photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)
No. 1 St. Louis Cardinals prospect, catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, was the top player in the Double-A Texas League for the period of July 27-August 2.
Springfield Cardinals release
Minor League Baseball has announced that Springfield Cardinals catcher and St. Louis Cardinals number one prospect Rainiel Rodriguez has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of July 27 – August 2. Rodriguez is the first Cardinals position player this season to earn the Player of the Week honor as he joins LHP Braden Davis as the only Cardinals who have been recognized this season by the league.
The 19-year-old Rodriguez led the Texas League in slugging percentage (1.105) last week while launching three home runs with a .526 batting average. He logged three multi-hit games including a two home run night on July 29, the fourth of his Minor League career. The Domincan catcher has continued his breakout career in Springfield and enjoyed a huge month of July, slashing .305/.376/.561 in 20 games played. He has been red hot since the start of June, coming in fourth among all qualified Texas League hitters with a .329 average.
Rodriguez was called up to Double-A on May 12 from High-A Peoria. Since then he has cemented himself as the consensus number one prospect in the system, participated in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and currently sits as the 12th-ranked prospect in all of Minor League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline. He is one of just five teenagers in the top 15. Rodriguez, nicknamed ‘The Hulk’, was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the system. He immediately made his prowess known thanks to a big first season in the Dominican Summer League as one of the league’s best hitters before an explosive 2025 campaign, primarily in the Florida State League. The native of Pimentel, Dominican Republic won’t turn 20 until January of next year.
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