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Despite ranking fourth in innings pitched at the #STLCards Low-A Palm Beach, first-year lefty Braden Davis led the rotation in strikeouts and in K rate. The two-time Florida State League Pitcher of the Week is The Cardinal Nation’s Beach Birds Starting Pitcher of the Year.… pic.twitter.com/PQKAhUWZ7V
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 18, 2025
Cade Winquest is The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 #STLCards Peoria Chiefs Starting Pitcher of the Year. In the High-A Midwest League, the RH Texan threw 63 ⅔ innings, 51 ⅓ as a starter with a 4.52 ERA, lowest among qualifying rotation members. @MarkWagsSports reports.… pic.twitter.com/sYPnKQTA2O
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 19, 2025
Ixan Henderson is The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Starting Pitcher of the Year for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. The #stlcards prospect LHP made 25 starts with a 2.59 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 132 innings on route to Texas League Pitcher of the Year honors.… pic.twitter.com/by6UiRz9m3
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 20, 2025
Coming into the season, the odds would have been something like 500-to-1 that Taylor would become the ace of the Memphis rotation. Injuries create opportunity.
With the most innings pitched and strikeouts, lowest ERA and best record, 30-year-old RH Curtis Taylor is our selection as the top Starting Pitcher on the #STLCards' Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. @nathanpomerenk reports. https://t.co/J2iK5RVo4F pic.twitter.com/zFUCS3kFdl
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 21, 2025
Was looking over the list of Texas League Pitchers of The Year, dating back to the 1930’s and it was not an impressive list. There was a good little stretch, Wayne Garland(1971), Frank Tanana(1973) and Dennis Eckersley(1974), but that’s about the extent of accomplished ML hurlers……with a tip of the cap to Sid Fernandez (1983) and Calvin Shiraldi (1984).
In his first professional season, middle infielder Sebastian Dos Santos led the rookie #STLCards in slugging and OPS while walking more often than striking out. The 17-year-old switch-hitter is our DSL Cardinals Player of the Year. https://t.co/eC6lwbf37G pic.twitter.com/8OeOybgK4I
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 22, 2025
Reviewing the results of hitters from the #STLCards 2025 rookie level Florida Complex League club with 18-year-old prospect switch-hitting shortstop Yairo Padilla our FCL Cardinals Player of the Year. https://t.co/LyHmuN8m60 pic.twitter.com/lpVC5sKaWA
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 23, 2025
Corner infielder Deniel Ortiz led the #stlcards' Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases. The Florida State League All-Star is The Cardinal Nation’s Beach Birds Player of the Year. https://t.co/bbk3AD5r9X pic.twitter.com/QSiLzbe6rF
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 24, 2025
Jon Jon Gazdar led the High-A #STLCards affiliate in hits, batting average, total bases and lowest strikeout rate. The 23-year-old infielder’s statistics and consistency earned him The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Peoria Chiefs Player of the Year award. https://t.co/RaC76X9m2J pic.twitter.com/hSVgfLYU9o
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 25, 2025
In a surprise to probably no one, #STLCards no. 1 prospect and Texas League Most Valuable Player JJ Wetherholt is The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 Springfield Cardinals Player of the Year. https://t.co/xKrEgrijYf pic.twitter.com/dAPrnLIkUZ
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 26, 2025
The Cardinal Nation 2025 Memphis Redbirds Player of the Year is Bryan Torres. The #stlcards 2B/OF topped the 20-team International League with a .441 on-base percentage and finished third in the circuit with a .328 batting average. https://t.co/IDVNrO7Evw pic.twitter.com/uh6OpI4NBM
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 27, 2025
In the first of our cross-system awards for the 2025 #STLCards Minor League system, the top first-year pitcher on the US-based affiliates is non-drafted right-hander Bobby Olsen, who got off to a quick start as a professional. https://t.co/kWbBmb8tWS pic.twitter.com/hxcJ38JDYQ
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 28, 2025
Continuing with our cross-system awards for the #STLCards Minor League system, the top first-year position player on the US-based affiliates was their last draft pick. 20th rounder Chase Heath proved he is not Mr. Irrelevant. https://t.co/LdG3kC14kD pic.twitter.com/Khuwdzgj2c
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 29, 2025
Christopher Chase Heath. Yet another in a long winding road of promising young catchers in the St. Louis Cardinals pipeline. Historically, the Packers are known for having great QB’s, the Bears top flight running backs, the Lakers HoF centers and the Dodgers fantastic pitchers. On the heels of Tim McCarver, Ted Simmons and Yadier Molina, are the Redbirds on the precipice of entering this conversation with their stellar catchers?
Springfield’s Luis Gastelum repeats as The Cardinal Nation’s top relief pitcher in the #STLCards minor league system. The RH’s impressive 2025 included system-wide leadership in FIP, xFIP, strikeout rate and strikeout to walk ratio, as he edged ERA leader Andre Granillo.… pic.twitter.com/IhSnPxxqDo
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 30, 2025
I’m having a hard time recalling a season in which standards for “top” Cardinal players were so mundane and unremarkable.
The Texas League Pitcher of the Year, left-hander Ixan Henderson, is The Cardinal Nation’s top Starting Pitcher in the #STLCards minor league system in 2025, with the lowest ERA and FIP among qualifiers. https://t.co/v5zDXtYhF5 pic.twitter.com/94Tdt3UMFL
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 31, 2025
The Texas League Pitcher of the Year, left-hander Ixan Henderson, is The Cardinal Nation’s top Starting Pitcher in the #STLCards minor league system in 2025, with the lowest ERA and FIP among qualifiers. https://t.co/v5zDXtYhF5 pic.twitter.com/94Tdt3UMFL
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 31, 2025
Breakout C Rainiel Rodriguez is The Cardinal Nation’s top position player in the #STLCards minor league system. The 18-year-old’s impressive summer included two promotions, Florida State League All-Star honors and the top SLG, OPS and wRC+ in the org. https://t.co/AcdBiX7NeY pic.twitter.com/pD08O3R1Pk
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 1, 2025
I wouldn’t be surprised if the organization chooses Wetherholt, which certainly would not be a bad choice.
The leader of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals comments on their record-breaking regular season and through to the Texas League Championship. Patrick Anderson is our choice as the top skipper in the #STLCards system in 2025. https://t.co/JRMjodWzpa pic.twitter.com/BwXCUuJHsO
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 2, 2025
A comprehensive review of the 2025 season at the various levels across the #stlcards minor league system and the organization as a whole. https://t.co/2tFWSXTRFb pic.twitter.com/y09H6n4e2b
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 8, 2025
Memphis featured one of the top offenses in the International League, but their pitching was middle-of-the-pack. This is not what was expected coming into 2025, but a wave of starting pitching injuries changed everything.
I hope and pray that the new regime was not expecting a group of injury plagued starters to magically be more healthy and resilient than ever. I hope they had a more realistic expectation, and the inevitable ‘wave of injuries’ did not actually change anything. 2026 should be better, assuming they don’t jerk the up and coming starters around while continuing to spin wheels with the gimpy arm crowd.
A comprehensive review of player accomplishments and recognition received across the #STLCards minor league system in 2025 concludes our 37-part annual series recapping the season. https://t.co/OfBa7yhurh pic.twitter.com/JeMolY1P91
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 11, 2025
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