- This topic has 959 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I see 4 regular participants that have not voted yet….. c’mon guys.
Okay 1 HR and 10 MINs until we end #8 voting.
I think we missed a voting end here so I’ll end it.
Your #8 prospect is Ixan Henderson, LHP.
1. JJ Wetherholt, IF
2. Liam Doyle, LHP
3. Quinn Mathews, LHP
4. Rainiel Rodriguez, C
5. Joshua Baez, OF
6. Leonardo Bernal, C
7. Jimmy Crooks, C
8. Ixan Henderson, LHPVoting is now open for the #9 prospect. Voting will close at Noon CT/1 PM ET on Tuesday, October 28th.
Henderson slides into the 8 hole.
Next up is selections for #9. The voting will end on Tuesday 12:00 Central time.
Good luck on your football pools.
I’m going with Roby here. Mautz still looks like a reliever to me – probably similar to a John King career. It’s too early to tell on Franklin or Mitchell. Gurevitch may be 1B only. And while Deniel Ortiz looks really interesting, his strikeout rate is concerning. The fact that Roby has a better chance of being a starter over Hjerpe gives him the edge. I like everything about Roby except his propensity to have arm injuries. All of these players are very close in my book.
9. Roby
I have Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe, TK Roby,and Deniel Ortiz just ahead of Mautz, Franklin, and Padila.
The first three simply need health. I would give Hence the best odds. I think Hjerpe has the highest ceiling. I point out again that Roby is out all year with TJ surgury and has underlying shoulder issues.
Franklin has the most juice and the fewest miles on his arm.
Mautz has looked better than I anticipated and really achieved the same success level as Henderson at 8.
Ortiz broke out almost in identical fashion as Raniel Rodriguez and Josh Baez who posted here long ago.#9. Yairo Padilla – Upside pick that is akin to a hot startup company that has great potential but significant amounts of risk.
I’m not as confident in Mautz as others. While I do have him in my top 20, I see him more as a back of the rotation max potential guy but who has a lot of reliever risk. Mautz doesn’t have a good change up and it shows as it hurts his platoon against RHP. His numbers against RHB aren’t bad, but they show signs of weakness that scouting data backs up. Scouts don’t like Mautz’s changeup and don’t think it will develop further.
Mautz had a .689 OPS against RHB with 12 HRs allowed and a 3.07 K to BB ratio and then against LHB had a .493 OPS with 1 HR allowed against LHB with a really good 8.5 K to BB ratio.
I think prospect rankings can vary for the same group of players depending on a team’s situation, similar to how your investment portfolio’s risk profile changes as you age. When a team is rebuilding, it needs a “prospect portfolio” weighted toward upside with high-risk, high-reward players while still keeping a few safe bets to ensure steady progress. But for a consistent playoff contender, the focus shifts toward more dependable, low-variance prospects who can contribute soon, with only a few riskier plays mixed in.
The Cardinals are clearly in that rebuilding phase, so my prospect rankings lean more toward upside. I’m looking for who could deliver the biggest long-term payoff.
#9 Mautz
I tend more towards right place, right time. I also appreciate the steep risk curve the further down in the system you go.
Player A-Age 23 in 2026, 8-12, 3.25 ERA, 257.1 IP, 1.164 WHIP, 11.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9
Player B-Age 25, 4-7, 3.38 ERA, 93.1 IP, 1.179 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 5.1 BB/9
Player C-Age 24, 15-25, 340.1 IP, 1.302 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
Player D-Age 24, 16-23, 4.33 ERA, 301.2 IP, 1.223 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9
One player is youngest, best ERA, best WHIP, 2nd best K/9 and BB/9, and the 2nd best K-BB ratio. That player is my #9, Markevian “Tink” Hence. I’ve downgraded his ceiling to that of an All Star high leverage reliever, but that’s still better than anyone else left, in my book. Health is the question, but the results never really have been.
Speaking to the injury risk, the Cards really need to consider the “opener” route with some of these guys. They’re clearly talented enough to pitch through a lineup without getting tagged, but can’t stay healthy enough to pitch as a starter. Give them 40-60 pitches to get through a lineup once and maybe into it a second time and then take them out for the next guy. Pitchers like Hence, Hjerpe, and Roby seem made for it.
#9 Mautz – If you followed the SPR-Cards you already know that this guy had a great AA season. He’ll follow that up with a better season at AAA MEM in ’26 and a STL call-up late in the season.
I like Mautz but he is gettting old for a prospect. It will be nice to have him, Hjerpe, and Henderson coming through on the LH pitching side.
LHP-wise:
I am penciling in Doyle, Libertore, and Mathews as starters with the above 3 as the fallback options, bullpen pieces.My problem with Roby and Hence is that they are rarely healthy. Their potential has been overcome by reality. Having good stuff does the organization no good if you are sitting on the IL.
I am with Nigel on this one. Of all the top players being voted for all have either injury history or upside limitations. Hence has the upside but likely a bullpen guy.
Both Baseball America and Major League Pipeline have Padilla ranked higher than most are projecting.
Yario Padilla for #9
Hence for me at 9, please.
I’m more worried re Roby’s and Hjerpe’s health. Hence could very soon be a key piece of the pen.
#9 Mautz.
He’s very close to Hence, Hjerpe and Roby but gets the nod simply due to health. If all four were healthy, he’d be 4th out of that group.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.