores and following social media.
Weekly eyewitness reports from our minor league writers have begun and are available exclusively to TCN members on the following schedule.
Tuesday: Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook by Steffen White
Wednesday: Peoria Chiefs Notebook by Mark Wagner
Thursday: Springfield Cardinals Notebook by Jacob Stoffle
Friday: Memphis Redbirds Notebook by Nathan Pomerenk
Once short season ball begins next month, our local reporter in the Florida Complex League, Paul Ivice, will again kick into gear as well, giving our subscribers unequalled end-to-end coverage of the Cardinals system here in the US. We will also have weekly in-depth reports on the 2025 Dominican Summer League Cardinals, again written by TCN veteran Leonda Markee.
These rookie ball Notebooks will run on Saturday and Sunday mornings, respectively.
Every game recapped each morning
Of course, you don’t have to wait a week to find out what is happening across the organization. Each morning, our Minor League Notebooks, recapping all the scores and results around the entire Cardinals system, are available for all readers.
Written by long-time TCN staffer Marilyn Green and newcomer Michael Goff, they highlight the previous day’s action and preview the upcoming starting pitchers every morning all season long.
As player movement and injuries occur, The Cardinal Nation will report on them immediately – not only with basic information but also outlining implications to the players and rosters.
Extensive draft coverage
Leading up to and following the July 13-14 First-Year Player Draft, TCN will deliver in-depth commentary on all of the newest Cardinals.
Updated prospect rankings and Players of the Month
Also, back for 2025 will be our popular Monthly Cardinals Prospect List Updates, exclusively for TCN members. The top risers and fallers in the organization will be analyzed mid-month starting in May.
At the top of the monthly calendar, we name our system-wide Pitchers and Players of the Month, driven by analysis of multiple candidates. The honors are entirely results-based without consideration of prospect status.
As always, TCN’s publisher and editor Brian Walton will crisscross the system during 2025. It began with his residency in spring training and will continue to Jupiter again for rookie and Class-A ball to the Arizona Fall League and more!
Get your Cardinals minor league information from the team that set and maintains the standard for end-to-end, first-hand coverage of the entire organization. To read more about The Cardinal Nation’s entire staff, click here.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
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 discuss the starts to the season by St. Louis and Memphis, including fan support. They take a major focus on pitching, both what went right and wrong. They then review the Opening Day rosters at Double-A Springfield and High-A Peoria, again with special attention on the hurlers. The addition of Palm Beach home games to MiLB.TV telecasts for the first time is celebrated.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Matthew Liberatore (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 discuss the ramifications to both St. Louis and Memphis of the final Opening Day roster decisions made by the Cardinals, including center field, back up shortstop and the starting rotation. They touch on performances in the Memphis-St. Louis exhibition game and the pros and cons of adding minor league veteran free agents, while blending in a few of Kyle’s recent social media hot takes along the way.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Luis Gastelum (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 discuss Cardinals performances in the Spring Breakout Game, focusing on three standout pitching prospects, Luis Gastelum, Cooper Hjerpe and Quinn Mathews. They review upcoming St. Louis roster decisions heading into Opening Day while recalling a few of Kyle’s recent social media hot takes along the way.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Andrew Dutkanych (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.
This week, Brian and Kyle discuss Kyle’s soon-to-be unveiled Top 50 St. Louis Cardinals prospect list including some differences between their two lists and why. Players include Hjerpe/Hence/Roby, Honeyman and Holiday in the top 10, Dutkanych and Koperniak close behind and more. They preview Friday’s Spring Breakout Game and review a few of Kyle’s recent social media hot takes.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
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 discuss the first roster cuts from St. Louis Cardinals camp with a focus on Quinn Mathews and wondering about JJ Wetherholt. Next was the three injuries so far, with Jordan Walker the most recent. MLB Pipeline’s new Top 30 Cardinals Prospect List is touched upon as well as our recent player impressions from camp.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Thomas Saggese and Nathan Church (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
To recognize those players with perhaps the brightest futures in the St. Louis Cardinals system, The Cardinal Nation is announcing our annual Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List for 2025. Our 20th annual rankings are rolling out daily in the weeks ahead.
A proven process
Blake Newberry
As we unveil our 2024 Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List, Blake Newberry is once again providing his in-depth player evaluations.
Blake has written for The Cardinal Nation since 2019 and has covered prospects via the draft, in winter ball and via in-depth scouting reports on the best Cardinals prospects.
Blake’s expertise in scouting prospects is important in keeping our Cardinals projections grounded. His tools-driven evaluations join Brian Walton’s assessments for this project.
The rankings
The process to set TCN’s new Top 50 for 2025 is an extension of our members-only in-season monthly Cardinals prospect rankings, with adjustments based on fall and winter ball play as well as input from scouts and player development professionals.
Separately developed, Newberry’s list of his best 65 prospects was averaged with Walton’s working top 65 to develop the site’s new Top 50.
Players are eligible until they surpass the MLB rookie levels of 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days of service time.
In our daily countdown of the Top 50, starting on Tuesday, November 12, Blake provides a scouting report on each prospect, highlighting the five major tools for position players and grades for pitches. These grades are on the standard 20-80 scouting scale, noted with the risk associated with the player eventually achieving his Future Value (FV).
Walton will provide background on each prospect, his progress in the organization, where he fits against others and his outlook for the coming season and beyond.
Following the countdown will be our annual series of “best-of”, “just-missed” and in-depth analysis articles of the Top 50 collectively. This series will continue into the New Year.
As always, selected prospect reports will be made available to everyone, but for full access to all 50 write-ups and the following articles, one must be a member of The Cardinal Nation. Join today!
To follow the countdown, you can either read each new story when posted on our home page every morning or click on the individual players’ names, which will be listed below as they are unveiled. You can also return to this page daily to check the progress in our Top 50 countdown.
Readers can join in the dialogue at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board, where there will be discussion surrounding that day’s entry onto the top prospect list.
To check out the corresponding rankings from each of the past 19 winters, click here, or you can always access them via the permanent link in the left column located underneath the site logo called “PROSPECT RANKINGS”.
At the conclusion of the countdown, a multi-part series follows, as we drill down into the details behind the Top 50. Most of these articles will be exclusively for TCN members.
We will analyze year-to-year changes and the top additions, highlight players who did not make the combined Top 50 and unveil our All-Prospect Team – the highest-ranked players at each position.
Next will be a view behind the numbers, a look back at our best and worst picks from the previous year, the top prospect list cut by level of play, those on the 2024 list who dropped off for 2025 and a potential-only based-list of the new Top 50.
2025 St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospects Ranked by Future Value and Risk
Scouting grading scale and risk
The following table aligns the level of each scouting grade for hitters and pitchers to the comparable future MLB role.
Grade
Hitter role
Pitcher role
80
Top 5 hitter
1-3 arm. Ace if multiple years
70
Top 10 hitter
2 starter FIP sub 3.00
60
All-Star
3 starter 3.30 FIP (200 IP)/High closer
55
Above average regular/occasional All-Star
3/4 starter 3.70 FIP (160 IP)/Mid closer
50
Average everyday player
4 starter 4.00 FIP (or 190+ IP)/Low closer/high set up
45
Platoon player
4/5 starter 4.20 FIP/Low set up
40
Reserve
Backend starter 5.00 FIP/Middle relief
30
AAAA player
AAAA player
20
Organizational player
Organizational player
Behind these basic grades are more detailed scales which help translate player measurements by position types into grades. Examples include average and home run levels and home to first base times for hitters, pop rates for catchers and velocities, strikeout and walk rates for pitchers.
Risk is another measure included. It indicates the chances a player hits the Future Value scouting grade given.
Low
Moderate
High
Extreme
Order Now – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2025 Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2024 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off PDF deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 discuss standout prospect pitchers and a few hitters as well in the St. Louis Cardinals first four spring training games. Names include Roby, Hjerpe, Hence, Wetherholt, Barrero and Scott. The tradeoffs in setting the Memphis rotation were debated. The structure of minor league spring training and its March games were highlighted and much more!
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.
Another contest at The Cardinal Nation forum. Pick the first #stlcards hitter to go deep twice in spring training and win a free one-year subscription. (Yes, you can guess Baker, Yeager or Wetherholt if you choose.) Registration is free. https://t.co/fDiBQiIVXCpic.twitter.com/2ym711c7vI
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Steve Carlton, Brian Jordan, Edgar Renteria, George Hendrick
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals have revealed Steve Carlton, George Hendrick, Brian Jordan, and Édgar RenterÍa as the modern players nominated for possible induction into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, presented by Edward Jones. Fans can view the 2025 Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot and cast their selections online starting Saturday, February 22, at cardinals.com/HOF.
The modern player with the most votes after fan voting concludes on Friday, April 18, will be selected for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame during an enshrinement ceremony on Saturday, September 6. The full 2025 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Class, which will also include a veteran player chosen by the Red Ribbon Committee and a Cardinals organization selection, will be announced in May.
The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history. To be eligible, the nominees must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories, including “modern players” and “veteran players.” If a player retired more than 40 years prior to the induction year, he is classified as a veteran player.
All 55 members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame are permanently enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery presented by Edward Jones located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the team’s museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is free and open to the public. A full list of Cardinals Hall of Famers can be found at cardinals.com/HOF.
A description of each 2025 Cardinals Hall of Fame nominee’s career as a Cardinal follows:
Steve Carlton began his National Baseball Hall of Fame career in St. Louis, capped with a 20-9 record and his third All-Star selection in 1971. He ranked second in the NL with a 2.17 ERA in 1969. The left-hander ranks ninth in franchise history with 951 strikeouts, tied for third with 13 games of 10-plus strikeouts and is one of only two Cardinals pitchers to win 75 games before turning 27. In his five full seasons with the Cardinals, Carlton averaged 32 starts and 237 innings while working more than seven innings per start. He was a member of the 1967 World Series champions and the 1968 NL pennant winners.
George Hendrick was a strong and steady presence for the Cardinals for seven seasons as an outfielder and first baseman. He topped the team in home runs and RBI and received National League Most Valuable Player Award votes four consecutive years (1980-1983), while batting .300 or better three times. A two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award recipient with St. Louis, Hendrick drove in the winning run in Game 7 of the 1982 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. “Silent George” ranks ninth in franchise history with 62 game-winning RBI (since 1980). He served as the Cardinals’ hitting coach in 1996 and 1997.
Outfielder Brian Jordan finished eighth in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting in 1996 after batting .310 with 36 doubles, 17 home runs, 104 RBI and 22 stolen bases — leading the Cardinals to the NL Central Division championship and their first postseason appearance since 1987. He batted .422 with runners in scoring position that year, a franchise record at the time. In 1998, Jordan set career-highs with a .316 batting average and 25 home runs. A first round selection in the 1988 MLB Draft, Jordan played in the NFL for three seasons while working his way up the Cardinals farm system.
Among shortstops, Édgar Rentería ranks second in Cardinals history in home runs and stolen bases and third in batting average (min. 1,500 plate appearances), hits, extra-base hits and RBI. He won three Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves in six seasons, including both in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, Rentería set franchise records for a shortstop with a .330 average and 47 doubles, to go with 13 homers, 100 RBI and 34 steals. A three-time All-Star with St. Louis, he played on four National League Central Division championship teams and batted .333 in the 2004 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.
Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum
The 8,000-square-foot St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village celebrates the rich history of baseball in St. Louis and the legacy of one of baseball’s most storied franchises. Since its creation in 2014, the Cardinals Hall of Fame presented by Edward Jones, has inducted 55 former Cardinal players, coaches and executives. The Cardinals’ museum collection is the largest team-held collection in baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 22,000 memorabilia items and hundreds of thousands of archived photos. Fans can learn more about the museum at cardinals.com/museum.
Head to The Cardinal Nation's free forum to guess which #stlcards player hits the first home run of the spring at Roger Dean and when. The winner will receive a free one-year subscription to The Cardinal Nation. Enter by this Saturday morning, 2/22. https://t.co/Lf2lWlWxJZpic.twitter.com/CaMfUz4VSF
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 copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of 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 25-30 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
Brian and Kyle share their views on top subjects of the week, starting with St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching depth, players from STEP Camp in whom we are interested, things we will be looking for in spring training games starting on Saturday and much more.
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!
Head to The Cardinal Nation's free forum to guess which #stlcards player hits the first home run of the spring at Roger Dean and when. The winner will receive a free one-year subscription to The Cardinal Nation. Enter by this Saturday morning, 2/22. https://t.co/Lf2lWlWxJZpic.twitter.com/ncmMvLLmoq
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Roger Dean Stadium (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Guess when the first St. Louis Cardinals home run leaves the partially renovated Roger Dean Stadium this spring and who hits it. The winner will receive a free annual subscription to The Cardinal Nation.
The initial wave of the multi-year renovations to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida includes moving the bullpens off the foul areas of the field of play and behind the outfield fences. This is a safety change required by MLB.
In conjunction with the bullpen relocation is a move of the outfield fences in. A stadium official estimates that it will be about 10 feet closer in the corners to about 20 in dead center field. Current dimensions are left field (330 feet), left-center field (355 feet), center field (400 feet), right-center field (350 feet) and right field (325 feet).
Work is not yet complete, but officials insist the changes will be ready for the St. Louis Cardinals first home spring training game, which is coming soon, on February 22.
Cardinals hitters – whether major leaguers in the spring or Class-A ones in-season – have experienced years of hard-hit balls to right-field being knocked down by the stiff ocean breeze blowing in. That may be alleviated a bit by the change, perhaps making the notorious hitters park play a bit closer to neutral.
Against that backdrop, the time seems right for a contest. The reader to correctly guess which Cardinal will hit the first spring home run of 2025 out of Roger Dean and in which home game will receive a free one-year subscription to The Cardinal Nation. Current subscribers can designate another to receive the gift membership.
If there is a tie, qualifiers’ names will be drawn from a hat and two winners will be selected.
There is no cost to enter, but only one entry per person is allowed. Entries will be accepted through the morning of Saturday, February 22.
Simply reply on the designated thread pinned at the top of The Cardinal Nation’s free forum with the name of the Cardinals hitter and the number and/or date of the home game in which the team’s first long ball leaves their park this spring.
Good luck to all and may the best prognosticator win!
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 copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of 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 25-30 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
Brian and Kyle share their views on top subjects, starting with St. Louis Cardinals spring training, a very aggressive Wednesday-only promotion for midweek tickets at Busch Stadium, and a discussion of the various veteran minor league players added recently.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
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 25-30 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
Brian and Kyle share their views on the top subjects of the week, including the Jim Edmonds news and fallout, the optimal time to set the roster for the new season and impressions of Cardinals placement on national farm system ranking lists, with specific prospect commentary.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Now available, The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. The 2025 Guide features 256 pages of in-depth commentary covering the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports on over five dozen players.
TCN owner Brian Walton and scouting analyst Blake Newberry provide Individual player profiles featuring scouting reports, probable 2025 team assignment, Rule 5 status, estimated MLB arrival, ultimate potential and more. Also included in the Guide is a recap of the 2024 season and an extensive history section on past drafts, international signings, awards and more.
The Guide is again available in two formats in three pricing options – the PDF version (offered at half-price for paid subscribers of The Cardinal Nation) and the popular spiral-bound printed book.
Click on the box below to read full details and place your order today!
photo: Albert Pujols, umpires, Yadier Molina (Francys Romero)
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 25-30 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
Brian and Kyle share their views on the top subjects of the week, including the signing of Yohel Pozo (who?), Quinn Mathews vs. Tink Hence, the move of Dylan Carlson to Baltimore, players-turned-managers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina (with a side of Big Mac) and early impressions of Cardinals development camp, now underway in Jupiter, Florida.
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!
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Ben Johnson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Friday, January 17) the 2025 coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates, in addition to their player development and medical personnel for the upcoming season.
Ben Johnson returns for his 7th season at Memphis (AAA), while Gary Kendall (4th season) and Fray Peniche (15th season) will also be returning to their managerial posts at Palm Beach (A) and DSL (Rookie), respectively. Patrick Anderson will take the helm at Springfield (AA) after managing the three previous seasons in Peoria, replacing former skipper José Leger, who will now serve as Assistant Field & Baserunning Coordinator based in Jupiter. Roberto Espinoza, who managed the last four seasons in the Florida Complex League, has been bumped up to lead Peoria (High-A) while former Palm Beach hitting coach Willi Martin has been promoted to manage the rookie-level FCL Cardinals.
New hires to the minor league coaching staffs include Peter Mooney (Memphis bench coach), Danny Black (Springfield bench coach), Michael Oh (Palm Beach pitching coach), Rich Benjamin (FCL bench coach), and Walter Miranda in the newly created role of rehab pitching coach.
Following is a complete listing of the Cardinals 2025 Minor League Staffs and Player Development assignments:
Club
Manager
Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach
Bench Coach
Memphis (AAA)
Ben Johnson*
Darwin Marrero*
Howie Clark*
Peter Mooney#
Springfield (AA)
Patrick Anderson^
Eric Peterson*
Casey Chenoweth*
Danny Black#
Peoria (High-A)
Roberto Espinoza^
Will Hawks^
Elvis Rodriguez*
Luis Arenado^
Palm Beach (A)
Gary Kendall*
Michael Oh#
Paul Benoit^
TBD
FCL (Rookie)
Willi Martin^
Dernier Orozco*
Erick Almonte*
Rich Benjamin#, Will Peterson^
DSL (Rookie)
Fray Peniche*
Bill Villanueva*
Luis Cruz*
Wessley Cuas*, Wilman Madera*
Player Development Assignments
AGM, Player Development & Performance – Rob Cerfolio#
Director, Player Development – Larry Day#
Director, Performance – Carl Kochan#
Director, Pitching – Matt Pierpont#
Manager, Player Development – Antonio Mújica^
Assistant Director, Performance – Thomas Knox*
Manager, Player Dev. & Performance – Emily Wiebe*
Minor League Coordinators & Instructors
Field Coordinator – Ryan Barba#
Fundamentals Coordinator – José Oquendo^
Assistant Field & Baserunning Coordinator – José Leger^
Pitching Instructor/Spec. Adv. – Jason Isringhausen*
Pitching Coordinator – Austin Meine#
Hitting & Outfield Instructor/Spec. Adv. – Ryan Ludwick*
Player Dev. Video & Technology Coord. – Brady Hall^
Jupiter Video & Technology Specialist – Colin Campbell^
Memphis Fellow – Michael Factor^
Palm Beach Fellow – Michelle McMillan^
Springfield Fellow – Hunter Broadbent#
Florida Complex League Fellow – Lily Coffey#
Peoria Fellow – Andrew Rankin#
Dominican Summer League Fellow – Paige Schultz*
* Returning Manager/Coach/Staff
^ Returning Manager/Coach/Staff with new assignment
# New Coach/Staff hire
Now Available for Pre-Ordering – 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!
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In a free report, The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2025 concludes with a shortstop who comes with very high expectations following his selection in the first round of the 2024 Draft. How soon will JJ Wetherholt reach St. Louis and at what position will he play?
JJ Wetherholt is the clear top prospect in the Cardinals system with Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence a tier below, in my estimation. The 2024 first round pick stands out with no major holes in his game, profiling as a potential above average second baseman who is currently playing shortstop. He shows a ton of power potential, makes contact at an extremely high rate, and has the best plate discipline in the Cardinals’ system.
Wetherholt stuck out in under 12% of his plate appearances in Single-A after striking out at just 10% in his final season at West Virginia. While the ability to make contact is impressive, perhaps the most impressive part of Wetherholt’s hit tool is his ability to consistently hit the ball at optimal launch angles. He is a line drive machine and hits hard, powerful fly balls instead of high fly balls and pop ups. His innate feel for hitting is simply incredible and allows him to hit the ball consistently and with authority.
Wetherholt has tremendous raw power for someone with a 5’10”, 190-pound frame. He posted a max exit velocity of 112 mph in college to go with a 109.2 mph max exit velocity in just 126 plate appearances in Palm Beach in 2024. That’s above average raw power and Wetherholt gets to it consistently with his feel for finding the barrel.
More than half of Wetherholt’s batted balls were hit above 95 mph at both the collegiate and professional level. Many of his batted balls were also hit in the air, either a fly ball or a line drive, allowing him to maximize his power. The only real limitation in Wetherholt’s profile, which prevents me from considering his power to be a true plus tool, is his struggle to pull the ball in the air. Still, he has more than enough power to fill the gaps with doubles and clear the fence with regularity.
I’ve already touched on Wetherholt’s better-than-plus hit tool and his above average power but my favorite part of his offensive game is his plate discipline, and more specifically, his swing decisions. Often when hitters have high walk rates, they are patient to the point of being passive. Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar are examples.
What that means is that while they don’t chase pitches outside the zone, they also don’t attack pitches inside the zone with any kind of frequency. That doesn’t necessarily show a discerning eye at the plate as much as an overall passive approach.
This isn’t the case for Wetherholt, who rarely chases, as evidenced by his chase rate in the 98th percentile in Single-A. He isn’t passive, though, as he also had a 78th percentile swing rate against pitches in the zone.
What this means is that he can be aggressive without swinging at bad pitches. This is the ideal plate approach and it’s especially so for someone able to hit the ball hard with such consistency. Few hitters can be this aggressive in the zone and this patient outside of the zone, but Wetherholt has a truly discerning eye and that allows him to crush pitches in the zone while also walking at a high rate. It’s probably his best attribute and it takes his offensive game to the next level.
The 22-year-old has a good chance to be a true impact hitter at the highest level with an ability to both hit for average and hit for power while getting on base at a high clip.
His bat is the draw, but Wetherholt is also good defensively. He is playing shortstop currently and has shown flashes of being a solid defender at the position. Even so, his best position is likely to be second base. While it makes sense to let him continue to develop at the most difficult and valuable infield position, I expect to see him switch to second base by the time he reaches Triple-A to prepare him for his eventual role at the major league level. He has good hands and solid, though not outstanding, range which should help him be an above average second baseman going forward.
This gives Wetherholt a complete profile as a prospect with few, if any, holes in his game. He projects to be a player that can move through the system quickly and make a high-level impact in MLB. Wetherholt had some hamstring issues in college, which is a likely explanation for how he fell to the seventh spot in the draft, so there may be some risk there, but, as a prospect, Wetherholt checks all the boxes.
Summary: JJ Wetherholt is clearly a tier above every other prospect in the system and brings a well-rounded game with no major holes and the potential to be an impact bat who can stick up the middle defensively.
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
Brian’s ranking – no. 1
Background
The Cardinals had to be absolutely delighted when one of the top players, if not the top player, in the 2024 Draft was still available when their first pick at number seven overall came up.
Heading into the draft, Wetherholt was ranked as the number one eligible prospect according to Fangraphs, third per Baseball America and The Athletic and fourth at MLB Pipeline.
One of Baseball America’s final mock drafts had Wetherholt going to the Cleveland Guardians with the number one pick. Recurring hamstring issues that caused him to miss 24 of 60 games and play often as designated hitter in 2024 may have contributed to Wetherholt’s falling to the Cardinals.
JJ Wetherholt (University of West Virginia)
The 22-year-old’s excellent bat to ball skills are evidenced by his NCAA-leading .449 batting average in 2023. That dropped to “just” .331 in 2024. Wetherholt is a base-stealing threat with his 36 stolen bases tops in the Big 12 in 2023, when the then-sophomore was the conference Player of the Year.
Wetherholt, a Pittsburgh-area native, played three seasons for the Mountaineers, slashing .370/.468/.625/1.093 with 29 home runs, 49 doubles, 129 RBI, 148 runs and a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 82 walks in 145 career games. In 2022, he was a teammate of Memphis outfielder Victor Scott.
The pool amount for his pick is $6,823,700 and he signed for $76,300 more, an even $6.9 million. That represented just over 2/3 of the organization’s total spending in the 2024 Draft.
“Looking at his batting line and the back of the baseball card is that he’s hit and he’s always hit,” Cardinals Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Randy Flores said. “What was impressive to our scouting group this summer was that he did it against the best competition and he did it while nursing some soreness.
“Often times in this day and age, it’s natural that players only want to play when they are 100 percent. But even though he was limited physically this summer, he was taking at bats and DHing,” Flores concluded.
Prior to his professional debut, I asked Wetherholt about his readiness. He replied, “My hamstring is good. I’m really healthy now.”
2024 recap
Wetherholt did seem to be ready to play as he appeared at shortstop in 24 regular season games and just five at designated hitter for Class-A Palm Beach. Given his advanced bat, there was considerable speculation he would have opened at High-A Peoria instead, but perhaps due to his earlier injury and the superior medical and training facilities in Jupiter, the Cardinals took the more conservative route with Wetherholt in 2024.
That proved to be a good decision as he started his professional career slowly. Over 21 August contests with Palm Beach, he slashed just .219/.356/.288/.644. However, in September, he heated up with an impressive 1.247 OPS including nine RBI and eight runs scored over the final six games of the regular season. That included Florida State League Player of the Week recognition for the period ending September 8.
Overall, Wetherholt slashed .295/.405/.400/.805 in 126 plate appearances over 29 regular season games and logged the highest average exit velocity of any Palm Beach hitter at 91.9 mph. His strikeout and walk rates were excellent at 12.7% and 11.9%, respectively. Not surprisingly, he was conservative on the bases, with two steals in two attempts. His wRC+ of 137 was 37% above the Florida State League average.
As the Beach Birds plowed their way to the Florida State League championship, Wetherholt led the way. In 23 plate appearances over five playoff games, the shortstop slashed .421/.522/.684/1.206. Wetherholt hit a triple and a home run, drew four walks, plated six and scored four times.
In Baseball America’s Best Tools assessment for the Cardinals system, Wetherholt led the way with three designations. They are “Best Hitter for Average”, “Best Strike Zone Discipline” and “Best Power Hitter”. Not a bad triumvirate!
2025 outlook
2025 should be “full speed ahead” for Wetherholt.
Due to his status, I expect him to receive a big-league spring training camp invitation and play a major role in the Cardinals’ Spring Training Breakout Game in March.
Once he became established as a professional, Wetherholt demonstrated that he is more advanced than Class-A pitchers. So, assuming good health in the spring, he should start the 2025 regular season with High-A Peoria. There should be no roadblocks for a further promotion to Double-A Springfield during the season, whenever his performance indicates he is ready.
To me, Wetherholt seems an ideal player to send to the Arizona Fall League, but that may depend on where he stands physically after 140 games yet to be played.
Future outlook
Future Value: 60 Role: All-Star Risk: Moderate
I asked a professional scout his impressions of Wetherholt.
“I’ve only watched video of him,” the evaluator said. “But I think he can be a really good everyday middle infielder for St. Louis.”
That seems to be the consensus at this still-early date.
An aggressive timetable would have Wetherholt play at High-A and Double-A in 2025, reach Triple-A in 2026 and debut with St. Louis late that season. Normally, with three minor league levels still ahead for him to master, I would be more conservative and peg his MLB arrival in 2027, well before his initial Rule 5 decision would be required. However, this is a special player, so I will go with the fast path projection.
One would think that no later than 2026, the Cardinals will start to expose Wetherholt to semi-regular play at second base to prepare him for his eventual place beside shortstop Masyn Winn in the St. Louis infield.
Interestingly, not everyone sees it that way. In their projected 2028 St. Louis lineup, Baseball America lists Wetherholt on the other side of Winn, as the starting third baseman, with Thomas Saggese at second.
However it plays out, in the interim, Wetherholt will be the most-watched player in the system, at least until the Cardinals select fifth overall in the 2025 Draft.
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 11 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2025 Top Cardinals Prospects series.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry 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.
In Blake’s final installment, he and Brian discuss the top six prospects on The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List. Covered are pitchers Tekoah Roby, Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews. Position players are Jimmy Crooks, Thomas Saggese and JJ Wetherholt.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry 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.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The top-ranked pitcher in The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Top 50 prospect countdown at no. 2 was the hands down best hurler in the system in 2024. How soon will highly decorated lefty Quinn Mathews join St. Louis’ rotation?
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The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Top 50 prospect countdown reaches no. 3 with a very talented right-hander whose 2024 was interrupted by injury. Will Tink Hence be able to handle a true starter’s workload or should the Cardinals try Plan B?
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Ranked no. 4 in The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Top 50 prospect countdown is a promising right-handed pitcher who earned a 40-man roster spot despite being slowed by shoulder problems since joining the Cardinals system in July 2023. What is next for Tekoah Roby?
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photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In a free report, The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2025 reaches no. 5 with a second baseman who debuted with St. Louis in September. Is Thomas Saggese ready to stick in the majors?
Position: Second baseman
Age: 22 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’0, 200 pounds
Acquired: Acquired from Texas with Tekoah Roby and John King for Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton and international cap considerations on July 30, 2023
Hometown: Carlsbad, California
College: none
Opened 2024: Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A)
Primary team in 2024: Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A)
Finished 2024: Glendale Desert Dogs (Arizona Fall League)
Prior Top 50 rankings – 2024 #5
Click on the above photo to be taken to Saggese’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Thomas Saggese has a clear strength as a hitter – his ability to hit the ball at optimal launch angles. In layman’s terms, that means he hits a ton of line drives and good fly balls (i.e. not pop ups). In the minors, Saggese posted a 37.6% sweet spot rate (sweet spot rate is defined as the percentage of a hitter’s batted balls that are hit with a launch angle between 8 degrees and 32 degrees), which is comfortably above average. On those batted balls, he put up a .676 wOBA. In the majors, his sweet spot rate jumped to 45.7% in a small sample so this ability of Saggese’s certainly carried over into the majors.
This is his best asset and it’s why I’m willing to give Saggese a 55-grade hit tool despite only an average ability to make contact. Saggese has some clear flaws (which I’ll touch on later) but his ability to consistently elevate the ball at productive launch angles stands out as his best trait and the trait that allows him to be a productive hitter.
Saggese is also good at pulling his fly balls. In fact, he hit 38% of his fly balls to the pull side in 2024, and those 42 batted balls accounted for 16 of his 20 home runs. Not only is this an impressive and important tool but it’s especially important for Saggese as he doesn’t have great raw power.
His max exit velocity was just 108 mph prior to his AFL stint, where he hit a ball at 110.8 mph off the bat. That’s not a super impressive figure, but Saggese’s ability to consistently elevate the ball, and pull the ball when he does elevate it, allows his in-game power to play at an above average level. This is a huge key to his success.
Another of Saggese’s stand out tools is his ability to hit breaking balls. In Triple-A in 2024, he posted just a 26.7% whiff rate against breaking balls and in his brief major league stint, that figure actually dropped to 22.2%. For context, the major league average whiff rate against breaking balls is 32.7%.
Not only is Saggese able to consistently make contact against breaking balls, but he’s also able to hit them hard as eight of his 20 Triple-A home runs in 2024 came against breaking balls. Adding off-speed pitches, then non-fastballs account for 13 of Saggese’s 20 long balls.
So, he can do some of the most difficult things well. Namely, they are consistently hitting the ball at optimal launch angles, pull the ball in the air at a high rate, and hit breaking and off-speed pitches well.
But there are some major flaws in Saggese’s game too.
He takes an ultra-aggressive approach at the plate and is all too willing to chase pitches outside the zone. The 22-year-old chased at a 37% rate in Triple-A (MLB average is 28.5%) with that figure rising to 42% against breaking balls and changeups. He is simply too aggressive, and it limits his ability to draw walks and get on base.
The 22-year-old is also not a great fastball hitter. A lot of his damage comes against breaking balls and off-speed pitches left in the zone, but he often doesn’t do enough damage against fastballs. His .311 wOBA against Triple-A heaters leaves a lot to be desired and his 18% in-zone whiff rate against fastballs is higher than average.
Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Saggese also struggles against velocity, with his whiff rate rising to 29% against fastballs thrown 95 mph or faster.
This is a bit of a weird offensive profile with Saggese doing important and difficult things well but also with some major issues that need to be cleaned up. Most important are to clean up his ultra-aggressive approach at the plate and trust his natural feel for hitting to take over when he gets a pitch in the zone.
Defensively, Saggese impressed me at shortstop and performed much better than I expected. He has solid athleticism and good enough range, but his arm strength isn’t outstanding. He fits much better at second base long term, although his versatility is certainly a plus as he can play both aforementioned positions as well as third base.
Saggese is likely an average defender going forward who profiles as a bat-first infielder who can still add value defensively and play multiple positions as needed.
Summary: Thomas Saggese’s natural feel for the sweet spot and his ability to pull fly balls at an extremely high rate give him a lot of ceiling at the plate. But he has pitch selection issues that need to be cleaned up if he is going to reach his full potential as a hitter.
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
Brian’s ranking – no. 7
Background
Saggese (suh-JAY-see) was the Rangers’ final (fifth round) selection in the truncated 2020 draft after having a relatively low profile, ranked just 279th among eligible players by Baseball America. The California prep star was convinced to forgo his commitment to Pepperdine by a bonus of $800,000. That $425,000 over slot amount was especially significant in a draft in which there was less money than usual to shift among players. (This was the same draft in which the Cardinals chose high schoolers Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Tink Hence.)
Starting his career and 2021 at Low-A, Saggese played in 73 games with a line of .256/.372/.463/.835.
Opening 2022 in High-A, he batted .308 in 98 games, barely missing out on the South Atlantic League batting title. One of the youngest players in the league, Saggese also placed in the circuit’s top 10 in slugging (.487) and OPS (.846) and was named to the post-season All-Star team.
The Rangers moved him up to Double-A in mid-September, and he immediately earned his first Texas League Player of the Week award. Saggese remained with Frisco through the playoffs and played well with his new team, establishing a base to build upon for 2023.
Following the season, Saggese received the Texas organization’s True Ranger Award for his core values demonstrated on and off the field. He was Baseball America’s 23rd-ranked Rangers prospect and no. 19 in the system per MLB Pipeline coming into 2023.
Saggese explained that while he is primarily a second baseman, he let it be known that he wants to remain versatile.
“I have always pushed with I was with the Rangers,” Saggese said. “I don’t need to play short every day, but I want to be the guy to fill in at shortstop. I am good enough to fill in there. I have always tried to hold onto that.”
As expected, Saggese returned to Frisco for 2023. He was putting together a sensational year when the Cardinals acquired him with major league lefty John King and top prospect right-handed pitcher Tekoah Roby in a trade with Texas at the July deadline for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.
The right-handed swinger did not miss a beat after the trade, and in fact, was even better in his month-plus as a Springfield Cardinal. In August, Saggese led the Cardinals system in multiple offensive categories including hits and extra-base hits, triples, home runs, slugging, RBI and OPS. That included a cycle on August 19. Not surprisingly, he earned consensus system-wide Player of the Month honors.
Thomas Saggese hit for the cycle tonight in the Cardinals 11-2 win in Wichita‼️
He went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs and 3 runs. He’s the first Cardinal to hit for the cycle since Matt Koperniak on August 9, 2022. pic.twitter.com/8FmnBHporb
After Saggese had played in 33 games with Springfield, September 8 marked his well-earned promotion to Memphis. Between his two Double-A stops in 2023, Saggese had slashed .318/.385/.551/.936 with 25 home runs and 107 RBI. Despite leaving the Texas League with a month to play, for the season the 21-year-old led the circuit in batting average, RBI, OPS, hits (158), extra base hits (60) and total bases (274).
With Memphis, Saggese made his Triple-A debut, but struggled for the first time as a professional. It was only 63 plate appearances in 21 games, yet it was quite a contrast with his splashy arrivals in Frisco the year before and Springfield the month prior.
His Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 51 with the Redbirds was the first time in his career he registered below 127, 27 percent above league average. Saggese slashed .207/.270/.345/.615 in his maiden International League action. His strikeout rate was constant from Double-A, but his walk rate dropped by half to just 4.8%.
I asked him if the fact that he was four years younger than the average Triple-A player contributed to his slow debut.
“I could see that when I got there,” Saggese replied. “They know what they are doing better. They are older and more mature. The competition is nothing crazy (compared to Double-A), but the mental side is a touch better at Triple-A. Guys know more what they are doing. They are up and down from the big leagues. So, they have a better feel for what works for them better.”
After the 2023 season concluded, Saggese was named to the 16-member Texas League All-Star Team. He was also a deserving selection as the Double-A league’s Most Valuable Player and led all Minor League Baseball in hits (170) and total base (294).
2024 recap
After giving Saggese a long look in his first major league spring training, the Cardinals returned him to Triple-A to open 2024. He recounted his marching orders received upon leaving camp.
“I had an exit meeting with Oli and Scals (Daniel Descalso),” Saggese said. “They said, ‘Hey, we want you to play short at Triple-A. It is not going to stop us from calling you up and having you play second base, but we think it is going to help you.’”
While he focused on shortstop defensively, with the bat Saggese began 2024 much like his 2023 ended with Memphis.
His less-than-expected performance with the bat continued through the first half of the schedule. In fact, it was declining. His April OPS of .740 slipped to .676 in May and to a very rough .595 in June.
“There was an adjustment to Triple-A, but I don’t think it was as much of an adjustment as my numbers showed,” Saggese said. “I just didn’t play as well as I had been playing the two years prior to that.”
I brought up his major turnaround in July, but Saggese wasn’t done critiquing his first half.
“That is just how the game works,” he continued. “Sometimes I wasn’t doing my best. Baseball is tough. It is hard to be consistent and have the same swing. But, yes, I settled in nicely.”
His “I settled in nicely” comment is in reference to his July, during which his .990 OPS led to Player of the Month honors from the Cardinals organization.
Thomas Saggese racks up 787 feet worth of homers for the @memphisredbirds!
However, Saggese did not maintain his high level of play in August, with a slash line of .235/.310/.461/.771. In seven games with the Redbirds to open September, his OPS climbed to a much stronger .917.
September 10 became a critical date for Saggese. To that point in the season, he had hit .253 with 20 home runs, 23 doubles and 67 RBI in 125 games at Triple-A. Saggese’s strikeout and walk rates both rose about 1% over his 2023 Memphis debut. The former grew from 22.2% to 23.1%, while the latter improved slightly from a very low 4.8% to a still low 5.9%.
Only two players in the Cardinals minor league system in 2024 hit 20 doubles and 20 home runs – Saggese and teammate Matt Koperniak. Despite the power display, Saggese said he is not trying to hit balls over the fence.
“I am really trying to get a good pitch to hit and into a good position to hit it hard,” the infielder said. “I want to be in a position where I can handle the pitches in the middle of the zone… I know when I am in a good position to hit, then I am able to get the ball in the air to try to do some damage. I am not necessarily trying to hit home runs. I am just trying to hit the ball hard. If it goes, it goes, and if not, you have a much better chance to get on base if you hit it hard,” Saggese said.
Back to that career changing September 10 date. That is when the Cardinals needed infield help and promoted Saggese to St. Louis. Nolan Gorman was already banished to Memphis, Brandon Crawford had been released, Brendan Donovan was slowed by a foot injury, Tommy Edman had been traded away and third baseman Nolan Arenado’s nagging shoulder soreness all likely contributed to Saggese’s arrival in the majors. This also came with his addition to the 40-man roster, which seemed a lock to occur by November for Rule 5 protection, anyway.
Saggese stayed with St. Louis for the remainder of the regular season but did not take off at the plate in his debut. In 52 plate appearances over 18 September games, he slashed .204/.250/.306/.556 with 14 strikeouts and two walks. Defensively, he appeared in 13 games at second, three at short and two at second base.
It is fairly rare, though not unheard of, for a player with MLB experience to be assigned to the Arizona Fall League. That is how Saggese’s 2024 was extended into mid-November.
Saggese finished his up-and-down year strongly, named a Fall Star and the only Cardinal on the All-AFL Team. The second baseman slashed an impressive .391/.524/.591/1.118 with two home runs, 10 RBI and 16 walks in 82 plate appearances. He missed the final four contests after the Fall Stars Game as the Glendale Desert Dogs finished just short of a postseason spot.
Thomas Saggese and manager Ben Johnson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Saggese discussed his approach in the desert.
“I am trying to take more pitches down here,” he said. “The pressure is on the pitcher to get it over the plate. He’s ahead on me 0-1, but he doesn’t know. He could spike three in a row right here. He is scared.
“That is how I have been trying to think and it has really paid off, helping me get deep into counts. Sometimes it doesn’t work. You strike out or the umpire rings you up, but it really helps in the grand scheme of things,” Saggese concluded.
2025 outlook
At the point of the off-season when this is being written, the Cardinals’ 2025 roster is likely not set. But with what we know now, Saggese has a decent chance of being on the Opening Day roster. His right-handed hitting and ability to play three positions can only help his chances.
However, the Cardinals may instead prefer to return Saggese to Memphis to keep playing every day in search of greater offensive consistency. After all, between 2023 and 2024, he had six full months at Triple-A. Five of them were subpar. Specifically, Saggese batted .349 in July 2024, but in the time before and after, he hit a collective .229. In addition, his Memphis strikeout to walk ratio of 3.9 to 1 (7.1 to 1 with St. Louis) suggests more work would be beneficial.
But maybe the Cardinals will need Saggese to start for St. Louis and be willing to accept his growing pains at the major league level. Though, his assignment and usage may depend more on what happens to Arenado, Gorman and Donovan, all of whom would play ahead of Saggese – if they are on the team and assigned to the infield.
Whether Saggese starts or is a reserve, keeping him fresh at multiple defensive positions makes sense. Though most agree his best defensive spot is second base, as noted, others may be ahead of him in the starting pecking order.
Thomas Saggese (left) (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
When all is said and done, I think Saggese will play more than half the 2025 season with St. Louis and accrue 225 to 250 MLB plate appearances.
Future outlook
Future Value: 50 Role: Average everyday player Risk: Low
Some are projecting Saggese as an infield starter, perhaps as soon as 2025. However, one professional scout disagrees.
“On the positive side, he is a baseball rat and plays hard,” the evaluator said. “But he is not an everyday guy. He doesn’t walk and is never going to have a good OBP. His home run maximum is 15-17 (per season) as he is pull-side heavy.”
This scout thinks Saggese should further diversify defensively.
“He cannot play shortstop at all,” the scout said. “He is a second baseman, maybe a third baseman. He has a 50 glove at second but is below average everywhere else. I would also have him play corner outfield and first base – like (Brendan) Donovan without the glove.”
I asked Saggese about how becoming more selective might affect his aggressiveness, but also potentially cut his chase rate and bring his strikeouts and walks closer.
“I have always been aggressive,” Saggese acknowledged. “It is a challenge sometimes to be more selective. You just have to shrink the zone a little bit and take the pitches on the corners. I don’t think most pitchers have the command that they can do that three times in a row and they will tell you the same thing. I look for ones in the middle of the zone and try to lay off the slider low and away with two strikes.”
This is an area in which Saggese needs to make improvements to become more than a reserve.
Over time, perceived roster log jams can work themselves out and the Cardinals have plenty of time with Saggese. He is three years younger than Donovan with all three minor league option years remaining.
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The modern player with the most votes after fan voting concludes on Friday, April 18, will be selected for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame during an enshrinement ceremony on Saturday, September 6. The full 2025 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Class, which will also include a veteran player chosen by the Red Ribbon Committee and a Cardinals organization selection, will be announced in May.
TCN 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #2 – Quinn Mathews
