photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The rookie level Cardinals are off to a slow 1-4 start. Catcher Rainiel Rodriguez has two of the team’s three home runs and his 1.324 OPS is fourth in the league.
Settling into their slot
In their second season with the earlier start for the rookie level Florida and Arizona Complex Leagues, the 2025 FCL Cardinals quickly found their depth.
After a 9-2 win over the Mets on Opening Day, the Cardinals lost twice to the Nationals and twice to the Marlins. They finished the week 1-4 and reside in last place in the FCL East Division, 2 ½ games behind the Astros and Marlins.
Their 56-game schedule, which began May 3, will run through July 23.
Farm directors of the 30 MLB teams voted before the 2024 season to start the rookie leagues’ schedules earlier, changing the character of the complex leagues. Teams now are largely filled with players moving up from the Dominican Summer League, with some American college and high school players whose careers have been slowed by injury.
Of the 35 players on the FCL Cardinals roster starting the season, 16 are from the Dominican Republic, six are from Venezuela, five from the United States, four from Cuba, two from Mexico and one each from Colombia and the Bahamas. Ten pitchers and eight position players were with the FCL Cardinals for all or part of last season.
Two pitchers – 23-year-old Bruno Lopez and 21-year-old Jacob Odle – and 19-year-old outfielder Hancel Almonte – missed all of 2024 recuperating from injuries. Odle opened 2025 on the IL as well.
Three members of the Cardinals’ 2025 FCL squad are among The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospects.
Catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, 18, from Pimentel, Dominican Republic, signed in April 2024 for a reported $300,000. As a 17-year-old in the DSL last season, Rodriguez smashed 10 home runs in 41 games while posting a 1.145 OPS, which was second highest in the league, and throwing out 32% of base stealers. TCN’s no. 35 prospect was a 2024 DSL All-Star.
Right-handed pitcher Keiverson Ramirez, 19, from Miranda, Venezuela, is ranked No. 37. He was signed at age 16 In January 2023 for a reported $75,000 bonus. Manager Willi Martin selected Ramirez as the Opening Day starting pitcher. In the DSL last season, Ramirez posted a 4-2 record with a 1.62 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 48 while allowing only 33 hits in 50 innings. He was twice The Cardinal Nation’s Pitcher of the Month in 2024.
Switch-hitting shortstop Yairo Padilla, 17, from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, is ranked at No. 38. The Cardinals signed Padilla for $760,000, the second-highest bonus amount among the organization’s 2024 international amateur free agent class. In 35 games in the DSL last year, Padilla hit .287 with one home run and 22 steals in 27 attempts. He joined Rodriguez as a 2024 DSL All-Star.
What happened this week?
With only 26 hits (.181 BA) and 23 walks (.310 OBP) in five games, the Baby Birds managed to score 24 runs. The key so far seems to be hitting with runners in scoring position. In their 9-2 win over the Mets, the Cardinals had five hits in 13 at-bats with RISP. In their four losses, they were 2-for-25, including an 0-for-11 in the 4-2 loss to the Marlins on Thursday.
On the pitching side, the staff was one of three FCL teams to allow more hits than innings pitched. With 5.2 walks per game and a league-leading eight opposing batters hit by pitches, the staff posted a 1.71 WHIP, fourth highest in the FCL On the bright side, they were the only FCL team that didn’t give up any home runs and they struck out 10.4 batters per 9/IP.
The defense wasn’t especially helpful, making seven errors that led to seven unearned runs. The Cardinals and Marlins were the two East Division teams that allowed unearned runs about the 5.3 league average. The Marlins gave up eight unearned runs in only four games.
Hot hitters
Catcher Rainiel Rodriguez hit the ground running, or smashing, going 5-for-15 (.333) with four walks and two of the team’s three home tuns. His 1.324 OPS is third best in the league.
Corner infielder Yancel Guerrero had four hits, including the team’s other home run, but also fanned eight times in 14 at-bats.
Catcher Paulo Asprilla, a 19-year-old from Cartagena, Colombia, was 4-for-12 (.333) with four walks. Shortstop Yairo Padilla had only two hits and a walk in 21 plate appearances, but stole five bases in six attempts.
Hot hurlers
Alan Reyes, a 21-year-old right-hander from Sinaloa de Leyva, Mexico, made two strong relief appearances, striking out nine over 4 1/3 innings while allowing one walk and hitting one batter but allowing no hits. Reyes collected the win in the victory over the Mets.
In his first action since June 8, 2024, Charles Harrison, a 23-year-old right-hander from Los Angeles drafted in the seventh round in 2023 out of UCLA, had two scoreless relief appearances.
Antoni Cuello, a 22-year-old right-hander from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, also had two scoreless relief outings.
Jovi Galvez, a 20-year-old right-hander who struggled mightily with control issues in the FCL last season, showed some improvement. In 12 1/3 innings last season, Galvez walked 22 and hit nine batters, while allowing nine hits and striking out nine. In his three innings this season, Galvez gave up a hit, a walk and hit two batters, but only a single unearned run was charged to him.
The rotation
The Cardinals used four pitchers the first time through the rotation. Ramirez is the first to make two starts.
- RH Keiverson Ramirez
- LH Yadiel Batista
- RH Ronny Oliver
- RH Jefferson Moran
Injured list (6)
- RHPs Hunter Kublick, Miguel Martinez, Jacob Odle and Alec Willis are on the 7-day IL.
- RHPs Justin Hernandez and Brian Holiday are on the full season IL.
Transactions
- 5/7: C Maikel Hernandez from FCL Cardinals to Palm Beach.
- 5/8: RHP Samuel Fabian from Palm Beach to FCL Cardinals.
This week’s schedule
Most weeks, the Cardinals are scheduled to play five games, but this is the first of four weeks in the season during which they have only four games scheduled.
- Saturday off
- Sunday off
- Monday vs. Astros
- Tuesday at Astros
- Wednesday vs. Mets
- Thursday vs. Marlins
- Friday off
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