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TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect No. 35 – Patrick Romeri

photo: Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2023 reaches no. 35 with an outfielder with great power potential but whose 2022 can be summarized as famine-feast-famine, with nothing in between. FREE report!

Patrick Romeri

Position: Outfielder
Age: 21 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 6’3/195
Acquired: Selected in the 12th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, 365th overall

Home: Sarasota, Florida

Opened 2022: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
Primary team in 2022: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A) injured list
Finished 2022: Peoria Chiefs (High-A)

Prior Top 50 ranking – 2022 #28, 2021 #29, 2020 #48

Click on the above photo to be taken to Romeri’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.

Link to Romeri’s career stats

Blake Newberry’s scouting report

Blake’s ranking – no. 34

(current grade/future grade)

Hit Power Field Arm Run FV
30/40 35/60 55/55 50/50 50/50 35
AVG OBP SLG OPS HR SB CS BB% K%
.254 .322 .420 .742 5 6 2 8.9% 29.2%
BB/K ISO wRC+ GB% LD% FB% Pull% Cent% Oppo%
0.25 .166 83 (FCL)

182 (A)

48 (A+)

 46.3% 20.3% 33.3% 40.0% (FCL)

44.6% (A)

42.3% (A+)

 26.7% (FCL)

14.3% (A)

28.8% (A+)

 33.3% (FCL)

41.1% (A)

28.8% (A+)

Patrick Romeri has been a slow mover through the minor leagues but he has shown plenty of tools that make him a promising prospect. His carrying tool will be his power but it’s still more in the raw power than game power territory.

That’s mostly because he has a ground ball-oriented swing and has yet to consistently elevate the ball as a professional. So don’t be deceived by his low home run total this season – he has plenty of pop in his bat and he is known for high exit velocities that touched 108 mph while still in Single-A.

The other problem for Romeri is that he can struggle with making consistent contact. He has very much a power over hit profile and high averages will never be his thing. He draws plenty of walks with his patient approach and if he can figure out how to elevate, he should be more than able to overcome a low average.

When he gets into one, this is what he can do:

As you can see from those videos, Romeri generates great bat speed and his bat whips through the zone. This is where his plus power comes from.

His season long power totals may not look super impressive, but I should note that he did hav4e a whopping .299 ISO in the Florida State League, which is known for suppressing power. He didn’t tap into his power very often after his promotion to Peoria but it’s still there.

He also missed a lot of time with injury this year which meant that he didn’t get a chance to overcome his early struggles in Peoria. The outfielder missed about 2 ½ months this season. Though those injuries came while he played for Palm Beach, they likely delayed his promotion to Peoria.

Injuries are especially tough for a player who has been a slow mover, but I expect him to have a much better showing in Peoria if he can stay healthy in 2023.

Romeri isn’t just a promising hitter. He is an athletic player who is still playing center field despite his listed size of 6’3” and 195 pounds. That’s a good sign that he’s still trusted enough to play the most valuable defensive position in the outfield. That gives me confidence that he can be an above average corner outfielder, which is what he will eventually become as he fills out his frame more.

He has a strong enough arm to stick in the corners and I would expect him to be an asset out there, or at least an average player. That makes him an average or better runner, defender, thrower, and power hitter. That’s a promising profile!

What holds me back from ranking him higher is his limited contact abilities and the fact that his raw power has yet to translate to consistent game power. That means that he does still have a lot of development ahead of him.

Summary: Patrick Romeri’s bat is still a question mark despite plus raw power and great exit velocities. If he can tap into his power stroke more consistently then he could become a solid all-around player in the outfield. With a lot of development still needed, though, i still consider him a risky prospect.

Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/reserve
Risk: High

Brian Walton’s environmental impact report

Brian’s ranking – no. 34

Background

The Florida native and former Villanova commit was considered a long shot to sign coming out of high school in 2019, but the Cardinals convinced Romeri to sign for $75,000 over the highest non-penalty bonus of $125,000.

Romeri showed plenty of promise in his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, slashing .246/.346/.464/.810 in 162 plate appearances. He collected 15 extra-base hits (six doubles, three triples and six home runs) while driving in 20.

Romeri’s 11.7% walk rate, which added 100 points to his so-so batting average for a strong .346 OBP, suggested a fairly advanced eye at the plate for his age. However, his 28.4% strikeout rate needed improvement.

While he did not run a lot, Romeri was 4-for-4 in steals and added three triples. Further, he grounded into just one double play all summer long and crossed home plate 23 times in his 41 games played.

His wRC+ of 129 was the best of all Cardinals’ high school draftees in 2019 and third-best of all players signed by the Cards that summer.

The right fielder committed just one error all season and led GCL outfielders with four assists. All things considered, Romeri was The Cardinal Nation’s 2019 GCL Cardinals Player of the Year.

In January 2020, Romeri was the youngest of the just six outfielders invited to 2020 instructional camp in Jupiter. Further, he was the only player in the entire camp of almost 40 players who finished 2019 at the lowest level of the system in the US.

However, Romeri was in the tier of players whom the Cardinals could not fit onto their 60-man player pool for 2020. So, his entire year consisted of instructs.

Romeri was one of a handful of 2019 GCL players who made the big jump to open 2021 with Low-A Palm Beach. There is nothing wrong with a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 102 at Class A at the age of 20, especially given the increase in competition level. On the other hand, one would hope a top prospect would excel, not hit around league average.

Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

In 2021, Romeri tied for second on the Beach Birds in doubles and home runs with 17 and seven, respectively. He was also second with 42 free passes (with his season-to-season walk rate increasing to 13.0%). Having said that, it is also fair to note that several of his teammates were promoted ahead to Peoria during the season, while he remained in Florida the entire way, growing his counting stats.

Other than a stint of the minimum duration of seven days on the injured list in late June, Romeri was active all season long. Through July, his season looked to be a washout, with his disappointing OPS hanging around .650.

However, Romeri showed considerable improvement to close the season. His OPS in August was .783 and it jumped to .832 in September. The growth was fueled by a 50-point growth in OBP and a 100-point jump in slugging, including five of his seven long balls.

On the negative side, Romeri led Palm Beach with 95 strikeouts. His 29.5% K rate was not great but was only minimally higher than his 2019 mark. Romeri plated just 30 runners in his 79 games, tied for sixth among Beach Birds despite hitting primarily in the fifth and sixth spots in the batting order.

Despite his emerging power bat, Romeri did not impress with his legs. He did not triple during 2021 and was caught in four of his seven stolen base attempts.

2022 recap

2022 was a year of extremes for Romeri, going from famine to feast and back to famine again – with nothing in between. Opening the season, he returned to Palm Beach. The right-handed hitter was limited to just seven games through June after being slowed in the first half with injuries.

Back to work, in July, he went wild. Romeri led all Cardinals minor leaguers with a .390 average (23-for-59), and ranked second in slugging percentage (.780) and OPS (1.226) across 17 games for Palm Beach and one game for High-A Peoria, having been promoted on July 29.  He also ranked in the top three in extra-base hits (12, tied for first) and total bases (46, tied for third).  Romeri reached base safely in all 15 July starts and recorded a hit in 14 of them.

He was named the system wide July Player of the Month by The Cardinal Nation and the Co-Player of the Month by the Cardinals organization (shared with Springfield’s Chase Pinder).

Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

August and September in his new challenge in the Midwest League were oddly quiet.

Appearing in just 22 games for Peoria from August 1 through the remainder of the season, Romeri finished his High-A debut with a disappointing .193./.269/.241/.510 slash line. He struck out at a career-high rate of 34.4% and his walk rate was 8.6%.

After the season, one scout said that Romeri “looks the part and has the tools” but he did not understand why the outfielder was not playing regularly at High-A.

Whether his slow start with Peoria led to reduced playing time or he was slowed by injury again is not known. Romeri remained on the active roster during his 2022 stay with the Chiefs but did not play every day and sat out entirely from August 27 until September 3.

His 108 wRC+ for the season masks the exceptional 182 with Palm Beach, followed by the dismal 48 with Peoria. His 2022 was like having one hand in the oven and the other in the freezer.

2023 outlook

This is the first time in this year’s rankings that Blake and I both landed on the exact same placement on our individual lists. However, we don’t agree on everything.

It is hard for me to peg Romeri as a slow mover. At age 21, he finished 2022 at High-A, the same level at which he probably would have been assigned had been drafted this summer as a college junior.

On the other hand, I understand – to a point. Romeri is already in his fourth year in these rankings. He was drafted 12 months ahead of celebrated high schoolers Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn, who have charged ahead for more quickly. But no one is suggesting that the former 12th-rounder Romeri is one of the top two prospects in the system. That yardstick against a pair of first rounders wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

Further, Romeri is ahead of Tink Hence, who was drafted as a prep star the same year as Walker and Winn. And Hence hasn’t been penalized in prospect rankings for the pace his advancement as a professional.

Having said all that, we both agree that it is time for Romeri to shake off his injury-slowed recent history and accelerate his upward progression.

Romeri should return to High-A Peoria to open 2023. Perhaps another shot the smaller ballparks of the Midwest League will enable him to accelerate his power growth and reach Double-A during the second half.

Future outlook

Romeri is one of many whose progress toward the majors in his initial organization was negatively impacted by the lost year of 2020, but his down time in 2021 and especially 2022 was due to injury.

He will become Rule 5-eligible following the 2023 season but will have to show a lot more than he has to-date to put himself in contention for a 40-man roster spot, or even if not, to become a viable Rule 5 target.

Double-A is the point by which we need to start seeing progress from players rather than only talking about their potential. During one month of 2022 at Low-A, Romeri showed what he can do when putting his entire game together.

A year ago, I wrote that Romeri could reach St. Louis by late 2024. That looked fine then, but it feels too optimistic now. Until he becomes a more consistent offensive force, his future ceiling may be that of a major league reserve starting sometime in 2025.

MLB debut: 2025
Rule 5 Eligible: 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #36 – Adari Grant

Our 2023 Top 50 series continues

To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.

50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2023

Not yet a member?

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 2023 Top Cardinals Prospects series.

© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect No. 40 – Ryan Loutos

photo: Ryan Loutos (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2023 reaches no. 40 with a reliever who shot through three levels and finished 2022 with a solid turn in the Arizona Fall League, but is still a work in progress. FREE report!

Ryan Loutos

Position: Pitcher
Age: 23 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 6’5/215
Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 13, 2021

Home: Barrington, Illinois

Opened 2022: Peoria Chiefs (High-A)
Primary team in 2022: Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A)
Finished 2022: Arizona Fall League

Prior Top 50 ranking – unranked

Click on the above photo to be taken to Loutos’ player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.

Link to Loutos’ career stats

Blake Newberry’s scouting report

Blake’s ranking – no. 33

(current grade/future grade)

FB SL CH CB Command FV
55/60 45/55 35/45 40/45 40/50 35
IP G GS ERA WHIP K% BB%
63.2 46 2 3.96 1.48 26.0% 9.0%
HR/9 K/BB FIP xFIP GB% LOB% BABIP
0.70 2.88 2.86 (A+)

2.91 (AA)

4.73 (AAA)

 3.69 (A+)

3.92 (AA)

3.91 (AAA)

 50.3% 58.8%

(A+)

80.0% (AA)

72.0% (AAA)

 .303 (A+)

.259 (AA)

.471 (AAA)

Before I get into Loutos’ scouting report I first want to mention his background because it’s unique for someone on the doorstep of the major leagues.

The tall right-hander went undrafted in the 2021 draft after playing four years at Washington University in St. Louis and even making the starting rotation as a freshman. He wasn’t just a baseball player, though. While in college he majored in computer science and used his knowledge to build a website for his team to store data. After graduating and not getting drafted, he was prepared to take a job at Morningstar Inc. where his salary would have been a minimum of $70,000

That means he actually took a pay cut when the Cardinals offered him a $20,000 bonus and a minor league salary. He was assigned to Palm Beach after joining the organization and then rose three levels in his first full year in 2022. And on top of that, he is also helping the Cardinals front office and analytics department create player reports and interfaces.

It looks like he has a long future in baseball ahead of him, even after his playing days are over. For more about Loutos, you can read his excellent interview with Geoff Pontes of Baseball America.

Loutos is not only a good pitcher but also a smart guy, and that combination of skill and intangibles makes him a good bet to reach the major leagues and take a nice jump through in these rankings next season. I feel that I under-ranked him a little bit and I would love for him to make me look dumb next season.

Now, let’s get back to what he does as a player. Loutos is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher but he also throws a curveball and a changeup. He actually threw 5-6 pitches in college so he has really simplified his arsenal to his two best pitches.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98 and it also gets a good amount of late run. It excels at the top of the zone and it plays well to his arm side where it pairs nicely with his sweepy slider that sits in the mid-to-upper 80s.

His curveball has more depth than his slider but is also a little loopier and definitely not as good of a pitch. He may mix in a few curveballs to keep hitters off balance with a slower speed and different movement profile but otherwise he won’t throw it often. That’s a perfectly fine approach for him as his solid two-pitch mix gives him enough to be successful.

I ranked him where I did for a few reasons. The first is a slight concern over his Triple-A results. His ERA jumped from 1.61 in Springfield to 6.33 in Memphis with his FIP going from 2.91 to 4.73. This, as I said, is only a slight concern for me for two reasons. The first is that his xFIPs were practically identical at each level. The second is that he jumped from D-3 baseball to Triple-A baseball in a year. No matter how good he is, that’s a tough transition to make so quickly.

His AFL success (2.57 ERA in 14 IP) also alleviates some of my concerns.

Another concern is that his once sterling walk rates (5.5% in High-A, 5.7% in Single-A), jumped to 11.0% in Double-A and 9.2% in Triple-A. He can get whiffs but limiting walks would help take him to the next level.

My final concern is not performance related but something I noticed from his AFL video. He seems to have different release points with his fastball and his slider.

Here’s the release point of his fastball.

And here’s the release point of his breaking ball.

Now, I said “breaking ball” because from the videos that I’ve seen of him, his release point looks the same for both his curveball and his slider.

Regardless, there is a clear difference. When he throws the breaking ball, it comes out of a more over-the-top arm slot. That issue and the elevated walk rate tells me that he needs more refinement before he’s ready to join the major league bullpen.

If a hitter can pick up the release point difference, it can tip him off as to what pitch is coming. It’s subtle but dangerous. Loutos would benefit from dropping his release point down a bit on his slider, and since he throws more of a sweeper, getting around the ball instead of over the top of it would actually work well.

Summary: Ryan Loutos has a great fastball/slider combo that is likely to carry him to the MLB bullpen as soon as 2023 but he needs to clean up his breaking ball release points and some control issues to really maximize his plus arsenal.

Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/middle relief
Risk: Low

Brian Walton’s environmental impact report

Brian’s ranking – no. 44

Background

Loutos was not selected in the 20-round 2021 draft. However, the record-setting 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Washington University evaluated his options and chose to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals in July 2021. Loutos (pronounced LOOT-us) was already known, performing well in the Northwoods League and pitching in the Division III College World Series, and felt the Cardinals were a good fit.

Opening the professional phase of his career with Low-A Palm Beach, he fanned 26 against six walks in 22 2/3 innings, but also yielded 14 earned runs on 28 hits for a 5.56 ERA in 2021.

2022 recap

In 2022, Loutos put the pedal to the proverbial metal, wearing four different uniforms He opened at High-A Peoria, then passed through Double-A Springfield before earning another promotion, this one to Memphis, often pitching in late inning situations all along the way.

For the Chiefs, Loutos was their best reliever. He appeared in nine games, totaling 14 1/3 innings and logging a 3.24 ERA for a team that had a 5.61 bullpen ERA at the time, worst in the Midwest League. Loutos held opposing hitters to a collective .224 average, walked just three and struck out 17. He converted four of six save opportunities.

On May 17, he was promoted to Springfield. Unlike most relievers on the Double-A Cards (team bullpen ERA of 5.82 in 2022), Loutos stood out for all the right reasons. Over 22 1/3 Texas League innings covering 15 appearances, he crafted a 1.61 ERA with a 1-1 record and converted all three save opportunities. Loutos struck out 26 and walked 10.

On July 1, the next call was to join Memphis. A .373 batting average against led to a 6.33 ERA in 27 innings. Loutos fanned 29 but walked 12 and served up four long balls.

Though his Triple-A results were not as strong as at his other two stops, he showed improvement with more reps at each level. For the season, Loutos finished third in the Cardinals system in three key categories. He saved nine games, finished 28 contests and made 46 appearances.

It is rare for a player to finish his first full season at Triple-A, but Loutos took it one step further by accepting the Cardinals’ invitation to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. After a bumpy beginning, Loutos pitched exceptionally well for the Salt River Rafters. Overall, Loutos tossed 14 relief innings in the desert with a 2.57 ERA. He fanned 13 batters and walked four.

“It (2022) definitely exceeded my expectations,” Loutos said from the AFL. “I would like to have done a little bit better in Triple-A, but all things considered in my first full season, it blew my expectations out of the water. It made the season a little shorter by being able to start fresh with each team. It felt like a new season in and of itself. It has been a lot of fun.“

2023 outlook

As Blake noted, Loutos has work to do before mastering Triple-A, but even as a free agent signing, he is ahead of the game compared to every one of the 12 pitchers the Cardinals drafted in 2021.

I expect his 2023 to be just the opposite of his 2022 in one aspect. Quite likely, Loutos will go from wearing four uniforms in a season to just one. Staying with the Redbirds all season long seems the most likely (albeit conservative) scenario.

What is not under his control are those apparently ahead of him. If the season was to open today, Memphis would have at least five relievers who already hold 40-man roster spots (which Loutos does not), most of whom also have prior MLB experience. They are Genesis Cabrera, JoJo Romero, James Naile, Jake Walsh and Freddy Pacheco. Depending on other organization moves during the rest of the off-season, others may join them. As a result, Loutos may have to bide his time until this quintet receives their 2023 opportunities.

What is under his control is to continue to improve and make the necessary fine tuning adjustments needed to maximize his effectiveness against Triple-A and major league hitters alike.

When I spoke with Ryan in Arizona, he readily accepted that he is a work in progress and outlined his plan for three secondary pitches.

“I relied on my slider a lot this year (2022) just because I could command it,” Loutos said. “It had a little bit of sink to it, so it was good with righties especially. I could get guys to freeze and chase off the plate a little bit. But I have backed off it a little bit, trying to use my curveball more.”

The Cardinals are especially intrigued by Loutos’ knuckle curve and want to see more.

“I started throwing it my senior year in college,” he recalled. “I didn’t really throw it a ton. I knew it was a pretty good pitch but I really didn’t need it and didn’t command it that well.

“I know it is something the Cardinals want me to do and throw more because it is such a good pitch. Getting the feel for it and throwing it more and more, and coming out here (AFL), is a good opportunity to work on it a lot… I think it is going to lead to a lot of good results long term.”

That isn’t all.

“I’ve been working on a cutter in the Fall League as well,” the pitcher noted. “We will see what it will turn into. It is something to bridge the gap between my curveball and fastball.”

If Loutos can make these improvements and refine his offerings, he could jump the line and reach St. Louis in 2023. I am just not projecting it yet.

Future outlook

Because Loutos has reached Triple-A so quickly, he is more of a work in progress than most others at the level. This is good for him but makes identifying his ceiling a bit more challenging. The raw materials are there, so depending on what he does with them, he could have a decent career ahead as a major league middle relief staple or become an up-and-down, journeyman type of pitcher.

Surely, Loutos won’t be added to the 40-man roster until the day he is first called up, probably in 2024. However, he would not become Rule 5 eligible until after that season, anyway. So again, his rapid advancement in 2022 gives the Cardinals more room to ensure his development makes him MLB-ready.

MLB debut: 2024
Rule 5 Eligible: 2024

Related interview for members of The Cardinal Nation

Ryan Loutos in His Own Words

Our 2023 Top 50 series continues

To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.

50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2023

Not yet a member?

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 2023 Top Cardinals Prospects series.

© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #45 – Samil De La Rosa

photo: Samil De La Rosa (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2023 reaches no. 45 with an infielder who led his rookie level Florida Complex League team in most offensive categories with intriguing power. FREE report!

Samil De La Rosa

Position: Second/third baseman
Age: 19 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 5’8/175
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent on January 15, 2021

Home: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Opened 2022: Extended spring training/Florida Complex League Cardinals (rookie)
Primary team in 2022: Florida Complex League Cardinals (rookie)
Finished 2022: Florida Complex League Cardinals (rookie)

Prior Top 50 ranking – unranked

Click on the above photo to be taken to De La Rosa’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.

Link to De La Rosa’s career stats

Blake Newberry’s scouting report

Blake’s ranking – no. 43

(current grade/future grade)

Hit Power Field Arm Run FV
25/55 30/50 30/50 50/50 50/50 35
AVG OBP SLG OPS HR SB CS BB% K%
.241 .345 .447 .792 6 3 4 7.9% 20.0%
BB/K ISO wRC+ GB% LB% FB% Pull% Cent% Oppo%
0.39 .206 121 49.0% 16.0% 35.0% 63.6% 15.9% 20.6%

Samil De La Rosa has done nothing but hit since signing with the Cardinals for $300,000 in January of 2021. The infielder went on to finish his inaugural season with a 134 wRC+ in the Dominican Summer League before making the jump stateside in 2022 where he finished the year with a 121 wRC+.

Though his wRC+ dropped a bit, he actually showed much more power which is perhaps surprising for someone with a listed size of 5’8” and 175 pounds.

His six home runs tied him the Florida Complex League lead despite him being 1.7 years younger than the average league hitter. I’m immediately intrigued whenever I see this kind of power from such a young and diminutive hitter.

One thing that stood out to me while watching De La Rosa is that his bat is quick to the zone and long through the zone. He has quick hands that help him get on plane early and his bat stays in the hitting zone a long time, maximizing his hitting opportunity.

He also generates plenty of power for a player with his frame. That’s most obvious in the image below.

Samil De La Rosa (TikTok)

This is a powerful hitting position and it shows what I’ve discussed so far. You can see how his bat is already on plane and coming through the hitting zone despite still being behind the plate. Next, you can see how his back leg is making a right angle. That’s because his hips have generated a tremendous amount of force and are giving him plenty of power.

If there’s anything to nitpick here it’s that his front leg is bent a little bit instead of locking into place. That limits the amount of force he transfers from his lower half to his upper half. It’s only a slight bend in this image though, so it doesn’t limit him too much in this instance.

The 19-year-old has a nice uppercut in his swing built for elevating the ball with a nice, which might be a bit surprising considering his near 50% ground ball rate. That’s less of a swing problem and more of an issue with consistently finding the barrel of the bat.

The ball often comes off the bottom of the bat and he would be even better if he could elevate the ball more consistently by hitting off the middle of the bat.

De La Rosa’s timing mechanism is built around a leg kick and though his timing isn’t always perfect and he is often out in front of pitches, his bat stays in the hitting zone long enough to minimize the effect of timing issues. He is often early, though, and that is something to clean up.

With that said, he’s still a young player and he has time to make these improvements. I’m a big fan of his swing and I’m excited to see what it does once he makes it to full season ball. Currently, I rank his power tool ahead of his hit tool, which is rare for a player of his size, but I think his hit tool has the potential to more than make up the difference as he matures.

Defensively, De La Rosa plays third base and second base but I think second base is likely his future. He’s also been much more successful there so far in his career, making 19 errors in 40 games at the hot corner and ‘only’ five errors in 35 games at second base.

After third base was his primary position in 2021, De La Rosa played more second base in 2022. I expect that to continue in 2023. I haven’t seen enough of his glove or his arm to make a solid evaluation so I will leave them as potential 50s for now and re-evaluate as I learn more.

He does look to be athletic enough to be a solid fielder in the future but how much of a threat he will be on the basepaths remains to be seen after he stole only three bases in seven attempts this year.

Summary: Samil De La Rosa has a good-looking swing and surprising pop for his size but still has a long development path ahead of him. If he can maintain his success in full season ball, he could be a riser to watch.

Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/reserve
Risk: Extreme

Brian Walton’s environmental impact report

Brian’s ranking – no. 50

Background

After being a January 15th signee in 2021, the right-handed hitter got off to a nice start to his professional career. With the Dominican Summer League Cardinals, De La Rosa slashed .288/.396/.424/.880, earning a promotion to the US for 2022.

2022 recap 

After a stint in Extended Spring Training to acclimate to play in the US, De La Rosa made the Florida Complex League Cardinals roster to open the season. The Dominican Republic native got off to a great start with an OPS of .814 in June, followed by an .803 mark in July. Even his .747 August was better than the vast majority of his teammates.

For the season, De La Rosa led the rookie-level Cards in hits (34), doubles (nine) and home runs (six). The latter tied the league lead and he was seventh in the FCL in slugging at .447 and eighth in OPS at .792.

De La Rosa topped the 2022 FCL Cards in other offensive categories as well, including plate appearances (165) and runs scored (25) and tied for the most RBI (21).

Despite a modest .241 batting average, De La Rosa’s mark was best among teammates.  De La Rosa was second in on-base percentage at .345, with an unusual breakdown.

Samil De La Rosa (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

With a stance crowding the plate, De La Rosa was hit by an incredible 10 pitches, 2 ½ times that of any other FCL Cardinal and tied for second most in the circuit. That had a major inflationary impact on De La Rosa’s on-base mark as he also drew 13 walks.

De La Rosa’s 20% strikeout rate was the best among his free-swinging teammates but his walk rate of 7.9% was middle of the pack.

His relatively low .272 BABIP suggests his results could have been even better. As it is, his weighted runs created plus (wRC+) was tops on his club at 121, 21 points above league average.

Defensively, after playing more third than second base in 2021, his time played between the two positions flipped this season. However, De La Rosa’s fielding has been considerably better at second compared to the hot corner (.949 vs. .750). This will need to be sorted out later, but he seems to have enough bat to play either.

De La Rosa was the third-youngest player on the FCL Cards roster, after Adari Grant and Luis Piño. Born on September 34, 2003, De La Rosa played the entire 2022 season at 18 years of age.

Considering all of his success, it should not be surprising that De La Rosa is The Cardinal Nation’s 2022 Florida Complex Cardinals Player of the Year.

2023 outlook

It seems that De La Rosa has shown enough in rookie ball to move up to Low-A Palm Beach to open 2023. With the elimination of two levels in between (Rookie Advanced and Short-Season Class-A) across minor league baseball, this step up from the FCL is huge in terms of level of competition.

With no physical distance between the two (FCL and Palm Beach), however, players can be tested at the higher level and returned for more seasoning if they show they are not ready. (In April and May, that return would be to extended spring training, as the FCL season does not open until June.)

If De La Rosa can continue to hit in A-ball at the age of 19, it would be a huge plus for his career and advancement. Specifically, continuing to produce at least 20% above league average, or even improving on that, is a good measure to monitor.

As noted above, he is seemingly aimed toward second base defensively, which is not a bad move. There are no top prospects at the position above him who might artificially block him from future promotions when he shows he is ready.

Future outlook

At this point, it does not seem unreasonable to wonder if De La Rosa can continue along his early career growth trajectory – or even accelerate it a bit – while remaining young for his leagues. If so, he could have some Double-A experience under his belt by the time a Rule 5 decision will be necessary following the 2025 season.

A late 2026 St. Louis debut at the age of 22 may be on the aggressive side, but with a promising player this young and inexperienced, it is fun to wonder “what if?” while watching his results in the season ahead.

MLB debut: 2026
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025

Our 2023 Top 50 series continues

To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.

50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Ryan Loutos in His Own Words

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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 2023 Top Cardinals Prospects series.

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TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #50 – Nelfy Ynfante

photo: Nelfy Ynfante (Jose Dilone/Facebook)

Opening The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2023 is high-performing 17-year-old pitcher Nelfy Ynfante. Will the right-hander return to the Dominican Summer League for a second season? What does he throw? What is his future? FREE report!

Nelfy Ynfante

Position: Pitcher
Age: 17 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 6’3/168
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent on January 15, 2022
Home: San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic

Opened 2022: Dominican Summer League (Rookie)
Primary team in 2022: Dominican Summer League (Rookie)
Finished 2022: Dominican Summer League (Rookie)

Prior Top 50 ranking – not applicable

Click on the above photo to be taken to Ynfante’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.

Link to Ynfante’s career stats

Blake Newberry’s scouting report

Blake’s ranking – no. 54

(current grade/future grade)

FB CB CH Command Future Value
40/50 40/55 30/40 30/50 35
IP G GS ERA WHIP K% BB% HR/9 K/BB FIP xFIP GB% BABIP
41.1 11 8 1.96 1.26 22.3 10.9 0.22 2.05 3.84 4.35 41.8 .283

Only six pitchers made multiple starts for the Cardinals DSL affiliate this year. Four of them were 18 years of age or older. One was 16 (Leonel Sequera) and the other was 17-year-old Nelfy Ynfante. Rotation spots typically go to older, more advanced prospects, so the fact that Ynfante began his young career in the rotation already speaks to ability.

More importantly, though, his results stood out. Ynfante led his team in ERA and finished third in innings pitched. He never surrendered more than two earned runs in an outing, and only three times did he yield multiple runs.

I did manage to find a little bit of video of Ynfante pre-signing, and one thing jumped out at me immediately – he has a lot of room to fill out his frame. He is listed at 6’3” and just 168 pounds which means there’s still a lot of physical projection for him.

Watching his mechanics, he’s still very much a work in progress, as is often the case for 17-year-old prospects.

The first mechanical flaw I noticed is that his glove arm often pulls his front shoulder down and causes his right arm to fly open. This is causing his body to open early and leaving his right arm dragging behind, thus slowing it down.

This also adds a lot of stress to the arm. It’s a common flaw in young pitchers, but cleaning it up should help Ynfante stay healthier, especially as his workload begins to increase.

That should also help Ynfante add some extra velocity via a quicker arm speed.

The second issue I noticed is that his front leg doesn’t always stiffen upon release. That’s not giving him a stable base from which to release the ball and it causes some of the momentum and force created in his lower half to not transfer to his upper body on release.

These issues cause him to be mechanically inefficient and lead to decreased velocity and spotty control. I know, that doesn’t sound great, but that should also be looked at as an opportunity. Ynfante pitched well despite the mechanical flaws and if he can clean those up, the velocity and command gains can help him be even better.

Ynfante throws a fastball, curveball, and changeup, with the changeup lagging behind the other two. The fastball has good arm side run which leads me to believe that it’s a sinker instead of a four-seamer.

His command of his curveball is inconsistent, and I would also like to see some sharper movement, but I still like the shape of the curveball a lot. It gets a lot of two-plane movement and it doesn’t have a ‘hump’ in it that gives it away to hitters. Instead, the bottom drops out without warning. This may be his best pitch as he matures.

I haven’t seen much of the changeup yet, but it looks fringy and doesn’t have a ton of movement.

It’s still really early for Ynfante, which makes it tough to really project him. I also don’t have a velocity reading of his fastball, so all I can identify are the mechanics and the movement. My fastball grade takes that into account. I’m leaving him at a present 40 and future 50 until I see more of it and get a reading on its velocity.

Summary: Needs a lot of work mechanically but put up strong results despite his issues. Good life to his fastball and a good curveball shape are encouraging but he still has a long development trail ahead of him. 

Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/spot starter/middle relief
Risk: Extreme

Brian Walton’s environmental impact report

Brian’s ranking – no. 47

Background

Signed as an international free agent on January 15. 2022, Ynfante celebrated his 17th birthday the next month. His bonus was not disclosed through seven others were from the Cardinals’ initial class of 12 signings. One may draw the conclusion the amount was relatively modest, but based on his 2022 debut, it looks to have been a good buy.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Ynfante has a 6-foot-3 frame to go with his 168-pound weight at signing. One can look ahead to him filling out as he matures and takes full advantage of the organization’s strength and conditioning programs.

2022 recap 

As the calendar turned to summer, Ynfante settled into the Dominican Summer League Cardinals rotation, albeit in a partial role.

He began the season paired with Alexander Beltre in a tandem starting arrangement but was soon giving his own rotation spot when the DSL schedule expanded to six-game weeks in week five.

For the season, he pitched 41 1/3 frames, allowing 33 hits but issuing 19 free passes with 39 strikeouts.  Ynfante generated a DSL Cardinals team-best 1.96 ERA and .216 batting average against and his 1.258 WHIP was third.

As one would hope to see, Ynfante seemed to get stronger as his rookie season continued.

In his final month, August, Ynfante came very close to earning The Cardinal Nation’s Pitcher of the Month award after yielding no runs in 12 innings on 10 hits and six walks. He famed 10 on the way to a .227 batting average against. Perhaps the most impressive stat was his average of just 7.8 pitches per inning, half of the count of many of the month’s best.

Not unlike collegiate pitchers’ workloads being limited by the Cardinals in their first professional season, so it was with Ynfante in 2022. The right-hander averaged just under four innings per start in eight starts and 3 1/3 innings in four tandem relief appearances.

2023 outlook

As I often say and write about Tink Hence, who will appear much, much later in this countdown, I’d like to see how the pitcher will fare against a lineup for a second and third time. There is still plenty of time and perhaps that will occur in 2023.

At times, the Cardinals push prospects forward to the US after just one DSL season, but it is fairly rare. It is almost impossible to assess if Ynfante has already demonstrated the combination of skills and maturity to be ready for the big step to the Florida Complex League at this time.

Given Ynfante’s youth and the fact that 2022 was his first season, it seems more likely he will remain in the DSL Cardinals rotation to open 2023. But it won’t have to be in a tandem.

Future outlook

Please don’t hold us to these dates. If Ynfante graduates from the DSL for 2024, and can progress through the five US levels in four years, he would reach St. Louis by 2028.

That sounds like a long time from now – because it is – but take some solace in knowing that he will have just celebrated his 23rd birthday when reporting to spring camp in February 2028.

In this scenario, Ynfante will have been added to the 40-man roster no later than three months prior for Rule 5 protection.

But as Blake noted above, the risk level at this juncture is “extreme”. Still if Ynfante continues to develop on his current trajectory, others will join us in highlighting him down the road.

MLB debut: 2028
Rule 5 Eligible: 2027

Our 2023 Top 50 series continues

To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.

50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Mike Antico in His Own Words

Not yet a member?

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 2023 Top Cardinals Prospects series.

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2022 National League Most Valuable Player – Paul Goldschmidt

photo: Paul Goldschmidt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Baseball Writers’ Association of America release

Here are the voting results of the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Award. Ballots from two writers in each league city prior to postseason play are tabulated on a system that rewards 14 points for

first place, nine for second, eight for third, on down to one for 10th.

NL MVP 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Points
Paul Goldschmidt Cardinals 22 8 380
Manny Machado Padres 7 13 7 2 1 291
Nolan Arenado Cardinals 1 2 15 11 1 232
Freddie Freeman Dodgers 6 6 13 3 1 1 220
Mookie Betts Dodgers 1 1 14 4 6 3 1 154
Austin Riley Braves 5 9 6 4 2 1 116
J.T. Realmuto Phillies 3 8 2 6 7 98
Pete Alonso Mets 1 2 4 5 3 2 7 81
Francisco Lindor Mets 1 2 7 6 6 3 77
Sandy Alcantara Marlins 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 39
Trea Turner Dodgers 1 2 2 3 2 29
Dansby Swanson Braves 2 5 7 23
Michael Harris II Braves 1 1 1 9
Julio Urías Dodgers 1 8
Jeff McNeil Mets 1 3 6
Daniel Bard Rockies 1 2
Kyle Schwarber Phillies 1 2
Edwin Díaz Mets 2 2
Starling Marte Mets 1 1

It marks the 18th time a Cardinals player has been honored. St. Louis’ total of MVP winners is the most in the National League and second only to the New York Yankees ’20 in the American League. Goldschmidt joins a list that includes three-time winners Stan Musial (1943, 1946, 1948) and Albert Pujols (2005, 2008-09), plus Frankie Frisch (1931), Dizzy Dean (1934), Joe Medwick (1937), Mort Cooper (1942), Marty Marion (1944), Ken Boyer (1964), Orlando Cepeda (1967), Bob Gibson (1968), Joe Torre (1971), Keith Hernandez (1979, co-winner with Willie Stargell) and Willie McGee (1985).

Goldschmidt’s victory was the 17th for a first baseman in the NL, including all three victories by Pujols and one each by Musial (1946), whose other two victories came as an outfielder, Cepeda (1967) and Hernandez (1979, co-winner with Stargell, another first baseman). Other winners at that position were Frank McCormick (1940), Dolph Camilli (1941), Phil Cavarretta (1945), Willie McCovey (1969), Steve Garvey (1974), Jeff Bagwell (1994), Ryan Howard (2006), Joey Votto (2010) and Freddie Freeman (2020). The AL MVP Award has been won by a first baseman 15 times.

Paul Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt, the runner-up in NL MVP voting in 2013 and 2015 with the Diamondbacks, is the fourth NL player and the eighth overall to have finished second in the voting twice before winning the BBWAA’s MVP Award for the first time. Others in the NL to do so were Stargell, a runner-up in 1971 and 1973 before winning in 1979; Andre Dawson, a runner-up in 1981 and 1983 before winning in 1987; and Pujols, a runner-up in 2002 and 2003 before winning in 2005 (and also in 2008 and 2009). In the AL, Lou Gehrig was a runner-up in 1931 and 1932 before winning in 1936 (he also won in 1927 before the BBWAA took over the award in 1931); Ted

Williams was a runner-up in 1941 and 1942 before winning in 1946 (and also in 1949); Alex Rodriguez was a runner-up in 1996 and 2002 before winning in 2003 (and also in 2005 and 2007) and Mike Trout was a runner-up in 2012 and 2013 before winning in 2014 (and also in 2016 and 2019).

Goldschmidt, Machado, Arenado, Freeman and Betts were named on all ballots.

Previous winners (* – Unanimous)

2021 Bryce Harper, Phillies; 2020 Freddie Freeman, Braves; 2019 Cody Bellinger, Dodgers; 2018 Christian Yelich, Brewers; 2017 Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins; 2016 Kris Bryant, Cubs; 2015 *Bryce Harper, Nationals; 2014 Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers; 2013 Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; 2012 Buster Posey, Giants; 2011 Ryan Braun, Brewers; 2010 Joey Votto, Reds; 2009 *Albert Pujols, Cardinals; 2008 Albert Pujols, Cardinals; 2007 Jimmy Rollins, Phillies; 2006 Ryan Howard, Phillies; 2005 Albert Pujols, Cardinals; 2004 Barry Bonds, Giants; 2003 Barry Bonds, Giants; 2002 *Barry Bonds, Giants; 2001 Barry Bonds, Giants; 2000 Jeff Kent, Giants; 1999 Chipper Jones, Braves; 1998 Sammy Sosa, Cubs; 1997 Larry Walker, Rockies; 1996 *Ken Caminiti, Padres; 1995 Barry Larkin, Reds; 1994 *Jeff Bagwell, Astros; 1993 Barry Bonds, Giants; 1992 Barry Bonds, Pirates; 1991 Terry Pendleton, Braves; 1990 Barry Bonds, Pirates; 1989 Kevin Mitchell, Giants; 1988 Kirk Gibson, Dodgers; 1987 Andre Dawson, Cubs; 1986 Mike Schmidt, Phillies; 1985 Willie McGee, Cardinals; 1984 Ryne Sandberg, Cubs; 1983 Dale Murphy, Braves; 1982 Dale Murphy, Braves; 1981 Mike Schmidt, Phillies; 1980 *Mike Schmidt, Phillies; 1979 (Tie) Keith Hernandez, Cardinals, and Willie Stargell, Pirates; 1978 Dave Parker, Pirates; 1977 George Foster, Reds; 1976 Joe Morgan, Reds; 1975 Joe Morgan, Reds; 1974 Steve Garvey, Dodgers; 1973 Pete Rose, Reds; 1972 Johnny Bench, Reds; 1971 Joe Torre, Cardinals; 1970 Johnny Bench, Reds; 1969 Willie McCovey, Giants; 1968 Bob Gibson, Cardinals; 1967 *Orlando Cepeda, Cardinals; 1966 Roberto Clemente, Pirates; 1965 Willie Mays, Giants; 1964 Ken Boyer, Cardinals; 1963 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers; 1962 Maury Wills, Dodgers; 1961 Frank Robinson, Reds; 1960 Dick Groat, Pirates; 1959 Ernie Banks, Cubs; 1958 Ernie Banks, Cubs; 1957 Henry Aaron, Braves; 1956 Don Newcombe, Dodgers; 1955 Roy Campanella, Dodgers; 1954 Willie Mays, Giants; 1953 Roy Campanella, Dodgers; 1952 Hank Sauer, Cubs; 1951 Roy Campanella, Dodgers; 1950 Jim Konstanty, Phillies; 1949 Jackie Robinson, Dodgers; 1948 Stan Musial, Cardinals; 1947 Bob Elliott, Braves; 1946 Stan Musial, Cardinals; 1945 Phil Cavarretta, Cubs; 1944 Marty Marion, Cardinals; 1943 Stan Musial, Cardinals; 1942 Mort Cooper, Cardinals; 1941 Dolph Camilli, Dodgers; 1940 Frank McCormick, Reds; 1939 Bucky Walters, Reds; 1938 Ernie Lombardi, Reds; 1937 Joe Medwick, Cardinals; 1936 Carl Hubbell, Giants; 1935 Gabby Hartnett, Cubs; 1934 Dizzy Dean, Cardinals; 1933 Carl Hubbell, Giants;1932 Chuck Klein, Phillies; 1931 Frankie Frisch, Cardinals.

Cardinals Arizona Fall League Notebook – November 7, 2022

photo: Walker, Winn and Hence celebrate the win (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

By Luke Kotcher with Brian Walton

In Sunday’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, the National League defeated the AL. Jordan Walker doubled and plated two and Connor Thomas tossed a scoreless inning. Masyn Winn made a phenomenal play at shortstop and in an odd circumstance, Tink Hence retired Walker in the ninth.

Results from the Arizona Fall Stars game played Sunday, November 6th.

NL Fall Stars 9, AL Fall Stars 3

The NL Fall Stars topped the AL Fall Stars at Sloan Park on Sunday afternoon. All four Cardinals invited, Connor Thomas, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Tink Hence, appeared in the 9-3 victory.

With a 1.59 ERA in the desert, Thomas was selected to be the starter for the NL. He tossed the first inning and only threw eight pitches, though not a single cutter. True to form, TCN’s no. 29 prospect worked quickly, recording two groundouts. Thomas also fanned Home Run Derby runner up Heston Kjerstad.

Connor Thomas

Walker started at designated hitter and hit cleanup. He flew out in the first and grounded out in the fourth. In the fifth, TCN’s no. 1 prospect doubled on a one hopper off the right-center wall to drive in two runs and capture the lead for his squad. Walker also popped out and flew out to go 1-for-5.

Jordan Walker

In the fifth, Winn entered as a pinch runner and came across on the Walker double. He remained in the game the rest of the way, going 0-for-2 with a flyout and groundout. Winn also made a great play at shortstop to throw a runner out.

Masyn Winn

Even though the home NL club led midway through the ninth, the game was extended to the bottom half to enable everyone to play. The AL was out of pitchers so NL star Hence came in for the AL and faced Walker. The DH gave the ball a ride to the warning track but it was caught. TCN’s no. 7 prospect threw 1/3 of an inning and surrendered a hit.

Tink Hence

After the game, the Cardinals duo discussed the unusual at-bat. It was the first time the two 2020 draft picks had ever faced one another – it hadn’t occurred before even in practices.

“He throws hard,” Walker said, ““He wants to challenge me. He likes to beat me with his best fastball. I knew it was going to be a hard fastball, so that’s what I was looking for.”

Walker concluded by saying, “I am looking forward to it. Number two (meeting) – I am going to get him next time!”

Here is a segment of the Hence-Walker post-game audio.

Cubs prospect Matt Mervis was named the Fall Stars MVP. The first basemen blasted a two-run homer to cap off a six-run fifth inning. The NL recorded 10 hits, three walks and the pitching fanned 13 batters.

Tuesday’s game: Salt River at Mesa, TBA vs. TBA 1:35 CT (The Rafters are off Monday) Thomas is scheduled to start next on Wednesday.

Related interview exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Jordan Walker in His Own Words

On Closeout – 2022 Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for a fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now 20% off.

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Holliday Returns to Cardinals, Blake and Ward Promoted

photo: Matt Holliday (Scott Kane/USA TODAY Sports)

St. Louis Cardinals press release

The St. Louis Cardinals announced their 2023 Major League coaching staff today (Sunday, November 6) with five newly-filled positions announced, along with six returning coaches, and Oliver Marmol, who will be entering his second season as the Redbirds manager.

Matt Holliday (USA TODAY Sports Images)

New to their positions on the 2023 staff will be Cardinals Hall of Famer and former outfielder Matt Holliday as Bench Coach, Dusty Blake as Pitching Coach, and Turner Ward as Hitting Coach.

In addition, Brandon Allen, a member of the Cardinals Minor League coaching staff, has been named Assistant Hitting Coach, and Julio Rangel, most recently a member of the Boston Red Sox staff, has been named Assistant Pitching Coach/Bullpen.

Returning coaching staff members include Patrick Elkins (Run Production), Stubby Clapp (1st Base), Ron “Pop” Warner (3rd Base), Willie McGee (Coach), Jamie Pogue (Bullpen Catcher) and Kleininger Teran (Bullpen Catcher).

Turner Ward (USA TODAY Sports)

Holliday, 42, who has recently been coaching at Oklahoma State University, will be entering his first coaching stint at the Major League level after a 15-year playing career that included seven All-Star selections and a World Series title with the Cardinals in 2011.

Ward, 57, has previously held the Hitting Coach position with Cincinnati (2019), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-18) and Arizona (2014-15).  He joined the Cardinals Major League coaching staff this past season as Assistant Hitting Coach.

Dusty Blake (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Blake, 40, joined the Cardinals organization in 2021 as Pitching Strategist.  He served as the Pitching Coach for Duke University from 2018-20 and pitched collegiately for Appalachian State University.

Allen, 36, spent four seasons (2009-12) in the majors playing outfield for Arizona, Oakland and Tampa Bay.  He has been a member of the Cardinals minor league coaching staff since 2017, including the past three seasons as the Hitting Coach at Memphis (AAA).

Rangel, 47, has extensive coaching experience dating back to 2016 after a seven-year playing career in the New York Yankees minor league system from 1994-2000.  The Panama native served as the Red Sox Pitching Coordinator the last two seasons, and held the Major League Pitching Coach position for the Texas Rangers from 2019-20.

TCN notes

  • Holliday replaces Skip Schumaker, new manager of the Miami Marlins.
  • Ward replaces Jeff Albert, who declined to return.
  • Blake replaces Mike Maddux, who declined to return. He is rumored to be interested in the open Pitching Coach job with the Texas Rangers.
  • Allen replaces Ward. Triple-A Memphis will need a new hitting coach for 2023.
  • Rangel replaces Bryan Eversgerd, who was reassigned within the organization.

Related article

Read about Blake’s pre-Cardinals history and his pitching development philosophy here.

Collegiate Coaching Veteran Dusty Blake Joins Cardinals Staff

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Jordan Walker in His Own Words

On Closeout – 2022 Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for a fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now 20% off.

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© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Arenado and Donovan Win National League Gold Gloves

photo: Brendan Donovan (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

St. Louis Cardinals press release

This afternoon (Tuesday, November 1), third baseman Nolan Arenado and infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan were named National League recipients of the 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence. The St. Louis Cardinals have had 99 Rawlings Gold Glove selections since the award originated in 1957—most among all MLB teams. It is the 32nd time the Cardinals have had multiple Gold Glove winners in the same season.

Arenado, 31, won his 10th consecutive career Gold Glove Award, taking home the hardware each year since debuting in 2013. He is the second player in MLB history, and first National League player, to win a Gold Glove Award in each of his first 10 seasons, joining Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (2001-10), and the 14th player in MLB history to win the coveted trophy in 10 consecutive years. This year’s win ties Arenado with Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for second-most career Gold Glove wins at the hot corner (Brooks Robinson, 16). Nolan also becomes the seventh infielder in MLB history with 10+ career Gold Glove selections and fourth infielder to win at least 10 straight awards (3B Robinson-16, SS Ozzie Smith-13, 1B Keith Hernandez-11).

Nolan Arenado

Arenado ranked first among MLB third basemen with a Cardinals record 42 double plays and second with 283 assists. He also ranked 2nd among all third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (19) and Outs Above Average (15). Arenado joins Scott Rolen (2002-04, 2006), Terry Pendleton (1987, 1989) and Ken Boyer (1958-61, 1963) as third basemen to win multiple Gold Gloves with St. Louis.

Donovan, 25, won his first career Gold Glove Award and is the first National League player to win the award as a utility player after Rawlings announced the addition to its list of award recipients in September. He is the first Cardinal to win a Gold Glove in his rookie season and the first National League player to do so since Nolan Arenado with Colorado in 2013. Defensively, the majority of his innings came at second base (264.1), but he also logged innings at five other defensive positions including third base (189.0), left field (144.0), right field (143.0), first base (58.0) and shortstop (56.0). Earlier this season, Donovan became the only MLB player in the modern era (since 1900) to start at four different infield positions in the first four starts of his career.

Brendan Donovan

The versatile defender had just seven errors across 854.1 innings, with 49 double plays and four outfield assists. Donovan accumulated nine Defensive Runs Saved across six different positions, including eight at third base (ranked T6th-among all MLB players). He becomes the 29th different player in franchise history to be selected as a Gold Glove winner.

According to FanGraphs, the Cardinals ranked 4th among all MLB teams in Defensive Runs Saved in 2022 with 70 and 4th in Outs Above Average with 24, the only team to rank in the top four in both categories. Reigning National League Gold Glove winners Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman were announced as 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove finalists on October 20, finishing in the top-three among NL first basemen and second basemen/utility players, respectively.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners are selected by the managers of all 30 MLB teams and up to six of their respective coaches. Each manager and coach vote from a pool of qualified players in their League, but cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added the SABR Defensive Index (SDI) to the Gold Glove Award selection process, which comprises approximately 25% of the overall selection total, with the managers and coaches’ vote carrying the majority. To select the Utility Award winners, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process for the position winners.

Starting tonight, fans can vote for Arenado or Donovan to be named the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner at Rawlings.com. A combination of the national fan vote and the SDI will determine who takes that honor. Voting will remain open through Wednesday, November 9 at 10:59 PM CT and the winners will be unveiled on Friday, November 11.

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

2022 Cardinals Minors Leaders – Speed

On Closeout – 2022 Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for a fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now 20% off.

Order TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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The Cardinal Nation’s Team Recaps and Top Players of 2022

Continuing our 16-year tradition, the staff of The Cardinal Nation will share our recaps of the 2022 season at each level of the St. Louis Cardinals system. We will also crown three award winners for each team – The Cardinal Nation Minor League Starting Pitchers, Relievers and Players of the Year.

We will unveil our selections, one team recap or award per day, every day, beginning on Monday, September 19, and running through late October. Club recaps are first, then the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Reliever of the Year and all the way through the Memphis Redbirds Player of the Year.

Several special awards will be added and of course, our top selections for the entire Cardinals minor league system for 2022 as well as the best-performing rookies and top emerging and comeback players follow. The series will continue with our choice as the top manager in the organization and conclude with the system’s top hitting and pitching performers by various statistical measures.

Those at the keyboard are our team of locally-based reporters – covering every Cardinals minor league affiliate first-hand – as they select the very best of the best at each level and overall, from approximately 250 players.

TCN staff include James Brisentine (Memphis), Nicole Walker (Springfield), Matt Lucas (Peoria) and Kevin Garcia (Palm Beach). Veteran TCN analysts Leonda Markee will recap 2022 for the Dominican Summer League Cards and Blake Newberry will single out the top first-year players and stats leaders. Brian Walton pinch-hits for ailing Paul Ivice with the Florida Complex League as well as selecting various cross-system awards.

Note: While the team reports and all winning names will be made available to everyone as this master article is updated daily, the detailed commentary behind most of the player awards in this series will be exclusively for The Cardinal Nation members . All major league articles will again be free for all.

This 40-article series will include analysis from our local reporters as well as comments by scouts, Cardinals players, coaches and executives. We explain what tradeoffs were made and what we saw in the best players to take the field at each level of the Cardinals system during the 2022 season.

Again, we begin the process with a daily series recapping each minor league club’s 2022 season in depth, looking at records, injuries, player movement, key stats and much more. Once they are published, you can click on the highlighted team names below to read those articles if you missed them the first time.

2022 The Cardinal Nation Award Winners/Schedule

Team Writer Team recap Reliever Starter Player
DSL UConn Card free to read Bruno Lopez Alexander Beltre Anyelo Encarnacion
FL Complex Brian Walton free to read Victor Villanueva Jose Davila Samil De La Rosa
Palm Beach Kevin Garcia free to read Andrew Marrero Inohan Paniagua Brady Whalen
Peoria Matt Lucas free to read Nick Trogrlic-Iverson Zane Mills L.J. Jones
Springfield Nicole Walker free to read Dalton Roach Gordon Graceffo Moises Gomez
Team Writer Team recap Reliever Starter Player
Memphis James Brisentine free to read Freddy Pacheco Tommy Parsons Alec Burleson
Writer Reliever Starter Player
Top Rookies Blake Newberry Matt Hickey Jimmy Crooks
Top Players Brian Walton Freddy Pacheco Gordon Graceffo Moises Gomez
Writer Pitcher Player
Emerging Brian Walton Jose Moreno L.J. Jones
Comeback Brian Walton Gustavo Rodriguez Clint Coulter
Manager Brian Walton Gary Kendall
of the Year
Writer Counting stats Rate stats Speed
Pitching leaders Blake Newberry click here click here
Offensive leaders Blake Newberry click here click here click here
Defensive leaders Blake Newberry click here

(Note that because the Triple-A season schedule runs later than the other levels, the Memphis articles will follow the other five teams.)

Click on the player name highlighted in the table above to be taken to that detailed article. In addition, select each team name to read the 2022 overall summary for that level.

Then, join the daily discussion at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board, as each selection is unveiled.

If you ever forget the location of this article, you can always use the permanent link on The Cardinal Nation homepage. Underneath the site logo in the left column, click on “Season Recaps/Top Players”, and select the year.

Our annual Cardinals Top 50 Prospect Ranking countdown for 2023 will begin in November after this series concludes. Please remember that the two processes are separate and distinct.

This effort is to recognize the top performances on the field in 2022, whether or not the players are projected to have a major league future down the road. In other words, this is all about current year results at the assigned level of play, not future potential.

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Tread Water with Injuries

Closeout Sale – 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for its fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now on closeout for 20% off!

Order TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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Blowout Sale on The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide!

Gat an early start on your Holiday shopping, but don’t wait!

The very popular printed book version of The Cardinal Nation’s 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide is now on sale at 20% off!

You can get your copy of the 276-page spiral-bound Guide for just $31.95 – as long as they last.  USPS Media Mail shipping is included at no additional charge. Order today and your book will be shipped no later than tomorrow!

No sale code is required. The lower price is already reflected on the purchase page. All major credit cards are accepted with no PayPal account required.

This offer is good until the printed Guides are gone, then that will be it for another year. Another printing is not planned, though the PDF version will remain for sale.

Click here for full details on the 276-page Guide, including customer testimonials, and for the link to place your order. Don’t wait or this limited time offer will be gone!

Engine No. 42 Silenced Forever

photo: Bruce Sutter (USA TODAY Sports)

St. Louis Cardinals press release

The St. Louis Cardinals organization, and baseball fans everywhere, were saddened today (Friday, October 14) to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Howard “Bruce” Sutter at the age of 69. Sutter, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, was just the fourth reliever enshrined, and the first player to have never started a game to be elected. Sutter was a six-time All-Star and the 1979 N.L. Cy Young Award winner. His uniform number 42 is one of 14 numbers retired by the Cardinals.

Bruce Sutter, 1982 World Series

“On behalf of the Cardinals organization and baseball fans everywhere, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the Sutter family,” said Cardinals’ Principal Owner & Chief Executive Officer Bill DeWitt, Jr. “Bruce was a fan-favorite during his years in St. Louis and in the years to follow, and he will always be remembered for his 1982 World Series clinching save and signature split-fingered pitch. He was a true pioneer in the game, changing the role of the late inning reliever.”

Sutter pitched for the Cardinals from 1981 to 1984. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 9, 1980, in exchange for first baseman Leon Durham, third baseman Ken Reitz and minor-league third baseman Ty Waller, Sutter proved to be a key acquisition for general manager and manager Whitey Herzog in his transformation of the Cardinals from underachievers to World Champions.

During the strike-shortened 1981 season, Sutter saved 25 games – the most by a St. Louis pitcher since the save became an officially recognized statistic in 1969. Chants of “Bruuuuuce!” bellowed throughout Busch Stadium every time he ran in from the bullpen. Sutter recorded 36 saves in 1982 and struck out Gorman Thomas of the Milwaukee Brewers to wrap up Game 7 of the World Series.

Bruce Sutter, July 30, 2006

Sutter debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. He won the 1979 N.L. Cy Young Award after amassing 37 saves and a 2.22 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 101.3 innings pitched. He was only the third reliever to be so honored, following Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974 and Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees in 1977.

In 12 major-league seasons, Sutter totaled 300 saves to rank third on baseball’s all-time list at the time of his retirement. He worked more than one inning for 188 of his rescues and surpassed 100 innings pitched in a season on five occasions, with one more year at 99. Sutter led the Senior Circuit in saves in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984. He was a six-time All-Star – appearing in four games and earning two wins (1978 and 1979) and two saves (1980 and 1981) while not allowing a run – and received the Rolaids Relief Man Award four times. His career ended in 1988 after pitching in three seasons for the Atlanta Braves.

Sutter’s four-year St. Louis save total of 127 established a franchise record and now ranks fourth behind Jason Isringhausen (217), Lee Smith (160) and Todd Worrell (129). Sutter was voted the relief pitcher on the All-Busch Stadium II team in 2005 and was an inaugural member of the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame in 2014.

Sutter was born on January 8, 1953 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Jamye, sons Josh, Chad and Ben; daughter-in-law Amanda Sutter, and his six grandchildren.

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Rookie Player of the Year

On Closeout – 2022 Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for a fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now 20% off.

Order TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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Cardinals Name Koperniak and Marrero Top August Minor Leaguers

photo: Andrew Marrero (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Springfield Cardinals outfielder Matt Koperniak and Palm Beach reliever Andrew Marrero are the St. Louis Cardinals organization’s selections as August Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively.

St. Louis Cardinals press release

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Sunday, September 4) their selections for Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for August, with Springfield Cardinals (AA) outfielder Matt Koperniak and Palm Beach Cardinals (A) right-handed reliever Andrew Marrero receiving the honors.

Matt Koperniak

Koperniak, 24, led all qualified Cardinals minor leaguers with a .371 average (33-for-89), a 1.091 OPS and ranked first for the month in hits, home runs (6), RBI (22), extra-base hits (13) and total bases (60) across 22 games.  He became the third player in Springfield’s history to hit for the cycle, while tying a career-high with four RBI on August 9 at Amarillo.  He is the fourth different Springfield player to earn Player of the Month honors this season.

“Matt’s strong play in August was highlighted by his productive OPS, including his selection as Texas League Player of the Week for August 8-14,” said Cardinals Assistant GM & Director of Player Development Gary LaRocque.

The 6’0”, left-handed hitter was signed by the organization as a non-drafted free agent in June 2020 after playing four years of collegiate baseball at Trinity College (CT).  He was selected as an organizational All-Star by MiLB.com in 2021 after ranking in the Top 10 among all Cardinals minor leaguers in average, on-base percentage, OPS and hits.  For the season, Koperniak is slashing .292/.366/.451/.816 with 12 doubles, 14 HR, 58 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 102 games for Springfield (100) and Memphis (2).

Andrew Marrero

Marrero, 22, led all Cardinals minor leaguer pitchers with 0.63 WHIP and ranked third with 0.71 ERA (minimum 10.0 IP), while striking out 24 of 47 batters faced.  He also tallied six saves in August, the most by a Cardinals minor leaguer in a single month this season.  The 5’10” right-hander limited opponents to a .119 average and .358 OPS over 12 relief appearances (12.2 IP), allowing just five hits (one extra-base hit) and three walks.

“Andrew’s outstanding month of August has helped Palm Beach compete for a Florida State League playoff berth,” stated LaRocque.

Selected by the Cardinals in the 18th round of the 2021 Draft out of the University of Connecticut, the New Haven, Conn. native ranks first among Cardinals minor league pitchers with a 1.36 ERA with a minimum of 30.0 IP.  His 10 saves are second-most in the Cardinals minor league system this season as well.  He has struck out 52 batters across 33.0 innings this season, averaging 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings.  This is Marrero’s first career Pitcher of the Month award and first for a Palm Beach reliever since Luke Gregerson in August 2007.

Related articles

Earlier, The Cardinal Nation selected Koperniak and Marrero as our Player and Pitcher of the Month, as well. Read these articles for details on both the winners as well as other top candidates across the system.

The Cardinal Nation’s August Player of the Month – Matt Koperniak

The Cardinal Nation’s August Pitcher of the Month – Andrew Marrero

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Saturday, September 3 Transactions

Now Available – 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for its fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!

Order TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide

Not yet a member?

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

© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.