photo: Max Rajcic (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals have selected RHR Max Rajcic and OF Won-Bin Cho as their May Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals today (Thursday, June 11) announced their selections for Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for May, with Memphis Redbirds (AAA) right-handed relief pitcher Max Rajcic and Peoria Chiefs (A+) outfielder Won-Bin Cho taking home the honors.
Rajcic posted a 1.20 ERA (2 ER/15.0 IP), two wins, three saves, 0.80 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts while allowing only eight hits across 11 appearances in May. Among qualified Cardinals minor league pitchers (min. 12.0 IP), Rajcic ranked first in ERA, WHIP, saves, and opponent’s OPS (.464), third in opponent’s average (.154) and H/9 IP (4.8), and fifth in SO/BB ratio (4.75). He did not allow an earned run in 9 of his 11 outings and posted a 33.9% strikeout rate, striking out at least one batter in every appearance. The 24-year-old had four multi-inning appearances with his longest coming on May 10, where he retired 8 of 9 batters faced with five strikeouts over 2.2 innings to earn the Win at Toledo.
“Max has done an outstanding job transitioning from a starting role in 2025 to the bullpen this season, and the results were evident throughout the month of May,” said Cardinals Director of Player Development Larry Day. “While many pitchers simplify their arsenal when moving to a relief role, Max has successfully carried a starter’s approach into the bullpen, maintaining the depth of his pitch mix while adding more than two miles per hour of velocity and improving the overall quality of his stuff. His developmental focus has centered on improving his ability to win the race to two strikes through better in-zone execution of his off-speed pitches and leaning into his best swing-and-miss offerings in two-strike counts. We’re encouraged by the progress Max has made and excited about the impact he can continue to have as he builds on this success.”
Selected by the Cardinals in the 6th round of the 2022 Draft out of UCLA, Rajcic transitioned to the bullpen this year after making 74 starts over his first three professional seasons. The 2023 Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year is enjoying a strong start as a reliever and currently owns a 3.03 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 24 games (38.2 IP), both 4th-lowest among all Cardinals minor league relievers (min 15.0 IP). This marks Rajcic’s third career Pitcher of the Month honor (June & August 2023), becoming the 6th Cardinals minor leaguer in franchise history to earn the award three times and ties him with Matthew Liberatore for the most selections among active players in the organization.
Cho slashed .325/.434/.663 with nine doubles, two triples, five home runs, 24 RBI, 15 walks and 10 stolen bases across 24 games with High-A Peoria. The 22-year-old led all qualified Cardinals minor leaguers in OPS (1.097), RBI, extra-base hits, and stolen bases while also ranking second with 55 total bases. He reached base safely in 22 games played and had a nine-game hitting streak that included eight straight games with an extra-base hit, tied for the second-longest by any player across Minor League Baseball this season.
“Won-Bin has been heavily investing into himself and his swing, making real improvements with how his bat moves through contact,” stated Day. “His improved swing is much more efficient and easier to control which has led to increased quality of contact at very productive angles, one of Won-Bin’s offensive goals. As Won-Bin continues to train towards increasing his contact and productive batted ball profiles as a hitter, refining route quality and throwing accuracy as a defender, and improving his route efficiency as a baserunner – we are excited about the progress he has made thus far and look forward to supporting him as he builds on his tremendous May.”
Signed by the Cardinals as an International free agent out of South Korea in January 2022, the 6’6”, left-handed batter represents the first Asian amateur player to sign with the organization. Cho is enjoying a breakout season with Peoria, currently slashing .277/.406/.518 across 48 games with 22 extra-base hits, 37 RBI and 23 stolen bases with a 16.3 walk percentage. His 100 career stolen bases rank as the 4th-most by any Cardinals minor leaguer since his professional debut in 2022. He was recently named the Midwest League’s Player of the Week for May 25-31.
TCN’s take
Earlier, The Cardinal Nation selected Cho and Palm Beach/Peoria’s Jacob Odle as our May Player and Pitcher of the Month. Compare stats of the selections as well as top candidates in these two articles.
The Cardinal Nation May 2026 Player of the Month – Won-Bin Cho
The Cardinal Nation’s May 2026 Pitcher of the Month – Jacob Odle
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