All posts by The Cardinal Nation staff

Rainiel Rodriguez Three-Peats as Texas League Player of the Week

photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

Springfield Cardinals catcher and St. Louis Cardinals no. 1 prospect collects his third Texas League Player of the Week award since the start of August on the way to becoming the Double-A league’s 2026 batting champion.

Springfield Cardinals release

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Minor League Baseball has announced that Springfield Cardinals catcher and St. Louis Cardinals number one prospect Rainiel Rodriguez has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of September 7 – 13. This is the third time this season that he has been awarded this honor, also winning the same award for August 17 – 23 and July 27 – August 2. Of the four times in 2026 that a Springfield Cardinal won Player or Pitcher of the Week, Rodriguez won the weekly honor thrice.  LHP Braden Davis won Pitcher of the Week May 19 – 24.

Rainiel Rodriguez

The 19-year-old top prospect had another torrid week at the plate, slashing .524/.565/1.000 in five games played. He launched three homers and drove in five while doubling once. The Dominican-born catcher also threw out three would-be-base stealers during the final regular season series of 2026 against the Arkansas Travelers (SEA).

Across 87 Texas League games this year, Rodriguez hit .328 and swatted 23 home runs with a .408 on base percentage. His .328 average led qualifying Texas League batters as he became the fifth batting champion in franchise history (Bryan Torres – .324 in 2024, Thomas Saggese – .318 in 2023, Luke Voit – .297 in 2016, Oscar Taveras – .321 in 2012).

Rodriguez was called up to Double-A on May 12 from High-A Peoria. HIs age 19 season was extremely memorable as he became the consensus number one prospect in the system, participated in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and currently sits as the 17th-ranked prospect in all of Minor League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline. Rodriguez, nicknamed ‘The Hulk’, was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the system. He immediately made his prowess known thanks to a big first season in the Dominican Summer League as one of the league’s best hitters before an explosive 2025 campaign, primarily in the Florida State League. The native of Pimentel, Dominican Republic won’t turn 20 until January of 2027.

The Second-Half Champion Springfield Cardinals finished the 2026 regular season with the second best overall record in the Texas League at 78-59 and are set to face the Tulsa Drillers (LAD) in the North Division Championship round starting at Route 66 Stadium on Tuesday, September 15 at 6:35 PM. The best-of-three series kicks off with a Rally Towel Giveaway (1,000) and Post-Game Playoff Fireworks as the Cardinals seek to win back-to-back Texas League titles for the first time in franchise history. Tickets are available now at SpringfieldCardinals.com/Tickets.

TCN note

Rodriguez is one of the youngest batting champions in league history. When Taveras took the honor in 2012, he had already celebrated his 20th birthday.

Closeout at 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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Memphis Redbirds Notebook – 2026 Week 24

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 37

photo: Christian Worley (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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news across the St. Louis Cardinals system, starting with recaps of the Class-A seasons by Palm Beach and Peoria and their key players. Names include Henne, Dos Santos, Hernandez, Padilla, Hunter, Williamson, Worley, Crossland, Odle and many more. Other topics are August Pitcher of the Month, Hjerpe’s MLB debut, Winn’s return, Cijntje, Molina and Memphis’s chances in the playoffs.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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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Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2026 Week 23

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Kyle Reis is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 36

photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news from a busy week across the St. Louis Cardinals system. Topics include new Angels ownership, Springfield’s name change, injuries to Winn, Wetherholt and others, roster expansion with prospects, 3B future with Baez and Ortiz, an FCL all-star and TCN’s Player of the Month, Rainiel Rodriguez.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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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St. Louis Needs Drive Numerous Downstream Roster Changes

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Kyle Reis is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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Cardinals Make Three September 1 Roster Additions

photo: Leo Bernal (St. Louis Cardinals)

As rosters expand from 26 to 28, the St. Louis Cardinals added three players from Triple-A and sent another down. Pitcher Hancel Rincon and catcher Leonardo Bernal will be making their MLB debuts.

St. Louis Cardinals release

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Tuesday, September 1) that the team has promoted three players, and that catcher Jimmy Crooks was optioned to Memphis (AAA) following Sunday’s (Aug. 30) game, as Major League Baseball allows active rosters to expand to 28 players today.

Joining the Cardinals active roster for tonight’s series opener in Los Angeles are rookie catcher Leonardo (Leo) Bernal, rookie right-handed pitcher Hancel Rincón and outfielder Victor Scott II.   Bernal and Rincón will be making their Major League debut with their first appearance.  Scott II made his big league debut at Dodger Stadium in March of 2024.

Leonardo Bernal

Bernal (pronounced LAY-oh bur-NAHL), one of the top defensively acclaimed catchers in MiLB, was signed by the Cardinals as an international free agent in January of 2021.  The 22-year-old native of Panama City, Panama was slashing .278/.363/.468 with an .831 OPS, 16 HR and 77 RBI (7th in International League) in his first season at the Triple-A level.  The 2025 Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove recipient is currently rated as the Cardinals 5th best prospect by Baseball America.

The 6-0, 260-pound switch-hitting Bernal will wear uniform no. 13.

Hancel Rincón

Rincón, 24, a member of the Cardinals organization since 2019, was signed by the Cardinals as an international free agent in January of 2019 at age 16 out of San Pedro de Macoris, DR.  The 6-2, 185-pound Rincón (pronounced hahn-sell rin-CONE) has gone 6-6 with a 4.04 ERA this season at Memphis, striking out 88 over 71.1 IP (41 games) primarily as a reliever.  Rincón has fashioned a 2.76 ERA & 0.92 WHIP since July 1.

Rincón will wear uniform no. 66.

Victor Scott

Scott II, who was on the Cardinals Opening Day roster, appeared in 61 games with St. Louis this season, collecting 9 stolen bases, before being optioned to Memphis (AAA) on June 8.  In 57 games at Memphis, Scott II was successful on 23 of 25 stolen base attempts while slashing .237/.320/.342.  The left-handed hitting Scott II has 209 career stolen bases as a professional, including 48 with St. Louis.  He wears uniform no. 11.

Bernal and Rincón will be joining a group of 10 rookies who had previously debuted for St. Louis this season when they see their first game action.

TCN notes

The only one of the three additions to not have a spot on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster is Rincon. He takes the final available opening, created when reliever Caleb Ferguson was designed for assignment, then released over the weekend.

As mentioned earlier here at The Cardinal Nation, following these moves, the Memphis roster is down to just 22 active players.

Bernal is The Cardinal Nation’ sixth-ranked prospect.

Jimmy Crooks

In uneven playing time since he was called up to St. Louis on May 29, Crooks slashed a disappointing .179/.255/.336/.591 in 149 plate appearances over 52 games.

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 is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.

Now 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on closeout for 20% off.

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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Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2026 Week 22

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Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 35

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news of the week across the St. Louis Cardinals system, starting with MLB injuries to Winn, Pallante and Dobbins, innings limits and the impact on Gorman and the no. 5 starter. Next is a brief AFL primer and how the labor situation may impact the international program. Injuries to Henderson and Padilla are noted as are Springfield standouts Clemente, Santana, Doyle, Baez and Rodriguez.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Peoria Pitcher Jacob Odle

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rainiel Rodriguez is the Texas League Player of the Week Again

photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

Springfield Cardinals catcher Rainiel Rodriguez has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the second time this month!

Springfield Cardinals release

Minor League Baseball has announced that Springfield Cardinals catcher and St. Louis Cardinals number one prospect Rainiel Rodriguez has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of August 17 – 23. This is the second time this season that he has won this honor after getting the same award July 27 – August 2. Three times this season a Springfield Cardinals player has been named a Player or Pitcher of the week alongside LHP Braden Davis.

Rainiel Rodriguez

The top prospect in the system has remained a consistent threat at the plate in his 72 games at Double-A. The 19-year-old currently leads all qualified batters in the Texas League with a .324 average while slashing an incredulous .456/.480/.868 in the month of August (16 games). During a six-game sweep of the Arkansas Travelers this week on the road, Rodriguez went 14-for-24 (.583) with three doubles, three homers and nine RBI. He tallied two four-hit games during the series including a two-home run game on Sunday. His .583 average this past week was the highest he’s posted in a single series this year both at High-A and Double-A.

Rodriguez was called up to Double-A on May 12 from High-A Peoria. Since then he has cemented himself as the consensus number one prospect in the system, participated in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and currently sits as the 18th-ranked prospect in all of Minor League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

Rodriguez, nicknamed ‘The Hulk’, was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the system. He immediately made his prowess known thanks to a big first season in the Dominican Summer League as one of the league’s best hitters before an explosive 2025 campaign, primarily in the Florida State League. The native of Pimentel, Dominican Republic won’t turn 20 until January of next year.

TCN note

At The Cardinal Nation’s free forum, there is an interesting thread regarding Rodriguez’s results and his potential. Join in the lively discussion with other Cardinals fans.

Rainiel Rodriguez progress report

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

Closeout sale of remaining printed books at 20% off.

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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How Do Cardinals Farm System Rankings Compare Over Time?

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 34

photo: Joshua Baez (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news of the week across the St. Louis Cardinals system, starting with Joshua Baez and Kyle’s survey. Organization Player and Pitcher of the Month awards are reviewed as are new farm system rankings from BA, MLB and Fangraphs. September callups are touched upon before the two cover their August Cardinals Top 50 Prospect Rankings. Oh yes, and the navy caps get a callout!

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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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Risers, Fallers and Differences of Opinion on Cardinals Prospects – August 2026

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Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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The Cardinal Nation August 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List

photo: Liam Doyle, Joshua Baez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The monthly in-season update of The Cardinal Nation’s St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List is now available. Nine players join the new rankings including four trade deadline additions.

August brings The Cardinal Nation’s final monthly in-season St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List update of the season, with our next reranking via the rollout of the 2027 Top 50.

Unlike in July, when our sole focus was the insertion into of the members of the organization’s acclaimed 2026 draft class into the Top 50, everyone was fair game to shift in August. And four new prospects joined the organization at the trade deadline, as well. That led to a lot of movement.

As always, Kyle Reis and Brian Walton separately rank the players with the site list a combination of the two. These blended player Top 50 rankings follow, made available to everyone each month.

For additional specifics, including our individual votes and detailed commentary, please subscribe to The Cardinal Nation to access the detailed article mentioned below.

We will also discuss our rankings on our next “Wednesday With Walton and Reis” podcast.

Here are the August results.

Prospect Tm Pos Aug
Rainiel Rodriguez Spr C 1
Liam Doyle Spr LHS 2
Joshua Baez Mem OF 3
Tanner Franklin Spr RHS 4
Quinn Mathews Mem LHS 5
Leonardo Bernal Mem C 6
Cooper Hjerpe Mem LHS 7
Brandon Clarke Peo LHS 8
Jurrangelo Cijntje Mem SHS 9
Tegan Kuhns FCL RHP 10
Trevor Condon FCL OF 11
Alexander Frias PB OF 12
Yhoiker Fajardo Spr RHS 13
Jacob Odle Peo RHS 14
Jesus Baez Spr SS/3B 15
Tekoah Roby Mem IL RHS 16
Josiah Ragsdale Spr OF 17
Yairo Padilla PB SS 18
Tai Peete Spr OF 19
Rocco Maniscalco FCL SS 20
Ixan Henderson Mem LHS 21
Emanuel Luna DSL OF 22
Jack Gurevitch Spr 1B/3B 23
Won-Bin Cho Spr OF 24
Deniel Ortiz Spr 1B/3B 25
Mason Molina Mem RHS 26
Miguel Hernandez PB MIF 27
Sebastian Dos Santos PB MIF 28
Daniel Eagen Spr RHS 29
Brycen Mautz Mem LHR 30
Braden Davis Spr LHS 31
Caden Ferraro Peo OF 32
Sandro Santana Spr LHR 33
Xavier Cruz PB IL RHR 34
Cade Winquest Mem RHR 35
Cade Crossland Peo LHS 36
Chase Davis Mem OF 37
Dee Kennedy PB SS 38
Sammy Hernandez Peo C 39
Hancel Rincon Mem RHR 40
Yordalin Pena Peo OF 41
Cal Randall FCL RHP 42
Ryan Campos Spr C 43
Colton Ledbetter Mem OF 44
Ryan Mitchell PB OF 45
Dawson Montesa FCL RHP 46
Blake Aita Spr DL RHS 47
Chen Wei-Lin Spr RHR 48
Andrew Williamson Peo OF 49
Ty Van Dyke Peo DL RHS 50

IL=injured list
DL=development list

For much more information

Please check out the following article. It details all 72 players considered for the August Top 50, Kyle’s and Brian’s individual votes, the players added and left the list since July plus much more! It is exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation.

The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – August 2026 Details

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Closeout sale of remaining printed books at 20% off.

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

Order TCN’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 33

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news of the week across the St. Louis Cardinals system, and with all the roster changes, there’s a lot of it. Pitchers discussed include Cooper Hjerpe, Mason Molina, Ixan Henderson, Tanner Franklin, Yhoiker Fajardo, Cade Crossland, Daniel Eagen and more. Hitters mentioned include Rainiel Rodriguez, both Baezes, Leonardo Bernal and the catching position, what to do at third base and more. They close with a possible view of the 40-man, Rule 5 and minor league rosters if there is a lockout this coming winter.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Release Last Reminder of Tyler O’Neill Trade

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 32

photo: Quinn Mathews studying his numbers (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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover the news of the week across the St. Louis Cardinals system including promotions and awards. Topics include Quinn Mathews to St. Louis and back, Tink Hence, Tanner Franklin, Tai Peete, Yordalin Peña, Jesus Baez, Liam Doyle, Andrew Dutkanych and more.

(Note: Tuesday evening, after we recorded our podcast, the Cardinals announced an unusual second wave of transactions the same day.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

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Related podcast

Make sure you also check out this week’s special edition of our podcast from Monday, focused on the trade deadline and the four new Cardinals prospects acquired.

Special Trade Deadline Edition – Monday With Walton and Reis

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz

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Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Special Trade Deadline Edition – Monday With Walton and Reis

photo: Alexander Frias (Wilson Warbirds)

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

In a special episode recorded just after the August 3 trade deadline, Brian and Kyle break down the deals that brought four prospects into the Cardinals organization – outfielders Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale from Milwaukee plus pitchers Daniel Eagen and Sandro Santana from Arizona – where they fit into the organization and onto our Top 50 prospect list. Kyle closes with a rant about not addressing the catching position backlog.

Note: We will be back with our regular Wednesday edition, so that means two episodes in one week!

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz

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.

Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Trade Nootbaar to Arizona for Prospects Eagen and Santana

photo: Daniel Eagen (Amarillo Sod Poodles)

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired two pitching prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Daniel Eagen and Sandro Santana plus a player to be named later, for outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

St. Louis Cardinals release

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Monday, August 3) that the team has completed a trade deadline deal with Arizona, acquiring minor league prospects Daniel Eagen, Sandro Santana and a player to be named later in exchange for outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

Eagen, 23, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Arizona’s No. 5 prospect and No. 13 by Baseball America. Santana, 21, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Arizona’s No. 26 prospect.

DANIEL EAGEN – RHP

Daniel Eagen

23 years old – born November 23, 2002 in Fuquay-Varina, NC

  • 6-4, 206 lbs.                Bats: Right / Throws: Right
  • 13 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization by Baseball America and No. 5 by MLB Pipeline.
  • 2025 Diamondbacks Minor League Pitcher of the Year in his first professional season. Took part in 2026 Major League Spring Training with Arizona as a non-roster invitee.
  • 5-8 with a 4.95 ERA (87.1 IP) and 109 strikeouts in 20 starts for Double-A Amarillo. Boasts a 11.2 SO/9 IP ratio this season with a pair of 10-strikeout games.
  • 109 strikeouts leads all Dbacks minor leaguers and ranks 5th among all Double-A pitchers (3rd in Texas League) this season. He also led Arizona farmhands last season with 153 strikeouts.
  • Named 2025 Northwest League (A+) Pitcher of the Year, Post-Season All-Star. Selected as 2025 Baseball America Class High-A All-Star.
  • Originally selected by Arizona in the 3rd round (102nd overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.

SANDRO SANTANA – LHP

Sandro Santana

21 years old – born March 7, 2005 in Barahona, Dominican Republic

  • 5-10, 150 lbs.            Bats: Left / Throws: Left
  • #22 prospect in Diamondbacks system by MLB Pipeline.
  • Signed with Arizona as an international free agent in January 2023.
  • Owns a 2.14 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .188 batting average against with 70 strikeouts across 46.1 IP in 31 relief appearances between Amarillo (AA) and Hillsboro (A+) this season.
  • Recorded a 37.0 SO% and 10.6 BB% and has allowed just seven extra-base hits on the season (.255 SLG% against).
  • Since June 24 promotion to Double-A Amarillo, has posted a 0.57 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 36.2 SO% in 11 appearances.

For more information on these new Cardinals

Special Trade Deadline Edition – Monday With Walton and Reis

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 is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.

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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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Trade May and Romero to Brewers for Prospects Frias and Ragsdale

photo: Josiah Ragsdale (Biloxi Shuckers)

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired two outfield prospects from the Milwaukee Brewers, Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale, for pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero.

St. Louis Cardinals release

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Monday, August 3) that the team has completed a trade deadline deal this afternoon acquiring a pair of outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero.

Frias, 18, ranks as a Top 100 prospect by three different publications and the No. 8 prospect in the Brewers system per Baseball America. Ragsdale, 22, ranks as Milwaukee’s No. 22 prospect by Baseball America.

ALEXANDER FRIAS – OF

Alexander Frias

18 years old – born March 10, 2008 in Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

  • 6-2, 177 lbs.            Bats: Left / Throws: Right
  • Signed as an international free agent by Milwaukee in January 2025 out of Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic.
  • Currently ranked as a Top 100 prospect by Fangraphs (No. 43), The Athletic (No. 69) and Baseball America (No. 100). No. 8 prospect in Brewers system by Baseball America.
  • Slashed .441/.518/.678 with 18 extra-base hits, 34 RBI, 33 runs scored and 12 SB in 32 games with the Arizona Complex League Brewers before being promoted to Single-A Wilson on June 23.
  • At the time of his promotion, Frias led the ACL in batting average, on-base percentage and hits (52) while also ranking top 3 in slugging, OPS (1.196, 2nd), doubles (12, T-2nd), and total bases (30, 3rd).
  • In 28 games at Single-A Wilson, Frias owns a .746 OPS with 10 extra-base hits, 28 RBI and 7 stolen bases as the youngest player in the Carolina League as of July 25.
  • Younger brother of former Diamondbacks (2021-24) and Blue Jays (2024) pitcher Luis Frias.

JOSIAH RAGSDALE – OF

Josiah Ragsdale

22 years old – born December 21, 2003 in Vineland, NJ

  • 6-0, 185 lbs.            Bats: Left / Throws: Left
  • 22 prospect in Brewers system by Baseball America and No. 13 by MLB Pipeline.
  • Batting .316/.441/.581 (98-310) with 19 homers, 51 RBI, 31 stolen bases, and 1.022 OPS in 86 games between Wisconsin (A+) and Biloxi (AA) this season.
  • Among qualified full season minor leaguers this season, ranks 7th in OBP (.441), and 8th in OPS (1.022).
  • Has 10 HR in his last 13 games with Biloxi, most homers in all of MLB or MiLB since July 19.
  • Started 42 games in center field and 41 games in right field this season.
  • Ragsdale is 1 of 8 minor leaguers this season with 15+ HR and 30+ SB. Currently, one home run shy from a 20 2B, 20 HR, 30 SB season.
  • Originally selected by the Brewers in the 7th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Played collegiately at Boston College (2025) and Iona (2023-24).

For more information on these new Cardinals

Special Trade Deadline Edition – Monday With Walton and Reis

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 is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the 2026 printed book are being closed out at 20% off.

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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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz

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Springfield’s Rainiel Rodriguez Named Texas League Player of the Week

photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

No. 1 St. Louis Cardinals prospect, catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, was the top player in the Double-A Texas League for the period of July 27-August 2.

Springfield Cardinals release

Minor League Baseball has announced that Springfield Cardinals catcher and St. Louis Cardinals number one prospect Rainiel Rodriguez has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of July 27 – August 2. Rodriguez is the first Cardinals position player this season to earn the Player of the Week honor as he joins LHP Braden Davis as the only Cardinals who have been recognized this season by the league.

Rainiel Rodriguez

The 19-year-old Rodriguez led the Texas League in slugging percentage (1.105) last week while launching three home runs with a .526 batting average. He logged three multi-hit games including a two home run night on July 29, the fourth of his Minor League career. The Domincan catcher has continued his breakout career in Springfield and enjoyed a huge month of July, slashing .305/.376/.561 in 20 games played. He has been red hot since the start of June, coming in fourth among all qualified Texas League hitters with a .329 average.

Rodriguez was called up to Double-A on May 12 from High-A Peoria. Since then he has cemented himself as the consensus number one prospect in the system, participated in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and currently sits as the 12th-ranked prospect in all of Minor League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline. He is one of just five teenagers in the top 15. Rodriguez, nicknamed ‘The Hulk’, was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the system. He immediately made his prowess known thanks to a big first season in the Dominican Summer League as one of the league’s best hitters before an explosive 2025 campaign, primarily in the Florida State League. The native of Pimentel, Dominican Republic won’t turn 20 until January of next year.

Now 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

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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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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Ian Petrutz

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Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 30

photo: Chase Davis (St. Louis Cardinals)

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

In the final episode prior to the August 3 trade deadline, Brian and Kyle start with the idea and timing of trading Ivan Herrera and Lars Nootbaar, bullpen turnover and potential rotation changes. They focus on hitters in the system including Jack Gurevitch, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter, Chase Davis, Joshua Baez and more!

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

The final copies of the printed book are on sale for 20% off!

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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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Outfielder Tai Peete

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Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Final 20% off Sale on The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 Prospect Guide

While supplies last, buy The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide spiral bound book at 20% off.

If you or someone close to you is a St. Louis Cardinals fan who cares about the system’s prospects, we have a great gift suggestion – one is specially priced.

You can order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 Prospect Guide spiral bound book version for 20% off, just $35.95. Free shipping to the US is included.

The 2026 Guide features 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including five dozen all-new player scouting reports written by Kyle Reis and Brian Walton.

While you are at it, order a copy for yourself, too!

Don’t wait, as once the final case of books are gone, there will be no reordering.

Place your order directly here:




Or, to read about the Guide and dozens of customer testimonials first, refer to this article:

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The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – 2026 Post-Draft Details

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Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 29

photo: Hunter Dobbins (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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Before getting into how and where they ranked the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 draft picks in the TCN Top 50, Brian and Kyle cover players in the news including Clarke, Nuñez, Sparks, Driessen, Mautz, Cijntje, Mathews, Dobbins, Hence and more.

Related articles

The Cardinal Nation’s July 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List

The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – 2026 Post-Draft Details

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – 2026 Post-Draft Details

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.

Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Cardinal Nation’s July 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List

photo: Trevor Condon (St. Louis Cardinals)

The monthly in-season update of The Cardinal Nation’s St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List is now available. Six players join the new rankings, all from the 2026 draft class.

For July, The Cardinal Nation’s monthly in-season St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List update is solely focused on the inclusion of the members of the organization’s acclaimed 2026 draft class. No other players were re-ranked this month.

As always, Kyle Reis and Brian Walton separately rank the players with the site list a combination of the two. These blended player Top 50 rankings follow, made available to everyone each month.

For additional specifics, including individual votes and commentary, please subscribe to The Cardinal Nation to access the detailed article mentioned below.

We will also discuss our rankings on our regular “Wednesday With Walton and Reis” podcast.

Here are the July results.

Prospect Tm/Rd Pos June July
Rainiel Rodriguez Spr C 1
Liam Doyle Spr LHS 2
Joshua Baez Mem OF 3
Jimmy Crooks StL C 4
Quinn Mathews Mem LHS 5
Tanner Franklin Peo RHS 6
Leonardo Bernal Mem C 7
Cooper Hjerpe Spr LHS 8
Jurrangelo Cijntje Mem SHS 9
Brandon Clarke Spr IL LHS 10
Tekoah Roby Mem IL RHS 11
Trevor Condon 1 OF 11a
Tegan Kuhns CB-A P 11b
Ixan Henderson Mem IL LHS 12
Braden Davis Spr LHS 13
Tai Peete Peo OF 14
Mason Molina Mem RHS 15
Blaze Jordan StL 1B/3B 16
Yhoiker Fajardo Peo RHS 17
Brycen Mautz Mem LHR 18
Jacob Odle Peo RHS 19
Rocco Maniscalco 2 SS 19a
Deniel Ortiz Spr 1B/3B 20
Chen Wei-Lin Spr RHS 21
Sebastian Dos Santos PB MIF 22
Emanuel Luna DSL OF 23
Jesus Baez Spr SS/3B 24
Jack Gurevitch Peo 1B 25
Luis Gastelum StL RHR 26
Xavier Cruz PB IL RHR 27
Ryan Mitchell PB OF 28
Chase Davis Mem OF 29
Tink Hence Mem RHR 30
Dee Kennedy 4 SS 30a
Cade Winquest Mem RHR 31
Cade Crossland PB LHS 32
Yairo Padilla PB SS 33
Max Rajcic StL IL RHR 34
Frank Elissalt Peo IL RHS 35
Caden Ferraro 3 OF 35a
Cal Randall 5 P 35b
Ty Van Dyke Peo RHS 36
Won-Bin Cho Spr OF 37
Hancel Rincon Mem RHR 38
Bryan Torres StL 2B/OF 39
Pete Hansen Mem LHS 40
Ryan Campos Spr C 41
Payton Graham PB RHS 42
Blake Aita Spr RHS 43
Brian Holiday PB RHS 44
Ethan Young PB IL RHS 45
Miguel Hernandez FCL MIF 46
Ramon Mendoza Mem IF 47
Tre Richardson Spr 2B 48
Cristofer Lebron FCL 3B 49
Travis Honeyman Spr OF 50
Prospect Tm/Rd Pos June July

For much more information

Please check out the following article. It details all draft picks considered for the Top 50, how they fit relative to current prospects, Kyle’s and Brian’s individual votes and reasoning plus much more! It is exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation.

The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List – 2026 Post-Draft Details

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

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

Order TCN’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Special Draft Edition with Kareem Haq

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

In this special double-length edition, Brian and Kyle are joined by Kareem Haq of Cardinals Prospects and Birds on the Farm podcast. The lone subject is a very important one – how the Cardinals fared in the 2026 MLB Draft.  They begin with an overall view of the team’s strategies, player selection and financials as well as how outsiders viewed the draft. Then, every one of the 23 draft picks is discussed in detail from  scouting and metrics perspectives.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Pitcher Blake Aita

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Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 28

photo: Quinn Mathews (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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering current topics in approximately 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle cover players in the news of the week across the St. Louis Cardinals system including Futures Game, Home Run Derby, All-Star Game. JJ’s contract, Pitchers/Players of the Week/Month, Gastelum’s debut, pitching injury rehabs and player transactions.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. (Note: If you want chapter delineation, use the Spotify feed.)

Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Pitcher Blake Aita

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Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Name Mason Molina, Jesus Baez their June Pitcher and Player of the Month

photo: Mason Molina (PJ Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals have named Mason Molina and Jesús Báez as their June Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month. Both put up good numbers at Springfield. For Molina, it was his Double-A swan song; for Baez, it was a strong debut.

Springfield Cardinals release

LHP Mason Molina and INF Jesús Báez have been named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month, respectively, for June 2026. Both prospects spent time with the Springfield during their award-winning months. They become the first Springfield Cardinals to be honored with these awards in 2026. This is the first time since June 2023 that both the Pitcher (RHP Tink Hence) and Player (INF Nick Dunn) of the Month awards went to Springfield Cardinals in the same month.

Mason Molina

LHP MASON MOLINA

Molina is the first Springfield pitcher to win this award since RHP Hancel Rincon did so in June 2025, the last of three straight Springfield Cardinals to win the award (RHP Tekoah Roby – May 2025, LHP Ixan Henderson – April 2025). The southpaw was stellar in June, making five starts to the tune of a 2.45 ERA. On June 27 at Route 66 Stadium, he tossed 6.2 innings of shutout ball while striking out six batters in what would ultimately be his final start with the Springfield Cardinals before his promotion to Triple-A Memphis. Currently the 29th ranked prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline, Molina led Cardinals Minor League arms in innings pitched, quality starts, strikeouts and walks per nine innings in June. The lefty out of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA was acquired via trade as a part of a deal with the Texas Rangers for RHP Phil Maton at the 2025 trade deadline and is currently a part of the Memphis Redbirds starting rotation.

Jesús Báez

INF JESÚS BÁEZ

Báez is the first Springfield Cardinal position player to win Player of the Month since Bryan Torres did so in August of 2024. The 19th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline split time between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield, slashing .323/.378/.708 during June, launching seven home runs and driving in 21 runs. The Dominican born infielder began his Double-A career on a blistering pace, going 8-for-21 to end the end the month of June, homering three times while tallying a hit in all but one game he played for Springfield. His .708 slugging percentage split between the two levels ranked best among all qualified Cardinals farm hands. Báez, like Molina, was acquired via a trade as a part of a package with the New York Mets in exchange for RHP Ryan Helsley in 2025.

Jesus Baez (PJ Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

The Cardinal Nation notes

Earlier, The Cardinal Nation selected Luis Gastelum and Brayden Smith as June Pitcher and Player of the Month.

Compare results of all four players and other finalists in these two articles.

The Cardinal Nation’s June 2026 Pitcher of the Month – Luis Gastelum

The Cardinal Nation June 2026 Player of the Month – Brayden Smith

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

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

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Florida Complex League Cardinals Notebook – 2026 Week 10

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 27

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle open with the All-Star Game, Futures Game and the odd draft schedule this coming weekend. Players covered include Gastelum, Mautz, Rodriguez, Doyle, Hjerpe, Molina, Rincon, Nuñez and Mathews plus hitters Peña and Cho. They close with their final preview of the Cardinals 2026 draft plans.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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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Cardinals Adjust Rosters for Twin-Bill Pitching Depth

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Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 26

photo: Mason Molina (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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle open with hot Palm Beach hitters Brayden Smith and Ryan Weingartner. New Memphis pitcher Mason Molina is next along with speculation about other deadline deals potentially coming. Leadership changes with the Cardinals and Angels, now and perhaps ahead, are explored. They close with analysis of significant changes to player acquisition and development proposed in the CBA negotiations.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Infielder Jalin Flores

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Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cardinals Announce Bill DeWitt III as New CEO

photo: Bill DeWitt III (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

In an expected leadership transition, the St. Louis Cardinals elevated Bill DeWitt III to CEO with Anuk Karunaratne promoted to President of Business Operations.

St. Louis Cardinals release – The St. Louis Cardinals today (Wednesday, June 24) announced new executive appointments as part of a long-planned leadership succession strategy reflecting the organization’s vision and commitment to excellence.

Bill DeWitt III has been named Chief Executive Officer, expanding his leadership responsibilities to oversee both baseball and business operations.

Anuk Karunaratne has been elevated to President of Business Operations, assuming leadership of all business matters and off-field initiatives for the organization and reporting to DeWitt III.

Bill DeWitt Jr. continues as Chairman and Principal Owner, and will continue his involvement in significant team baseball and business matters.

Today’s announcement follows the September 2025 appointment of Chaim Bloom as President of Baseball Operations.

“This organizational evolution reflects our family’s enduring commitment to the Cardinals, our fans, and our community,” said Bill DeWitt, Jr., Chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals.  “Today’s news also represents a natural progression of leadership responsibilities to steward the next generation of Cardinals baseball, both on and off the field.

“Bill’s leadership over the past 18 years as President – including his vision for Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village while leading our business efforts overall – has prepared him well to become our next CEO.  Over time, Bill has assumed increasing responsibilities across our organization, including baseball, and this appointment and transition to CEO duly recognizes this.

“Anuk has made significant contributions to our organization since arriving here prior to the 2024 season.  He also has a fantastic feel for our culture and what the Cardinals mean to the St. Louis community, which will serve him well as our new President of Business Operations.”

DeWitt III, 58, has served as President of the St. Louis Cardinals since 2008.  During his tenure, he has overseen the successful opening of Busch Stadium (2006), the development and launch of Ballpark Village Phase I (2014) and Phase II (2020), and the overall business success of the organization.  He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Yale University.

“I’m honored by this expanded opportunity to lead the Cardinals organization,” said DeWitt III.  “Anuk’s elevation to President of Business Operations reflects the strength of his leadership and his deep commitment to working collaboratively with our staff, business partners, and fans.  Together with Chaim Bloom’s baseball operations leadership, we have a young but experienced team with a great vision for the future.”

Karunaratne, 43, joined the Cardinals in 2024 as Senior Vice President of Business Operations, bringing more than 10 years of experience in professional sports business management.  Most recently, Karunaratne served as Executive Vice President of Business Operations with the Toronto Blue Jays (2020-2024), where he led the organization’s sales, marketing, fan experience and business administration operations.

In 2023, Karunaratne was recognized as one of Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” for his role in transforming the fan experience at Rogers Centre and improving the team’s overall direction.

A Washington University graduate who has deep roots in St. Louis, Karunaratne will focus on all non-baseball facets of the club with an emphasis on fan value and engagement, attendance and community involvement.

“I came here 25 years ago as a college student at Washington University, and am now blessed to have the opportunity of a lifetime with one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, while living in an amazing St. Louis community that my family now calls home,” Karunaratne said.  “I am grateful to the DeWitt Family for this privilege, and recognize the great responsibility that comes with it.”

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Infielder Jesús Báez

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday With Walton and Reis – Season 9, Episode 25

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.

The podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 30 to 45 minutes. More information on everything discussed can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

Brian and Kyle open with a discussion of recent promotions of Michael Dattalo, Won-Bin Cho and Jesus Baez then discuss Lars Nootbaar and Joshua Baez. A review of key changes to The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List for June follows. Standouts moving up include Cooper Hjerpe, Braden Davis, Mason Molina, Jacob Odle, Xavier Cruz and many more.

All videos of episodes of Wednesday With Walton and Reis at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The video and audio are also simulcast each week via your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts IHeartRadio and YouTube. Subscription details are here.

New Homes for Wednesday With Walton and Reis on Podcast Apps

Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound 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!

Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Interview – Infielder Jesús Báez

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Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Kyle is one of the most informative and entertaining Cardinals related social media follows at @kyler416.

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

© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Relief Pitcher Max Rajcic to Make MLB Debut

photo: Max Rajcic (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals selected the contract of right-hander Max Rajcic from Memphis and designated for assignment right-hander Chris Roycroft.

St. Louis Cardinals release

The St. Louis Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Max Rajcic (rhymes with magic) from Memphis (AAA).  In a corresponding move, RHP Chris Roycroft was designated for assignment.

Chris Roycroft

Rajcic, 24, was selected by the Cardinals in the 6th round (187th overall) of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft out of the University of California-Los Angeles.

The 5-foot-10, 250 lb., hurler posted a 4-2 record with 2.88 ERA in 26 appearances with the Redbirds upon his promotion.  He made one start on April 5 vs. Norfolk in Game 2 of a doubleheader.  Rajcic arrives as the Redbirds’ current saves leader with five in six opportunities.  The Orange, Calif., native ranks tied for 5th in the International League in saves and appearances and is the Cardinals reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May 2026.

Max Rajcic

Rajcic was the Cardinals 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year while playing for Palm Beach (A) and Peoria (High-A).  He was invited to Major League Spring Training each of the last three seasons making 10 appearances covering 17.2 innings.

Over four minor league seasons, Rajcic compiled a 26-26 record with a 3.81 ERA, one complete game shutout and five saves while striking out 400 batters over 413.0 innings.

Rajcic would be the Cardinals third pitcher and sixth call-up to make his Major League debut this season.  He will wear uniform No. 71.

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 is kept updated daily and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.

Now 20% off for Father’s Day – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.

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

Father’s Day Sale on The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 Prospect Guide

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Springfield Cardinals Notebook 2026 Week 11

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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.